I would offer a word of advice in that there are many "french property legal specialists" or "French legal consultants" out there who are not qualified in French law. Some are based in the UK where they should really be registered with the UK Law Society. For them to be any good, you must make sure that they are qualified in France and registered. Registration is indeed compulsory to practise French Law as a French lawyer, but some people purporting to be "French lawyers" are registered neither in France or the Country where they are established! Some people are happy to just have to advice of a legal specialist but in any transaction relating to property, remember this is likely to be a large amount of money and wherever you buy, in France, the UK or wherever, you should seek advice from a qualified specialist. They're there to help you and also to work for you, answer your questions and ensure that your transaction is watertight. Notaries are another subject and many can't be bothered to do their job properly. Try suing a notary! it will take a long time... Very rarely will a notary do any proactive work for a client (and if yours has they are one of a rare breed) however if you ask them specific questions then they will probably give you the information. A bit daft really because it means you'd have to know what to ask!