# French — Real Estate Sub-Lexicon

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps French real estate legal terms to their
correct English equivalents.

## Core Real Estate Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| bail / contrat de bail | lease |
| bail en l'état futur d'achèvement (BEFA) | pre-let / lease of building under construction |
| bailleur / propriétaire | landlord / lessor |
| preneur / locataire | tenant / lessee |
| loyer | rent |
| loyer initial / loyer de base | headline rent / base rent |
| charges locatives / charges récupérables | service charge / recoverable expenses |
| dépôt de garantie | security deposit |
| droit au bail | leasehold interest / right to the lease |
| renouvellement du bail | lease renewal |
| droit au renouvellement | right of renewal / statutory right to renew |
| congé / résiliation | notice to quit / termination notice |
| congé triennal | triennial break option |
| tacite reconduction | automatic renewal / tacit renewal |
| révision du loyer | rent review |
| indexation du loyer | rent indexation |
| indice des loyers commerciaux (ILC) | commercial rent index (ILC) |
| indice des loyers des activités tertiaires (ILAT) | services sector rent index (ILAT) |
| indice du coût de la construction (ICC) | construction cost index (ICC) |

## Property Transfer Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| acte de vente / acte authentique de vente | deed of sale / transfer deed |
| compromis de vente / promesse synallagmatique de vente | preliminary sale agreement |
| promesse unilatérale d'achat | offer to purchase |
| condition suspensive (immobilier) | condition precedent |
| condition suspensive d'obtention de prêt | financing condition |
| droit de préemption | pre-emption right / right of first refusal |
| droit de préemption urbain (DPU) | urban pre-emption right |
| prix de vente | sale price / purchase price |
| frais de notaire / frais d'acquisition | notarial fees / transaction costs |
| droits de mutation / droits d'enregistrement | transfer tax / stamp duty |
| plus-value immobilière | capital gain (on real property) |
| cadastre | land register / cadaster |
| référence cadastrale | cadastral reference |
| conservation des hypothèques / service de la publicité foncière | land registry |
| publicité foncière | land registration |
| inscription hypothécaire | mortgage registration |
| titre de propriété | title deed |
| permis de construire | planning permission / building permit |

## Property Rights and Encumbrances

| French | English |
|---|---|
| pleine propriété | freehold / full ownership |
| nue-propriété | bare ownership / reversionary interest (avoid calque "naked ownership") |
| usufruit | usufruct |
| servitude | easement / servitude |
| servitude de passage | right of way |
| servitude de vue | right of light / easement of prospect |
| hypothèque | mortgage |
| hypothèque conventionnelle | contractual mortgage |
| hypothèque légale | statutory mortgage / legal charge |
| privilège du vendeur | vendor's lien |
| règlement de copropriété | co-ownership regulations / bylaws |
| syndic de copropriété | managing agent / property manager |
| charges de copropriété | co-ownership charges / service charges |
| lot (de copropriété) | unit (in a co-ownership) |
| parties communes | common parts / common areas |
| parties privatives | private parts / individual units |
| tantièmes / quotes-parts | co-ownership shares |
| assemblée générale des copropriétaires | general meeting of co-owners |

## Section Headings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| DÉSIGNATION DU BIEN | DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY |
| ORIGINE DE PROPRIÉTÉ | TITLE HISTORY |
| SITUATION HYPOTHÉCAIRE | ENCUMBRANCE STATUS |
| CONDITIONS GÉNÉRALES | GENERAL CONDITIONS |
| CONDITIONS PARTICULIÈRES | PARTICULAR CONDITIONS |
| PRIX ET PAIEMENT | PRICE AND PAYMENT |
| CHARGES ET CONDITIONS | COVENANTS AND CONDITIONS |
| SERVITUDES | EASEMENTS |
| URBANISME | PLANNING |
| ÉTAT DES LIEUX | CONDITION REPORT / SCHEDULE OF CONDITION |

## Notes

- **"Bail commercial"**: Subject to the "statut des baux commerciaux" (Commercial Lease
  Act, codified in Code de commerce). Tenants have a statutory right to renewal and
  compensation for non-renewal ("indemnité d'éviction"). This protection does not exist
  in common law — flag in translation.
- **"Compromis de vente" vs "promesse unilatérale de vente"**: The compromis is a
  bilateral agreement binding both parties; the promesse unilatérale gives the buyer an
  option. Both are preliminary contracts before the notarial deed. Translate accordingly.
- **"Nue-propriété" and "usufruit"**: The French démembrement (splitting of ownership)
  into bare ownership and usufruct. These civil law concepts exist in common law but are
  less common. Translate literally and add a note if the audience is unfamiliar.
- **"Pas-de-porte"**: A lump-sum payment made by the incoming tenant to the landlord at
  the start of a commercial lease. Can be treated as a supplement to rent or as an
  indemnity. Translate as "key money" or "premium".
- **Service de la publicité foncière**: The French land registry service (formerly
  "conservation des hypothèques"). Translate as "Land Registry".

## Additional Lawlinguists-validated French Real-Estate Mappings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| bail commercial | commercial lease (Arts. L. 145-1 et seq. Code de commerce — 3-6-9 regime; strong tenant protection) |
| bail d'habitation | residential lease (Loi du 6 juillet 1989) |
| bail professionnel | professional lease (regulated professionals — Loi du 23 décembre 1986) |
| bail précaire / bail dérogatoire | short-term commercial lease (max 3 years; outside bail commercial regime) |
| bail emphytéotique | emphyteutic lease / long lease (min 18 years / max 99 years) |
| bail à construction | building lease (lessee undertakes to build) |
| pas-de-porte | leasehold premium / key money (upfront payment on commercial lease grant) |
| charges locatives | service charges / rental charges |
| indemnité d'éviction | eviction indemnity (owed by landlord refusing renewal of commercial lease) |
| déspécialisation | change of use (commercial lease — requires landlord consent) |
| cession du bail | lease assignment |
| sous-location | sub-letting |
| indice ILC (Indice des Loyers Commerciaux) | Commercial Rent Index |
| indice ILAT (Indice des Loyers des Activités Tertiaires) | Tertiary Activities Rent Index |
| indice IRL (Indice de Référence des Loyers) | Residential Rent Reference Index |
| compromis de vente | bilateral preliminary sale agreement |
| promesse unilatérale de vente | unilateral promise to sell (binding only on seller; buyer holds option) |
| promesse synallagmatique | bilateral promise to sell (compromis) |
| dépôt de garantie / séquestre | earnest money / escrow deposit (5-10% typical) |
| clause pénale | penalty clause / liquidated-damages clause |
| condition suspensive de prêt | loan condition precedent (Loi Scrivener — consumer mortgage finance condition) |
| acte authentique de vente | notarial deed of sale |
| publication au service de la publicité foncière | publication at the Land Publicity Service (post-2013 replacement for conservation des hypothèques) |
| hypothèque légale spéciale du prêteur de deniers | lender's special statutory mortgage (on property financed with the loan) |
| privilège de prêteur de deniers (PPD) | money-lender's privilege |
| privilège de vendeur | vendor's privilege / statutory lien |
| copropriété | co-ownership / condominium (Loi du 10 juillet 1965) |
| syndicat des copropriétaires | co-owners' association |
| syndic | co-ownership manager / syndic |
| tantièmes / millièmes | thousandths (shares of common parts) |
| parties privatives / parties communes | private parts / common parts |
| DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique) | Energy Performance Diagnosis (DPE) |
| diagnostics techniques immobiliers | technical property surveys (statutory pre-sale diagnostics) |
| déclaration préalable | preliminary declaration (for minor works) |
| PLU (Plan Local d'Urbanisme) | Local Urban Plan |
| certificat d'urbanisme | town-planning certificate |
| SCI familiale | family real-estate civil company (common French family property-holding vehicle) |
| VEFA (Vente en l'État Futur d'Achèvement) | off-plan sale (Arts. L. 261-1 et seq. Code de la construction et de l'habitation) |
