In addition to all the documents that you must provide to the notary and which will be attached to the sales agreement, it is very likely that you will be asked for an inventory of the furniture that will remain in the accommodation after the sale. What is this list for and what furniture should you mention in the inventory? Hosman tells you everything.

1 – Why carry out an inventory of furniture during a real estate sale?

Establishing the list of furniture that will remain in the home after the sale has two functions: a contractual function and a tax function.

A contractual function

The first reason is therefore to contractually fix the list of furniture that you agree to leave in the accommodation.

If the purchaser of your property notices during his last visit, before the signing of the authentic deed at the notary, the absence of movable property present on the list annexed to the sales agreement, he is entitled to request its restitution or else, a reduction in the sale price equivalent to the value of the missing property.

A tax function

The second reason, tax this time, is to lower the notary fees paid by the buyer . Indeed, the notary fees only apply to real estate, the valuation of the remaining movable property is therefore not included in the calculation of the notary fees owed by the buyer. Thus the purchaser will only pay his notary fees on the difference between the price of the property and the estimated total price of the deductible furniture.

What is the value of your property? Determine it by making a free estimate

2 – What furniture should be listed?

All furniture can be listed but not all can be deducted from notary fees! A distinction must be made between furniture that can be easily isolated from the property, such as furniture, and those that are incorporated into the building, such as a built-in mirror or a fireplace.

Furniture to include in this estimate

furnishing furniture” (or furniture): sofa, chairs, light cupboards, decorative elements, rods… in short, all furniture that is not part of the structure of the apartment or the house, whether can remove even if it involves light work, such as filling

electric radiators if they are simply screwed on and which do not cause damage in the event of dismantling

garden furniture

Furniture not to be included because it is considered that it is really part of the property, they are also called “furniture attached to perpetual residence

3 – How to calculate the amount of this furniture?

The easiest ?. You can find examples of reductions to be applied online , depending on the age of the furniture concerned.

The notary needs these elements to integrate them into the promise document or report, they must be available as soon as possible once the offer has been accepted. The notary or your real estate expert can, if necessary, help you apply this reduction if you have information concerning the purchase price and the age of the furniture.

4 – How to deduct these furniture costs?

This list of furniture must therefore be given to the notary before the promise of sale. This is when the notary will deduct the acquisition costs.

The purchaser can then check during the final sale of the property that all the furniture on the list is indeed present in the apartment.

In general, the valuation does not exceed 2 to 5% of the real estate sale. Be careful not to overestimate the amount of furniture during your inventory so as not to arouse doubts from the tax authorities.