Virtual reality

How will the buying process change during the Covid-19 pandemic? Fabienne Atkin explains the new rules and what they mean for buyers

- Fabienne Atkin

Between January and mid-March this year, many Brits had embarked or were about to embark on their journey to buy a property and move to France before the end of the transition period, on 31 December 2020. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic and long gone are the days, it seems, when Brexit was our client buyers’ ‘bête noire’.

The lockdown and social distancing restrictions that are, at the time of writing, still in place both in France and the UK, have clearly thrown a spanner in the works; and for those buyers who were in the early stages of the buying process in France before the outbreak, many of them have understandably decided to hit the pause button while the real impact and extent of Covid-19 remain unknown.

MOVING WITH THE TIMES

The French conveyancing system is often viewed as slow and bureaucratic, so it is a welcome development that French notaires who oversee all sales and purchases in France have been quick to react to the current unprecedented situation. Most notaires have set up remote working facilities and video conferencing, allowing them to continue to provide their services during the lockdown period.

Where a completion date had already been agreed before the lockdown, and all the contract conditions have been met and pre-completion formalities completed, some buyers have managed to arrange virtual re-inspection of the property with the sellers and complete the transaction.

This has been possible thanks to the introduction of temporary measures allowing electronic signature of the sale and purchase deed via a secure e-sign software, or by power of attorney without the requirement of certification of signature by a notary public.