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11. Buying Property in France: Completion Formalities

11.5. Certificate of Purchase

When you have signed the deed of sale, you should ask the notaire for a certificate of purchase (called attestation), which you can use to gain access to public services for the property, and open a bank account etc if you have not already so.

Accordingly, the certificate can be presented to any of the public utility services to get a connection e.g. electricity, gas, phone.

At the time of signature, you should also be given a receipt for the money paid to the notaire for purchase of the property.

You will also later receive a copy of the deed of sale, together with a detailed statement of fees and costs. Some notaires are slow at this process so you need to be insistent if there is a delay.

Bizarrely, a copy of the deed is not normally sent to the seller, although you can offer to pay for a copy from the notaire or later obtain one from the French land registry.

Next: Fees and Costs

Back: Deed of Sale

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