Help - they are driving me up the wall!!!!!!!!

[Marc]

I visited the Notaire and asked if my "buyers" had payed a

deposit.  They seemed a little surprised and asked why I wanted to

know!

Anyway, it lookes like I can expect a cheque in the post. (Believe it when I see it)

I talked to an agent the same day and they don't ask French buyers to

pay a deposit - only English as they can disappear across the channel.

[Beryl]

I haven't yet sold a house in France, but I was under the impression that it was compulsory  for all buyers to put down a deposit not just British ones.  In which case, it seems that the notaire is being a little biased and not in your favour [:(];

I also thought that the Notaire would hold the cheque , so I think it unlikely that it will come direct to you.

I may be totally wrong on this, in which someone will soon be along to tell me  [:)]

[Debra]

My understanding is that its the same as the UK deposit you pay on exchange of contracts: you are liable for 10% should you  back out of the contract but actually paying it up front at that time is negotiable between the vendor and the buyer.  If its a French person the notaire might think it doesn't matter as they are easy to pursue if they renege on the deal - but a foreign buyer obviously won't be.  Makes sense to me.  I doubt a UK solicitor would advise his client to let a foreign buyer off with paying less than the 10% liability deposit either.

Yes - the notaire holds the deposit, not the vendor, just as a solicitor would in the UK - and notaires can deduct their expenses from it if the deal falls through, even if its agreed that the deposit is being returned to the buyer (at least it said that in my compromis de ventes).

[Bassman]

[quote user="Rob G"]. Imagine our surprise last week, some three months after completion, when along with copies of the signed sales contract and deeds of the house, we received a refund from the notaire of over 500 euros!

Rob
[/quote]

 

Yes that happened to us a couple of months ago [:D] we completed last June and got the deeds etc. and a refund of over 400 euros at the backend of last [:)]year

[Blanche Neige]

We too received a refund cheque from the Notaire, quite a while after we had bought our house.