PROPERTY SEARCH

Date Published: 23/01/2024

Brits looking to buy homes in France up 500 per cent following relaxation of post-Brexit residency rules

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There has been a massive surge in interest for French properties for sale after the country effectively allowed Brits to bypass the 90-days-in-180 rule

Will Spain now consider doing the same?

Brits looking to buy homes in France up 500 per cent following relaxation of post-Brexit residency rules

On December 20, 2023, the French parliament voted to relax post-Brexit residency rules for Brits, allowing those with second homes in the country to stay for longer than 6 months without needing to apply for a long-stay visa.

Before this, and since Brexit, British nationals were not allowed to stay in the country for more than 90 days in any 180-day period unless they had a six-month visa, for which the application process is long and costly.

There was some suggestion that Spain would follow suit, seeing as it is the country in Europe with the largest population of British ex-pats and second home property owners, but so far nothing has materialised and nothing looks set to happen any time soon.

But perhaps it’s time for Spain to revisit the issue, given the latest data on the number of British house hunters in France following the country’s recent ruling, provided by property portal, Kyero.

“In the three weeks following the decision by France’s parliament,” said a press release Kyero, “there was a 582% increase in British buyers making enquiries on French property.”

Louise Dell, Kyero Co-Founder, said, “Significant pent-up demand has developed in the international market amongst British buyers whilst people have been awaiting news of potential changes to residency rules, and it seems that the floodgates are now opening.

“With Spain also pushing for similar changes, we anticipate that 2024 could be a significant year for international property transactions.”

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