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PROPERTY

EXPLAINED: The new French property declaration form for SCI owners

France's new property tax declaration has been creating problems for those who own their French home through an SCI - here's what you need to know.

Published: 9 March 2023 10:07 CET
Updated: 7 May 2023 07:26 CEST
EXPLAINED: The new French property declaration form for SCI owners
The log-in page for the "Professionals" section of the Impots.Gouv.Fr website (Screenshot by The Local)

France recently introduced a new requirement for all property owners in France to fill in a property tax declaration.

This applies to anyone who owns property in France – whether it is their main residence or a second home – including those who live in another country.

You can find full details about the declaration and how to fill it in HERE. 

But people who own their property through an SCI have run into problems with their declarations.

An SCI – société civile immobilière – is a non-trading real estate company made up of at least two people. Essentially, it allows people to own property such as a second home through shares of a company, rather than under their own name.  

Most property owners have been told to fill out the declaration by simply going onto the website impots.gouv.fr, logging into their personal space and then clicking on Biens immobiliers (real estate) in the menu bar along the top of the website.

READ MORE: UPDATE: New French property tax declaration – your questions answered

The site should then list the property or properties in your name, and you can fill out the déclaration d’occupation for each, stating whether it is your main residence or a second home.

However, many SCI property owners have found themselves perplexed to not see their property show up after logging onto their personal space on the impots.gouv.fr website.

This is because, according to French tax authorities, owners of SCI properties should carry out the procedure on their “professional” space, rather than their personal space – since an SCI is technically a business that owns the property.

Anyone who runs a business in France will already have a ‘professional’ tax account, but SCI property owners will need to set one up in order to make the legally-required declaration. 

You can set one up by going to the website impots.gouv.fr and clicking “Votre espace professionel”.

Next, you will click “Créer mon espace professionel”. Fill out the required information, keep in mind you will need access to the SCI’s SIREN number and the company’s official email address.

Form to fill out to create a “professional” space on the Impots.Gouv.Fr website (Screenshot by The Local)

The tax office for your département will send you an activation code by post as soon as your space creation request has been validated. You will then have 30 days to activate your space and fill in your bank details. Once this is finished, you ought to be able to access the online service immediately.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: The advantages and pitfalls of buying French property with an SCI

The deadline to have completed the declaration is June 30th, and people who have a property registered should receive notification from the tax office. 

You will then receive your property tax bill in the autumn as usual. 

This is a one-off declaration so you won’t have to do it every year – only when your situation changes, so for example if you sell the property, buy a new one or change from it being a second-home to your main residence. 

READ MORE: What should I do if I want to dissolve my French property SCI?

Member comments

  1. Not trying to be a pain, but my Professional Space has been set up for my SCI owned apartment for three years already and there is still no link to do the tax declaration. Has anyone else had this problem?

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PROPERTY

The rules for installing air conditioning in your French home

Air conditioning does not come as standard in French homes, so if you want it this summer, you may need to install it yourself. However, as well as being expensive, this can be a complicated process.

Published: 2 June 2023 16:58 CEST
Updated: 5 June 2023 09:16 CEST
The rules for installing air conditioning in your French home

The first thing to look at is property ownership, and as you would expect this is a lot simpler if you own your own home, in a single building.

Single-family home owners

If you own your own house you can install air-conditioning, although depending on the works that you need to do you may need planning permission from the mairie, and if you live in a historic or protected zone you may not be able to make any alterations to the exterior of your building.

This means you will likely need to submit a ‘déclaration préalable‘ (found HERE), and you can count on processing times being at least a few weeks.

READ MORE: How to get planning permission for your French property

It’s also quite a costly undertaking.

An air conditioner itself ranges from €250 to €12,000, depending on its capabilities. You will also need to consider installation costs as well as annual maintenance fees, plus added energy expenses.

Communal buildings

If you live in an apartment or a shared building which has a syndicat (similar to a homeowner’s association in the US) you will almost certainly need to get permission from the syndic to install air-conditioning – even if you own your apartment.

If you intend to do any work that affects the exterior of the building you will likely also need planning permission. 

READ MORE: PROPERTY: What you need to know about ‘copropriété’ fees in France

Tenants

If you rent your home, you will need permission from the landlord, who in turn may need permission from the building syndic if it is a shared building. The landlord is also responsible for getting the relevant planning permission.

Who bears the costs depends on the relationship you have with your landlord, if you are a great tenant and have a good relationship your landlord may agree to pay to get it installed, but this is far from being a standard feature of French homes so don’t expect the landlord to pay.

Your landlord may agree if you offer to pay the costs yourself, but they are under no obligation to do so, and it’s the landlord that is responsible for sorting out things like planning permission and (if applicable) agreement from the syndic. 

Alternatives

If you either can’t afford air-conditioning or your landlord isn’t keen on installing it (or you’re worried about the environmental impact – not only does AC guzzle energy, it also contributes to the ‘heat sink’ effect that can make cities up to 10C hotter than the surrounding area) there are some alternatives.

You could consider getting a heat pump – expensive to install but very eco-friendly, these will keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Because of their very low energy usage, they will also eventually end up saving you money on annual heating/cooling bills.

READ ALSO Everything you need to know about installing a heat pump in France

The alternative to a full air-conditioning system is a free-standing AC unit, which has a hose like a clothes dryer that hangs out of the window. These are less effective than full AC systems but nonetheless provide some cooling.

You won’t need planning permission as you’re not making any structural alterations, but if you live in a building with a syndic you may still need their permission to install one, depending on the rules of your building (some syndics are very strict and even forbid things like hanging clothes out to dry or storing items on your balcony).

The other alternative is an electric fan – either a desk fan or a standing fan – which don’t require any kind of installation or permission. These are on sale in almost all electrical retailers and many large supermarkets (although they often sell out in the first days of a heatwave).

READ MORE: 9 tips to keep your French home cool without air conditioning

There are also lots of ways of keeping your home cool without AC, including using shutters or curtains to block out the sun.

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