French Leaseback Investment:
Freehold Property Ownership
What is Leaseback?
A popular way to invest in property in France is to buy a leaseback property which benefits from a government-backed VAT-refund incentive, designed to encourage investment in tourist residences. Through freehold ownership of an apartment or cottage that is leased back to a management company for a minimum period of 9 years, investors benefit from guaranteed annual returns from their fully managed and maintained property, with relatively low up-front costs and no ongoing maintenance or running charges, whilst also offering the option of personal use for holidays within your investment.
Investors buy the freehold and own the property outright, but lease it back to a management company who specialise in the tourist management, maintenance and rental of these properties for a minimum 9-year period. In return owners receive a guaranteed annual return, irrespective of occupancy of the property, NET of all communal charges, maintenance and running costs; whilst retaining the right to sell at any time.
At the end of the lease the owner can renew the lease with the management company for a further 9 years, organise the rentals themselves, live in it, or sell the property.
Main features:
The Developer is uniquely, and very importantly, both the developer and the manager of the properties, with 6.9 million clients staying in over 250 of their residences in 5 European countries each year, so has a very clear vested interest in the quality construction, location and ongoing maintenance of the properties.
- Brand New freehold, fully furnished properties – you own the property, it is your asset.
- Fully furnished throughout.
- Excellent financing - Up to 100% Mortgages
Subject to income level criteria and status, French banks will lend up to 100% of the purchase price of the property, sometimes including the purchase (notary) fees. Fixed and variable rate mortgages are available, as are ‘interest only’ and ‘repayment’ terms.
- Low Mortgage Interest Rates - Fixed for up to 25 years
Interest rates on mortgages in France can be fixed for the term of the mortgage, e.g 20 or 25 years, and are currently very low at 2.65 – 5%,, making this the best time to buy.
- Investor entitled to benefit from the 19.6% VAT rebate (which acts as the deposit)
- Excellent choice of location throughout France:
Coastal / Ski / Rural / City / Family Holiday Resorts including French Centre Parcs, in Normandy / Lorraine / Brittany / French Alps / Port du Soleil / Provence / Paris and more
- Low Risk Investment with a Guaranteed Income: Investors receive index-linked, guaranteed annual return of up to 4.5% (which increases every year with inflation) and so the property virtually pays for itself, (depending on number of weeks of personal use)
Properties are leased to one of Europe’s largest and most established Management / Tourist companies, for a minimum 9-year period, with automatic renewal for a further 9 years (optional).
The return is provided irrespective of tourist occupancy, protecting investors from fluctuations in tourist demand or in the property market.
With the renewal of the lease for a second period, it offers:
- A rental income to cover the typical mortgage length (15-20 years)
- Exemption from French Capital Gains Tax after 15 years ownership
- No running charges, repairs or maintenance costs.
The Developer/Manager will completely look after the full maintenance and management of the property, communal areas and facilities, and manages the rental operations throughout the whole lease period.
The Developer/Manager will maintain the property to very high standards throughout the period of the lease as they have a vested interest in maintaining the properties in immaculate condition, to ensure customer satisfaction from their tourist clients and thus safeguard the reputation of their tourism business.
- Options for personal usage – have holidays in your investment.
Investors have the option to choose a leaseback formula that includes weeks of stay at their property each year (the majority of people who own holiday homes in France, only actually live in them for a few weeks of the year).
These weeks may also be used in other equivalent apartments/cottages in one of the Developer’s 250 other properties across Europe. In addition, all owners have the benefit of a 15-20% discount for all stays at the properties in the Developer’s winter and summer catalogues.
- Secure Exit Strategy
As the freehold owner of your apartment/cottage, you are entitled to sell your property at any time within the lease period. The new investor would observe the remaining term of the lease, which can be adapted to suit his/her usage needs.
The Developer has a very successful re-sales department (€65 million sales in 2008), where clients can re-sell their properties. These will be sold either through their vast database of investor clients or through on-site sales offices, as many second time buyers are tourist clients.
Currently, some of the most popular projects have a waiting list for re-sales.
Furthermore, new Tax Breaks introduced in the French 2009 Budget, has created a significant increase in demand for Leaseback properties from within the French market, as French residents benefit from tax rebates associated with these investments.
Companies selling leaseback properties “guarantee” their investors an annual return. These guarantees are secured by the financial strength of the company offering them, its ability to successfully manage, maintain and rent the property and to continue providing returns during good and (more importantly) bad tourist conditions over the period of the lease.
Our featured Developer has successfully provided its investors with guaranteed returns for over 40 years and with 54,000 properties under management and 6.9 million tourist clients, is Europe’s market leader in the development and management of tourist residences.
The Developer is listed on the French stock market and has an annual turnover of €1.5 billion. |
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