Paying for your house with personal cheque

[flyingtiger]

I have just been given the date for going to sign Acte Authentique (only 5 weeks later than originally told, so not too bad I guess). The estate agent has told me by phone that I can write out a personal cheque (drawn on my Credit Agricole account) on the day I sign the final Act and this will be OK. This seems to go against everything one reads in these forums about people worrying whether their funds have arrived at the notaire prior to the signing day. Has anyone else paid for their house with a personal cheque on the day of signing the Acte Authentique.

[Jc]

Why not? In France it is nearly a hanging(guillotine)offence to bounce a cheque!

[Alan E]

Yes - I have done this. I discussed it with the Notaire in advance and he agreed that this was a cost effective way to do it. I showed him documentation to show that I had transferred the necessary funds into the account. As I recall it was the confirmation from my bank that I had transferred funds to the foreign exchange dealers and the confirmation from them that they had transferred the French Francs (as it was at the time) to my Credit Agricole account. I wrote out the cheque at the signing ceremony with the vendor present who also thought this was OK.

You say that the Estate Agent has told you this is OK - I would get confirmation from the Notaire as it is he/she who will be responsible for ensuring the transaction is in order.

Best Regards

Alan E.

[ckenway]

I spoke to my agent about this and pointed out I could give the cheque in 7 days prior to signing but he said no, it has to be a TT.

I can't see it makes any difference providing the money is in the notairs account and cleared before you sign.

Chris

[roger taylor]

We did just that in March last year (2001) paid our final amount by cheque from our CA account in Bressuire to the notaire who didn't bat an eyelid.

Roger

[Moorejw]

We have just completed on our second house purchase and paid on the day, at the signing with a cheque drawn on Credit Agricole. If its a French bank account this seems to be acceptable. When we purchased our first house and we were resident in UK we had to send cleared funds to the notaire 10 days before th signing. I think the difference is that we are now French resident with a French bank account.

[Mary]

When we bought our house in May 2002 we paid on the day to the notaire a cheque for the balance of the house price that was not covered by our mortgage from Credit Agricole. They had sent a bank cheque to the notaire for that. We also paid another cheque to the notaire for his fees, and another to the estate agent(who is present at the signing with you) for his commission. He also wrote a cheque to the notaire for the deposit we had lodged with him for the property. The notaire then sat and wrote (3) cheques for the vendors giving them their share of the house sale. (Mother and 2 sons)

There were cheques flying in all directions!! (Unfortunately no one wrote us one for anything!) As soon as this was done we were given the paperwork for the house (Search results, proof of ownership etc) and we were free to go and move in. You DO NOT have to wait for the cheques to clear - if you have a French bank account the notaire should already have requested confirmation from the bank that you have the funds.

Mary