New Changes to Mortgages and Insurance

A new bill is expected to make three changes related to mortgage rules and insurance, all of which would benefit those taking out loans later this year.

The bill was passed by a joint parliamentary committee and must be approved by both houses of parliament in readings later this month. It is very likely that it will be adopted after agreement in the joint committee.

The first change concerns loan insurance.

When taking out a mortgage in France, it is necessary to take out loan insurance at the same time.

Currently, households can only change insurance plan or insurer within one year of subscription or, after that, once a year on the date the contract is signed.

The proposed new law will open the possibility of changing insurance at any time.

This should come into force from June 1 for all new insurance contracts, and from September 1 for all existing contracts.

A second element of the proposed law removes the requirement for people to complete a health questionnaire for all mortgages below €200,000 per person (provided they are taken out before the person’s 60th birthday).

Finally, people who have recovered from cancer in France should, according to the proposals, soon be able to “forget” about the disease when it comes to details to insurers, or when applying for mortgages or other loans, after five years of recovery. .

This means that they will not face higher premiums or rejections as they may currently due to their former illness. Currently, they have to wait ten years after recovery before the reporting requirement is removed. .

You can read more about this in our article here: Cured cancer patients in France should have easier access to loans

Five sites to find a person “odd jobs” near you

As spring approaches, many homeowners may be thinking about making small repairs or renovations to their property.

This might require the help of a handyman. This occupation is known as a handyman (woman) in French, or otherwise a bricoleur (a handywoman), although the latter term also refers to members of the public who do DIY in their own homes. .

In France, there are several websites that connect owners with someone nearby who can do light housework. This is related to what the French now call jobbing, referring to people who are willing to help the public with various small ad hoc tasks at home on very short notice.

Here we list five jobbing sites to find the right person for your job:

1. I propose myself
   This online community has around 600,000 members offering services or seeking services.
   It allows users to post ads offering their skills, whether in animal care, sports coaching or handyman jobs. Other users can check out these ads to see if there is someone who matches their needs. You can refine the location of your search by city or department

2. At My Service
   This site helps you find professionals in different fields. One option is for handyman (DIY) work. Select this option in the search bar, insert your address and you will be able to consult the profiles of the various professionals available in your area. You can then book their services on the same platform.

3. works

This site brings together more than 40,000 professionals, including plumbers, electricians and painters and decorators. It allows you to post a “project”, specifying the type of work you want to do, and then it connects you with someone who can do that task in your area.

1. FrizBiz
   This is another well-known site for finding a handyman. Similar to other platforms, you post an ad detailing the type of work you want to do and then find the right professional. It claims more than 200,000 professionals referenced on its site and guarantees a response within 24 hours.

2. Yojo

The platform claims 24,000 active professionals who have created 786,000 jobs across France. You fill out a form detailing the type of work you want done, get an estimate of price and duration, and then post your ad. Professionals near you will then offer you their services.

How to Access Financial Assistance for Age-Related Home Renovations

In 2021, 26,800 households in France received financial assistance to help them adapt their homes for the elderly, in particular by installing accessibility devices and renovating bathrooms, the National Housing Agency reported. (Anah).

The financial assistance for these renovations is called Habiter facile. It could be used to convert a bathtub into a walk-in shower or to install a stairlift, for example.

This assistance is limited to people with low or middle incomes. For example, for a couple in Ile-de-France, the annual income must be less than €37,739 to benefit from it. For a couple elsewhere in France, the annual income must be less than €28,614 to benefit from it.

See a more detailed breakdown of income limits here.

The owner must also meet the following criteria:

• The house is over 15 years old

• The owner has not received an interest-free home loan (PTZ) in the past five years

• The owner undertakes to live in his accommodation as his main residence for at least six years after the end of the work

People over the age of 60 with mobility problems can benefit from funding covering 35 to 50% of the cost of their work (capped between €7,000 and €10,000) depending on their level of income.

Learn more about help at this link here

Termination letter – why it might be important when selling

A letter terminating a rental agreement (called a termination letter in French) is a standard letter written by tenants to landlords to inform them that they are moving out.

This letter can be very important for owners who wish to sell their property.

A woman recently posted a message on a Facebook group for landlords in France saying she was about to sell her property when the buyer asked for this letter, which she had lost.

She wanted to know if buyers have the right to demand this letter.

The answer is yes. In fact, buyers should request a copy of this letter. It allows them to ensure that the conditions for terminating the rental contract have been respected, and if necessary, to protect them from possible future disputes with the former tenant.

If the lessee can prove that the rental agreement has not been duly terminated, he can demand that the sale of the property be cancelled.

If a landlord loses this letter and wishes to sell his property, he will have to find his former tenant and ask him to provide a copy of this letter.

Tenants often leave contact information or new addresses with landlords before moving out.

The maximum rental price of the properties must be displayed in the advertisements

A new rule which will come into effect on April 1 will mean that in areas of the country subject to rent control, all property listings will have to include the maximum possible rental prices in the area.

There are 28 urban areas in France that are subject to rent control (called rent control).

These are: Ajaccio, Annecy, Arles, Bastia, Bayonne, Beauvais, Bordeaux, Draguignan, Fréjus, Geneva-Annemasse, Grenoble, La Rochelle, La Teste-de-Buch-Arcachon, Lille, Lyon, Marseille – Aix-en-Provence , Meaux, Menton-Monaco, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Saint-Nazaire, Sète, Strasbourg, Thonon-les-Bains, Toulon, Toulouse

All rental advertisements in these areas, through estate agents or private individuals, must from April include:

• The basic rent of the proposed property (rent excluding charges / additional charges)

• Maximum amount of rent (fixed by prefectural decree)

• Any additional rent that may apply when the maximum amount is reached due to certain characteristics of the property (such as location or luxury features)

It should be noted that certain surfaces in areas subject to rent control are exempt from control.

Bonus real estate news

The latest quarterly report on real estate prices and trends in France has just been published by the official network of notaries.

This property information is the most comprehensive available as it takes into account property sales and pre-sales across France rather than data from individual estate agents (however, the data presented relates mainly to non-new properties).

You can read our coverage of this report, including how Brexit is affecting sales and where prices have risen and fallen the most for non-new build, in our article here: Latest Notary Data: Where House Prices Are Rising they the most in France?

Related stories:

A French site facilitates rental formalities for tenants and owners

Housing tax will increase by at least 3% this year in France

Real estate prices: small towns in France are the winners of the “Covid effect”