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- Guides to France
- Building and Renovation
- New Houses
- Handover
- Unconditional
Building and Renovation in France
Building a New Home in France
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Site Selection
- 3. Getting Free Advice
- 4. Architects in France
- 5. Selection of Builder
- 6. Building Estimate
- 7. Building Contract
- 8. Terms of House Building Contracts
- 9. Planning Notices
- 10. Financial Guarantees
- 11. Building Guarantee
- 12. Handover
- 13. Disputes
- 14. Local Property Tax
- 15. Household Insurance
Guides to France
Property in France
- Buying property in France
- Buying off-plan in France
- French property auctions
- SCI Ownership
- French property rights
- Renting property in France
- Selling property in France
Building & Renovation
- Building a house in France
- French planning system
- Property renovation in France
- French property rights
- French Mobile Homes
Work & Business
Money & Taxation
- Banking in France
- French mortgages
- Currency Exchange
- Taxes in France
- French inheritance
- French home insurance
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If you require advice and assistance with the purchase of French property and moving to France, then take a look at the France Insider Property Clinic.
12. Handover of Your New Home in France - La Réception
- Handover Process
- Unconditional Handover
- Conditional Handover
- Refusal of Handover
12.2. Unconditional Handover - La Réception sans Réserve
Where you are completely satisfied with the dwelling then handover can be made on an unconditional basis.
This is called la réception sans réserve
In such circumstances the outstanding 5% balance should be paid.
The financial guarantee of delivery provided by the builder - the garantie de livraison - ceases to operate.
If you are not accompanied by a professional advisor at handover, then under the terms of the contract you are granted a further eight days following handover to notify any apparent defects in the property, which the builder as an obligation to remedy.
This right operates separately from the ten year building guarantee - la responsabilité décennale.
You should notify any defects found during this 8 day period to the builder by recorded delivery letter. You have no need to pay the outstanding 5% until expiry of the eight days and, if defects are found during this period, you can withhold payment of the outstanding amount.
After this period, any defects that may become apparent will need to be taken up as part of the ten year building guarantee.
In effect, a somewhat artificial legal distinction is made between those defects occurring at handover and those found at a later date. In the first case it is non-compliance with the contract; in the second case it is a construction defect, dealt with under the building guarantee.
Next: Conditional Handover
Back: Handover Process
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