General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and depend on your situation; have your own case checked by the notaire or an adviser in France (and in the country where you live).
In France the seller has to hand over more paperwork than in most European countries. The main reason is the dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT): a set of technical reports that must be attached to the preliminary contract or the deed. If a report is missing, the buyer can delay or, in some cases, challenge the sale. The good news is that the list is fixed by law and published by the French administration. This guide walks through it, explains what each document is and tells you when you need it.
The short list
- Titre de propriété: proof that you own the property, usually the deed by which you bought or inherited it.
- Dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT): the technical reports, from the energy rating (DPE) to the risk statement (ERP).
- Copropriété documents, if you sell an apartment or a unit in a shared building.
- Identity documents for every seller and, if you are married or in a PACS, information on your matrimonial regime.
- Situation-specific papers: a mortgage that is still running, an inheritance, building works or a holiday rental.
1. Titre de propriété (title deed)
Your titre de propriété is the notarial deed by which you acquired the property: the acte de vente if you bought it, or the attestation de propriété drawn up by a notaire if you inherited it. It describes the property, its cadastral references and how you became the owner. The notaire who handles your sale will check the chain of ownership and the land registry (service de la publicité foncière) anyway, but having your own copy at hand saves time and lets you spot problems early, such as a plot that is described differently from what you actually use.
Inherited the house? Then the heirs must first be registered as owners through the notaire's attestation de propriété. According to the French notaries, a sale cannot be registered without it. Read more in our guide on selling an inherited house abroad.
2. The dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT)
The DDT groups all compulsory technical reports. The seller provides it, and it is attached to the promesse or compromis de vente, or to the deed if there is no preliminary contract. Each report is made by a certified professional (diagnostiqueur). Which reports you need depends on the age of the building, its installations and its location:
| Report | When it is required |
|---|---|
| DPE (energy performance) | Always. |
| Plomb (lead, CREP) | Building constructed before 1 January 1949. |
| Amiante (asbestos) | Building permit issued before 1 July 1997. |
| Électricité | Indoor electrical installation older than 15 years. |
| Gaz | Indoor gas installation older than 15 years. |
| Assainissement (drainage) | Home with its own wastewater system (not connected to the mains), or where the municipality requires it. |
| Termites | Home in a zone declared infested by order of the préfet. |
| État des risques (ERP) | Home in a zone with natural, mining, technological, seismic, radon or coastal-erosion risks. |
| Bruit (aircraft noise) | Home in a noise exposure zone near an airport. |
| Audit énergétique | Houses (not apartments) with a DPE rating of E, F or G. |
On top of this, the contract must mention whether the property is in a zone at risk of mérule (dry rot), and since 2023 a carnet d'information du logement (housing information booklet) is required where the building permit or prior declaration was filed from 1 January 2023, or where renovation works were carried out since then.
3. DPE: the energy rating, needed before you advertise
The diagnostic de performance énergétique rates the home from A to G for energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions. It is the one report you need before you advertise: every sale advertisement, online or on paper, must show the energy and climate classes, and homes rated F or G must carry the words logement à consommation énergétique excessive. The ad must also give an estimate of the annual energy costs.
According to service-public.fr, the DPE you hand to the buyer may be at most 10 years old on the date of the promesse or the deed. Watch out with older certificates: DPEs made between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2021 stopped being valid on 1 January 2025.
4. ERP: the risk statement, from the first visit
The état des risques informs the buyer about the natural and technological risks that affect the home. It must be given to the buyer at the first visit and then attached to the preliminary contract or the deed. If it is not supplied by the time the promesse is signed, the buyer's withdrawal period only starts the day after the document is handed over. For a home that needs an état des risques, sale advertisements must also mention that information on the risks is available on the official Géorisques website. You can prepare the statement for your address there.
5. Selling an apartment: the copropriété documents
If the home is part of a copropriété (a building with shared ownership), the buyer must receive a set of documents on the building and its finances, normally together with the promesse. Service-public.fr lists, among others:
- the fiche synthétique, a summary sheet of the building's financial and technical data;
- the règlement de copropriété and the état descriptif de division, with their published amendments;
- the minutes of the general meetings of the last three years;
- the maintenance log (carnet d'entretien), and where they exist the conclusions of the diagnostic technique global and the multi-year works plan;
- the financial position of your unit: charges paid in the last two financial years, your share of the works fund, what the buyer may owe the syndicate and the overall unpaid charges in the building;
- the private floor area under the loi Carrez, which must be stated in the contract.
Before the deed, the notaire also asks the building manager (syndic) for an état daté, which shows what you owe the syndicate and what it owes you. Ask your syndic early: these documents can take weeks.
6. Documents that depend on your situation
- Mortgage still running: the mortgage has to be paid off and released when you sell. Give the notaire your loan details early so this can be arranged before the deed.
- Married or in a PACS: your matrimonial regime determines whether your partner must sign, even if only one name appears on the deed.
- Building works: planning permissions (permis de construire, déclaration préalable) and, for recent works, insurance certificates. Buyers and their notaire will ask about extensions, pools and conversions.
- Holiday rental: if you rent the home as a meublé de tourisme, keep your registration details; the buyer will ask about them.
- Signing from abroad: a power of attorney (procuration). See the sale process step by step.
When do you need what?
- Before you advertise: the DPE (the classes go in the ad) and, ideally, the risk statement from Géorisques.
- At the first visit: the état des risques.
- At the promesse or compromis: the complete DDT and, for an apartment, the copropriété documents.
- Before the deed: your identity documents, the état daté, mortgage details and anything else the notaire asks for.
Common problems and how to avoid them
An expired or invalid DPE. Check the date of your energy report before you advertise; an ad without valid energy classes breaks the rules.
The syndic is slow. Request the copropriété documents as soon as you decide to sell.
Works without permission. An extension or pool that was never declared will come up during the notaire's checks. Get advice before you set the price.
Want to see which papers apply to your home? Use our free documents-by-country tool or the general checklist for selling abroad. When you are ready, create your free account and place your home, or read first about selling your house in France.
