legislation for French Property websites

[tempinfrance]

A relative has got a bit of a grumble re one of the French property websites based in the UK (they just list houses and arrange viewings with the various immobiliers they work with ) is there any legislation covering these sites - do their operators need an agent commerciale cert for instance?

[chris pp]

If it's based in the UK and provides the service you describe, it's nothing to do with the French authorities, they are just providing a commission service for the agents in France as a foreign company under UK law.

Chris

[Mpprh]

Hi

 

doesn't sound to be very different to a classified ad with a box No ?

 

Peter

 

[Will]

There is at least one user of this forum - obviously not around at present - who will say that these companies are not legal unless they are registered in France. But in reality, as Chrispp says, if they are based wholly in another country, and their only connection with France is through the French agences immobiliers they deal with, they have to comply with the law of the country where they are based, rather than French law.

Look on the web sites as a form of advertising medium for the French agencies, allowing them to attract clients from overseas: in the same fashion as Living France or French Property News magazines. OK, the service provided and way they are funded are a bit different, but that's their basic raison d'etre.

Without knowing the nature of the dispute, I can't say what possible comeback there might be. I suspect it's very little. Most of the property web sites are run by highly reputable organisations who want to preserve their good name, but there have been one or two which have been known to use sharp practice, such as dealing with unregistered agents in France, or advertising previously-sold or non-existent properties at an artificially low price in order to attract potential buyers.

[P]

Beware also of sharp practices on French immobiliers websites, such as one price if you selct the English version and another if you select the French version. Guess which is the lower.

I must admit I have only come across a couple of isolated sites where this happens.

Paul