Tips on completing mandatory French property form a week from deadline

The deadline to complete the mandatory property form for all owners of French homes is fast approaching.

The declaration applies to owners of main and second homes, including those who own their property through an SCI, and, in some cases, those who rent properties out.

To help anyone who has yet to complete the declaration – which is done online, via your personal tax space, or by calling the tax authorities – we have compiled the answers to a list of the

most common questions.

We have also provided links to a number of other articles, including our recent reader question special, where we answered 10 reader questions about the property declaration.

The form – more accurately a declaration – is a mandatory requirement for everyone who owns a property in France.

The declaration includes basic information about your property, including the size, number of rooms, usage (eg. main or second home) and any additional annexes, such as garages or sheds, to

the property.

Completing the form gives the information to the Direction générale des Finances publiques (DGFiP, the central French tax authorities).

The main purpose of the declaration is to confirm to the tax office how the property is used, whether main or second home, left vacant (that is, unfurnished and unused), provided to someone

else free of charge or rented out, and who has use of it.

Officials say they want to ensure the taxe d’habitation is being correctly imposed after main homes were recently exempted.

The June 30 deadline has been well publicised since the declaration’s announcement, alongside the potential €150 fine per property for non-declaration. However, officials have told The

Connexion that there will be leniency in this first year.

The DGFiP states that even in cases where property description information appears to be wrong, you should still sign off the declaration confirming basic information about the property’s

occupancy status. You should then inform the tax authorities separately about an error in the information held on the property, as this can be changed by their team at a later date if

necessary.

If the information listed about the property is incorrect, you can inform the authorities using the private message function when declaring the form online, choosing the J’ai une question

sur le descriptif de mon bien immobilier option.

Be aware, however, that information such as the number of rooms and m² of the property is measured differently by the tax authorities than by estate agents.

You can read more about this in our reader question on the topic here.

As mentioned, the form must be completed either on the French tax site (impots.gouv.fr) or by telephoning the authorities on 0809 401 401 (however, you can only get through on this number if

you are calling from France). Non-residents, if necessary, should call the tax office for the area where the property is located.

To log onto the tax site, you will need a French tax number (numéro fiscal) and your password.

We have written articles in the past on both how to find or create a numéro fiscal, and what to do if you do not have a tax site password.

There is also an option for non-residents to create a tax space if they do not have a numéro fiscal, which is explained in this article.

If you declare via the website, it is possible to switch the language to English, when you start the declaration.

This can be done by clicking the button in the top right-hand corner of the declaration.

Alternatively, many web browsers (such as Google Chrome or Safari) can automatically translate pages from French into English.

If you are struggling to complete the declaration online you can call the tax authorities, who can complete the declaration with you over the telephone via the helpline listed above.

Alternatively, those in France can visit their local tax office in person, which can help them complete the form. However, it is unlikely you will be able to get an appointment before the

deadline on June 30, so may have to go to a walk-in slot, where queues can be long.

A paper version of the form, while not officially available, has been offered as a ‘last resort’ in a couple of departments. However, it is not recommended to rely on this.

The Connexion has written a wide range of articles on the property form, which may be able to answer any other questions that you have.

Firstly, we have a list of main articles from our website on the form, including an FAQ of reader questions, step-by-step guides, and information on the declaration’s background, which you

can find here.