Welcome to CPA

Are you thinking of purchasing a property in France? What an excellent idea. Living amongst the French is good and their country is wonderful.

Before you make the final decision to buy, you probably like to know what you will be signing for and how much everything is going to cost.

To be able to give you that information, CPA is specialised in two types of services:

•   Inspecting French properties
       - General inspections
       - Technical surveys

•   Cost control of renovation and building projects
      - Staying within your budget

The CPA team consists of experienced consultants and highly qualified, officially registered, inspectors. Team members are located throughout France. CPA does not provide project management services.

CPA is not an estate agent and has no commercial interest whether or not you decide to buy a property.

Is the information about the property correct?

Almost half of all French properties are sold privately. The rest is sold by estate agents and notaires. There are thousands of properties for sale. How do you know if the property that you found is the right one?

You will find good, honest salesmen in France but there are also people who feel that the truth is less important. To give you peace of mind, a local CPA consultant can investigate if the information provided by owners, estate agents or notaires is correct and complete.

Viewing a property is a spot-check

Buyers often ask too few questions.

Sometimes it is easy to discover the truth about a property. You will spot the pig sty a mile away by its smell and the pylons that block the view are also unmistakable.

What really goes on around the property remains hidden sometimes. This is a real shame as your grandchildren would have enjoyed the disco that is organised every Saturday evening in the barn behind the house. Maybe they would have found new friends amongst the boys who rev-up their mopeds in the square every evening.

It is good to know everything about a property, the environment, any plans that the council may have, possible disruptions, and so on. CPA carries out General Inspections to collect all that information so that you can make the right decision.

What condition is the property in?

Wouldn't you like to know what you are actually buying?

Is the property structurally sound? Is its condition adequate and can you move in soon after having purchased the property? Are major repairs necessary? What are the costs of these repairs?

Are you planning to renovate or restore? Would you like to know if your budget allows for that?

To answer these and many more questions, CPA's independent specialists carry out Technical Surveys.

Protect your budget

CPA would like to help you stay within your budget for the major repairs, the possible restoration or renovation, or even a completely new property.

Together with one of CPA's Quantity Surveyors you can analyse your budget. This will give you an insight in whether or not your ideas are achieveable. The surveyor will then make sure that your project leader will stick to that budget, i.e. the surveyor will prevent unplanned and unforeseen expenses.

Read more about protecting your budget on the Budget Control page.

Qualified and registered

Local consultants follow standards and procedures and the quality of their work is continuously controlled by registered and qualified personnel.

Technical inspections, controlling the costs of a project, and project management are carried out only by independent, qualified/registered surveyors, engineers, or other specialists such as architects.

Qualifications are normally obtained at a university in England, the Netherlands or France. CPA will endeavour to only use technical inspectors that are registered with recognised institutes such as the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors), the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), the "Chambre d'Experts FNAIM", or similar. Please note: CPA is NOT a RICS registered company.