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21 octobre 2026

Selling your apartment in Beausoleil: the key steps

From valuation to the notarial deed: the rules for selling in a co-ownership building

Selling an apartment in Beausoleil can be summed up in eight steps: valuation, diagnostic reports, co-ownership documents, written mandate, listing and viewings, offer to purchase, preliminary contract and, finally, the deed of sale at the notary's office. As the town is classified in seismic zone 4, the risk disclosure statement is compulsory and must be handed over at the first viewing; according to the prefectoral order published on the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture page accessed on 2 October 2026, a termite report should also be planned for. Once the preliminary contract has been notified, a non-professional buyer has 10 days to withdraw, starting from the day after that notification.

1. Valuing your apartment

The prices of sales actually completed are public: the DVF database (demandes de valeurs foncières), produced by the French Directorate General of Public Finances, lists property transactions over the last five years. You can consult it on the DVF explorer on data.gouv.fr.

These figures say nothing about the floor, the view or the condition of the building. To find out where to look up these sales and how to read them, see our article property prices in Beausoleil: where to find the real figures. At Transal Properties, the valuation of your apartment is free and without obligation, at our office or at your home.

2. Putting together the technical diagnostic file

The compulsory diagnostic reports make up the technical diagnostic file (dossier de diagnostic technique, DDT), which is attached to the preliminary contract or the deed of sale; for an apartment, the list depends in particular on the age of the building, its installations and its location (Service Public). As Beausoleil is classified in seismic zone 4 (medium) according to Géorisques, the risk disclosure statement (état des risques) is compulsory: you can fill it in yourself, it must be less than 6 months old and it must be handed to the buyer at the first viewing. According to the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture page accessed on 2 October 2026 and prefectoral order no. 2017-319 published on it, the whole of Beausoleil is classified as a termite surveillance and control zone: a termite report (état relatif à la présence de termites) less than 6 months old should therefore be planned for; ask your diagnostic expert to confirm this. Validity periods, special cases and the new calculation of the energy performance certificate (diagnostic de performance énergétique, DPE) in 2026 and 2027 are covered in detail in our article the mandatory diagnostic reports for selling an apartment, and the risks listed for the town on our Beausoleil real estate page.

3. Gathering the co-ownership documents

Article L721-2 of the French Construction and Housing Code (CCH) requires the following to be given to the buyer, at the latest when the preliminary contract is signed: documents on how the co-ownership is organised (including the summary sheet, the co-ownership regulations and the minutes of the general meetings held over the last three years), financial information (service charges, arrears, works fund) and other documents, such as the maintenance logbook (carnet d'entretien) and the multi-year works plan (plan pluriannuel de travaux). If documents in the first two categories are missing at signing, the buyer's withdrawal period only starts on the day after they are provided (article L721-3).

The managing agent (syndic) can provide this financial information in a ‘preliminary statement of account’ (pré-état daté), but sellers are not required to ask for it: according to the ministry responsible for housing, this information is among the documents that the managing agent posts on the co-ownership's secure online area (answer to written question no. 1324). Before the deed, the managing agent draws up the statement of account (état daté) and sends it to the notary; its cost is capped at €380 including VAT. The preliminary contract and the deed of sale must also state the private floor area of the unit (under the ‘Carrez law’, article 46 of the law of 10 July 1965).

4. Signing a written sales mandate

Before putting a property on the market, the estate agent must hold a written mandate, signed by the seller and still valid. The Hoguet law of 2 January 1970 (article 6) requires it to state, in particular, how the agent's fee is determined and which party pays it. It may be non-exclusive (mandat simple), exclusive or semi-exclusive. Duration, termination, penalty clause, right of withdrawal: compare these options in our article simple or exclusive mandate: which should you choose when selling?

If you are selling as a private individual and sign the mandate away from the agency's premises, even at your own request, or remotely, you may withdraw from it within 14 days from the day after signing (articles L221-1 and L221-18 to L221-28 of the French Consumer Code). If you ask for viewings to start before this period ends, read what the mandate provides.

Our sales fees are set out in our fee schedule: a flat fee of €5,000 including VAT for sales up to €50,000, then a maximum of 8% to 5.5% of the sale price, including VAT, depending on the price band, and a maximum of 10% of the sale price, including VAT, for a confidential sale not publicly advertised. Fees are payable by the seller or the buyer, as set out in the signed mandate. They cannot be required until the sale has actually been concluded (Hoguet law, article 6); according to Service Public, they are paid after the final deed has been signed at the notary's office.

5. Publishing the listing and organising viewings

The property listing must in particular state the energy and climate ratings from the DPE and the estimated annual energy costs, the price (with and without fees if the buyer pays them), the number of units in the co-ownership and the average annual service charges, and refer to the Géorisques website.

6. Receiving an offer to purchase

The offer to purchase (offre d'achat) is a written proposal from the buyer, stating a price and a period of validity. No money may be paid to the seller at this stage. If you accept it, you are committed to selling and can no longer go back on your decision.

7. Signing the preliminary contract: unilateral promise or pre-sale agreement

Next comes the preliminary contract (avant-contrat). With a unilateral promise to sell (promesse unilatérale de vente), the seller undertakes to sell and the buyer retains the option to buy within a set period; with a pre-sale agreement (compromis de vente), both parties are committed. It can be signed as a private agreement (sous signature privée) or before a notary. A privately signed unilateral promise must be registered within 10 days of its acceptance by the buyer, failing which it is void.

According to Service Public, the deposit (dépôt de garantie) under a pre-sale agreement, or the immobilisation fee (indemnité d'immobilisation) under a unilateral promise, is received and held in the notary's escrow account until the sale. Transal Properties, which does not hold funds for sales, does not receive any of these sums.

The 10-day withdrawal period

A non-professional buyer of a home may withdraw within 10 days. The period starts on the day after the registered letter notifying them of the contract is first presented or, where the contract is concluded through a professional mandated for the sale and handed to them directly, on the day after it is handed over (article L271-1 of the CCH). The seller does not have this right.

Before this period ends, no payment may be received from the buyer, except where the law provides otherwise: if the sale goes through a mandated professional, the sum may be handed to a professional holding a financial guarantee earmarked for the repayment of funds, who returns it within 21 days from the day after any withdrawal (article L271-2).

The loan condition

If the preliminary contract states that the price will be paid, even partly, with a property loan, it is concluded subject to the condition precedent (condition suspensive) that the loan is obtained, valid for at least one month from signing (or from the registration of a privately signed unilateral promise). If the loan is not obtained, any sums paid in advance are refunded in full to the buyer (article L313-41 of the French Consumer Code).

8. Signing the deed of sale at the notary's office

The deed of sale (acte de vente) must be drawn up by a notary: it is an authentic instrument (acte authentique). On signing, the buyer pays the price and the notary's fees, and becomes the owner. The notary then records the sale with the land registration service (service de la publicité foncière).

The sale of your main residence is fully exempt from capital gains tax. For any other home, the capital gain may be taxable: the notary handling the sale calculates it, completes the return and pays the tax (Service Public).

Selling your apartment in Beausoleil: how we can help

Our agency is based at 10 boulevard de la République, 06240 Beausoleil. We can value your apartment free of charge and without obligation, then guide you all the way to the signing at the notary's office. Find out how we help you sell your property in Beausoleil.

Laura-Lynn Nacher de Coster, Managing Director of Transal Properties

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