Registration of the sale
After signing the acte de vente , the notaire will keep it in his or her
archive (for 100 years!) and once it has been registered at the Bureau de
Conservation des Hypothèques will send you a copy. This official copy
(expédition) can take anything up to six months after the signing of the deeds
of sale. In the meantime, the notaire will supply a certificate called an une
attestation d'acquisition to give proof of ownership - to take out property
insurance, import furniture or have utilities connected, for example.
Legal fees, duties and taxes
The buyer is responsible for paying the notaire's fees and all legal costs and
expenses, including stamp duty, which usually adds around 6.5% to the price of
the property. These fees must be included in the payment made to the notaire
when the acte de vente is signed. If the notaire has arranged a mortgage for
the property, you will have to pay an additional fee for this.