In the course of your reading on the subject, you may have come across the enigmatic terms of “furnishing furniture” or furniture list. However, they do not refer to anything very complex and regroup…

My real estate project What good to buy Or buy

In the course of your reading on the subject, you may have come across the enigmatic terms of “furnishing furniture” or furniture list. However, they do not refer to anything very complex and simply group together all the furniture that will remain in the property after purchase. Carrying out an inventory and estimating its value has several advantages, in particular to reduce your notary fees. Which pieces of furniture fall into this category or are excluded from it? What is the point ? What should be paid attention to? Answers with I Dream of a House.

Definition of movable furniture

As defined in Article 534 of Law 1804-01-25 of the Civil Code , furniture includes furniture intended for the use and ornament of an apartment, such as a tapestry, a bed, a table, chairs, a painting, a clock or even a statue. They will be the subject of an inventory by the seller or the real estate agent in the form of a “movable list”.

What furniture and objects does this designation include?

Since the promulgation of the first law on furniture in 1804, the definition has been somewhat expanded and brought up to date!

Without a movable list , your notary fees will amount to approximately €30,000 (7.5% of €400,000)

With a movable list whose amount is estimated at €10,000, you will pay €29,250 (7.5% of €390,000), i.e. a gain of €750.

The financial interest in establishing a movable list is therefore not negligible, even if it remains quite limited .

A little advice from our property hunters

It is up to the buyer to ask the seller or the real estate agent to carry out an inventory of the furniture. The latter will generally not oppose it, especially if the property is a second home. Indeed, the tax rate on the capital gain of the latter amounts to 36.2%. A movable list of €10,000 thus enables him to save more than €3,600, a not insignificant sum.

How to estimate the value of furniture?

The listing and valuation of the furniture is up to the real estate agent or the seller if the property is sold between individuals. This estimate will take place a few days after the signing of the purchase offer or at the start of the drafting of the sales agreement:

the furniture will be designated and estimated item by item , objects of the same nature can be assessed globally.

The furniture will be estimated at its market value , in other words, its resale price on the second-hand market.. The older the year of purchase, the greater the discount. But do not panic, real estate agents are experienced in the exercise and have very precise scales ”adds Constance D.

Be aware, however, that the estimate of the value of certain goods is highly regulated, any household appliance more than 5 years old cannot, for example, be included in a movable list.

Finally, once the exercise is finished, the list must be included in the sales agreement !

A little advice from our property hunters

If it may be tempting as a buyer to inflate this list a little to reduce your notary fees as much as possible, be aware that the amount of a movable list cannot exceed 5% of the purchase amount as required by law. .

listed are present before signing the authentic deed

If you realize that some of the items listed are no longer present in the property during the last visit preceding the signing of the authentic deed , you are entitled to request:

Hence the interest of making a last visit the day before or a few hours before the signing of the notarial deed to check that everything is present!

Furnishings and real estate list: 3 points to remember

The term furniture includes furniture intended for domestic use and for the ornament of real estate (tables, chairs, bed, but also household appliances, removable elements of a kitchen, etc.) and which can be removed without damaging the wall or the floor.

For a buyer, drawing up the list of furniture and estimating their value makes it possible to deduct it from the calculation of notary fees, but also to clarify with the seller what will remain within the walls. The list and the estimate will then be integrated into the sales agreement.

Be careful not to overestimate the amount of your furniture at the risk of triggering a tax administration check at the real estate agent. Another tip: make a final visit to the property less than 24 hours before signing the deed to ensure that all the items on the list are there.