A parent has passed away and left a property in France. You have inherited it jointly with your brothers, sisters or other heirs — and you live in London, Geneva, Brussels, Dubai or Singapore. Some heirs want to sell; you would like to keep the family home. In France the solution is called a rachat de soulte: you buy out the other heirs' shares and become the sole owner.
I'm Audrey Hurelle, an independent mortgage broker based on the Côte d'Azur. I regularly finance these estate buy-outs for clients living outside France. Being a non-resident does not prevent it — it changes which banks will look at your file and how the paperwork must be organised.
1. Indivision: what happens to the property after the death
Until the estate is settled, the heirs own the property together in indivision. No single heir can sell, rent long-term or mortgage the property alone: major decisions require the agreement of the others, and any heir can in principle ask for the indivision to be brought to an end.
The rachat de soulte ends the indivision peacefully. One heir keeps the property and pays each of the others the cash value of their share. A French notaire records the operation in a deed of partage — this is mandatory, and it is the deed, not a family agreement, that transfers ownership.
2. How the buy-out amount is calculated
The principle is the same whether you live in France or abroad:
- Start from the market value of the property, agreed between heirs or established by a valuation.
- Subtract any mortgage still outstanding on the property and any estate debts attached to it.
- The result is the net estate value of the property.
- Multiply it by the share of each co-heir being bought out (one third each for three children, for example).
Example: a property valued at 600 000 € with no remaining mortgage, inherited by three siblings in equal shares. Each share is worth 200 000 €. If you buy out your two siblings, the soulte totals 400 000 € — that is the amount to finance, plus costs.
Watch out for two frequent complications: a surviving parent holding a usufruit (life interest), which reduces the value of the bare ownership being transferred, and heirs disagreeing on the valuation. In both cases the notaire can settle the figures, and an expert valuation is often money well spent.
3. The costs to budget for
- Droit de partage: a French tax on ending joint ownership, currently 2.5 % of the net value in an estate partage — significantly higher than in a divorce, and often overlooked.
- Notaire fees for the deed of partage, generally around 1 % to 2 % depending on the amount involved.
- Inheritance tax (droits de succession), due separately by each heir depending on the relationship to the deceased and the allowances available.
- New loan costs: arrangement fee, guarantee (caution or mortgage registration) and borrower's insurance.
- Brokerage fee: mine is 2 % of the loan amount with a minimum of 4 500 €, payable only if you sign the financing I negotiated.
These costs are rarely covered by the loan by default. Either plan for them in cash, or ask from the outset for the financing to include them — some banks accept, others do not.
4. Can a non-resident finance an estate buy-out?
Yes, but the pool of lenders is smaller. A handful of French banks and international private banks handle non-resident files, and what matters is not your nationality: it is your country of tax residence, the currency you are paid in and the stability of your income.
Three points make or break a non-resident buy-out file:
- Debt-to-income ratio: French lenders apply a maximum around 35 % of gross income, including any mortgage or rent you pay abroad.
- Retained savings: banks want meaningful liquidity left after the transaction, often more than they would ask a resident.
- Traceability: income and savings must be documented and their origin clear, especially for funds held outside the EU.
One advantage in an estate file: the inherited share you already own counts as equity. If you own a third of a 600 000 € property, you are effectively borrowing against an asset in which you already hold 200 000 € — a structure lenders view favourably.
If your income is not in euros, expect the bank to apply a haircut to absorb exchange-rate risk. That is normal, and it explains why the same file can be declined by one lender and accepted by another.
5. Documents to prepare
- The acte de notoriété and the estate declaration prepared by the notaire.
- The original acte de vente of the property, and the loan agreement if a mortgage is still running.
- A recent valuation or written estimates for the property.
- A written agreement between heirs on the value and the shares, even informal, to start the bank file.
- Proof of income for the last 2 to 3 years in your country of residence.
- Recent statements for all bank accounts, including those held abroad, plus proof of tax residence and your latest foreign tax return.
Documents in a language other than French will often need a sworn translation. Starting this early is the single most effective way to shorten the process.
6. Realistic timeline
Two clocks run in parallel. The estate itself usually takes six months or more to settle at the notaire, longer when heirs live in different countries. The financing takes roughly 3 to 4 months for a non-resident: two to six weeks to assemble and translate the file, four to eight weeks for the credit decision and the offer, then the statutory cooling-off period and the notaire's scheduling.
The good news is that you can prepare the financing while the estate is still being settled, so the deed of partage is not delayed by the bank. You also do not need to be in France to sign: a power of attorney (procuration) drawn up by the notaire, or a signature at a French consulate, allows the deed to be completed remotely.
7. Common mistakes to avoid
- Agreeing a buy-out figure with the other heirs before checking how much you can actually borrow.
- Forgetting the 2.5 % droit de partage and the notaire costs when dividing the estate.
- Confusing inheritance tax with the buy-out itself: they are two separate bills, both due.
- Ignoring a surviving parent's usufruit, which changes the value of what is being transferred.
- Letting the indivision drag on: charges, taxes and maintenance keep accruing and are shared by all heirs.
- Approaching only the family's existing French bank, which may simply decline a non-resident single-borrower file.
8. How a broker helps on a cross-border estate buy-out
The work is not only about rates. It is knowing which lenders currently accept your country of residence and your income currency, presenting foreign income in the format French credit committees expect, coordinating the notaire and the bank across time zones, and keeping the timeline on track so the partage can be signed as soon as the estate is ready.
Discuss your situation
Book a 30-minute discovery call, in English or in French. We will look at the numbers, confirm what is realistically financeable and map out the steps — with no commitment.