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No. The law provides that when one spouse acts as guarantor without the express consent of the other, only their personal assets and income are liable. Therefore, if you did not sign the guarantee agreement, your earnings and salary cannot be seized (Article 1415 of the French Civil Code).

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The notary’s fees are calculated based on the full ownership value of the property, even if you retain the usufruct. This is provided for under Article A444-67 of the French Commercial Code.

Yes. Article 368-1 of the French Civil Code provides that the estate of a person who was adopted under a simple adoption is divided into two parts: one half goes to the biological family, and the other half to the adoptive family (Article 738-1 of the Civil Code).

No. Pursuant to Article 764 of the French Civil Code, the surviving spouse may request a lifetime right of use and habitation (droit d’usage et d’habitation viager) over the property that was effectively used as the couple’s main residence at the time of death.

Reminder: All assets acquired during the marriage are presumed to be jointly owned (Article 1401 of the French Civil Code). To ensure that the new apartment remains your separate property, you must ask your notary to include a reinvestment clause (clause de remploi) in the deed of sale (Article 1434…

Yes. Either your friend sells you an undivided share of the property. In that case, you will hold ownership rights over the entire parcel jointly with your friend, and will be subject to the rules governing joint ownership (indivision) as set out in Articles 815 et seq. of the French…

Please note that your lease continues to be valid until a formal notice of termination is issued by the heirs, in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 15 of the Law of 6 July 1989. You may send a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to your landlord’s…

In principle, yes. The French Civil Code provides that, in the absence of descendants, assets received by a person from their parents by way of donation or inheritance, and still present in kind in their estate, are devolved half to the surviving spouse and half to the siblings (Article 757-3…

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I am married under the community property regime. My husband acted as guarantor for a friend. That friend has now defaulted, and my husband is being called upon to honour the guarantee. Can the creditor seize my income?

I am considering donating the bare ownership (nue-propriété) of a real estate property to my child while retaining the usufruct. On what basis will the notary’s fees (emoluments) be calculated?

My friend passed away. She was unmarried, had no children, and no siblings. Her biological parents are still alive, and she had been adopted (simple adoption). Do the adoptive parents inherit?

I am married under the community property regime, but the family home belongs entirely to me. I have two children from a previous relationship. I’ve been told that if I were to pass away, my wife would have to leave the home. Is this true?

I sold a property that I owned before my marriage (under the community property regime). I now wish to reinvest the proceeds from this sale into the purchase of an apartment. How can I ensure that this new property belongs to me exclusively?

I wish to purchase a garage located at the back of a friend’s property. According to the land registry, the garage is currently on the same parcel as my friend’s house. Is this possible?

I am a tenant and have just learned of my landlord’s death. The automatic payments for my rent have been rejected. What can I do, since I do not know the identity of the heirs?

My sister passed away, leaving behind her spouse and one child. We were both joint owners of our late parents’ house. Her child has renounced the succession. Can I claim a right of reversion (droit de retour) over her share in this family property?