Buying · Money
The Real Cost of a Derelict — Beyond the Sticker Price
A £15,000 house does not cost £15,000. There are fees on the way in and taxes every year after, and the cheap end has a couple of French quirks that catch British buyers out. None of it is a dealbreaker — a wreck here is still absurdly cheap — but you want the real number before you fall in love, not after.
Here's the honest full budget: the price, the fees on top, the taxes every year, and the renovation — which, done yourself over a few years, is money saved against ever buying something finished, not money poured away.
The one thing to always ask for: last year's taxe foncière bill.It's the annual land tax, it varies hugely by commune, and the seller has the paperwork. A cheap house in a commune with a high rate can carry a surprising yearly bill — ask, in writing, before you offer.
The buying process these fees sit inside — offer to keys, step by step.
Read the guide →🔑 Haggling a Long-Empty WreckThe signals that say a price will move — and how much of this bill you can talk down.
Read the guide →🛂 The Right to Live ThereWhy the second-home tax stops the moment you're actually resident.
Read the guide →The fees on the way in add ~8–10%
Notaire fees (frais de notaire) — around 7–8% on an old house
These are mostly government transfer taxes, not the notaire's wage, and they're higher (proportionally) on cheap old properties. Budget roughly 7–8% of the price. On a £15k wreck that's about £1,000–1,200 — real, but not frightening.
Agency fees — and the "who pays" trap
French listings state whether the agency fee is paid by the seller or paid by the buyer. When a listing says "seller-paid fees" (honoraires charge vendeur), that's money in your pocket — the quoted price is what you pay. "Buyer-paid" can add 5–10% on top. Always read which it is; I've seen buyer fees of 30–43% quoted on the very cheapest houses, where a flat fee is a huge slice of a tiny price.
The taxes every year the ones Brits miss
Taxe foncière — the owner's land tax
Every owner pays it, every year, wrecks included. It's modest on a small rural place but commune-dependent — which is why you ask for last year's bill.
The second-home tax — the big one before you're resident
The old taxe d'habitation has been scrapped on main homes — but it still applies to second homes, and many communes add a surcharge on top. Until you're a French resident (see the right to live there), a holiday-empty derelict counts as a second home and carries this. It's a real reason the residency question and the buying question go together.
The bin tax (TEOM) — small, and usually bundled
Household waste collection is charged via the taxe d'ordures ménagères, normally rolled into the taxe foncière bill. Minor, but it's there.
The renovation — money saved, not spent
The renovation is the biggest number, but it behaves differently to the others. You spread it over years, you buy materials as you go, and you do the graft yourself — no builder's day rate. Every pound of it buys value in a house you'll own outright, and the finished result would cost many times more to buy done. On this project the reno figures are the measure of what you save by doing it the hard way — that's the whole model. Where it fits the rules, France's renovation grants can pay back part of the energy work on top — with real catches for a DIY, off-grid or second-home buyer.
Budget the shell, not the dream
The costs that matter first are the ones that keep the house standing and dry: roof, structure, damp, a compliant septic system. Kitchens and bathrooms can wait. Get the desk checks right and you buy a sound shell, so the reno budget goes on finishing, not rescue.
A worked example
A typical cheap detached wreck. Indicative — your numbers will differ.
- £15,000The house — a sound-ish detached stone derelict with a bit of land.
- + ~£1,200Notaire fees (~8%). Agency fee on top only if the listing says buyer-paid.
- + £300–800/yrTaxe foncière, plus the second-home tax until you're resident, plus the bin tax.
- + your graftMaterials over a few years, done yourself — the money you save against buying finished.
Then there's the cost of water
Once the house is yours the running costs begin, and water is the big one. See a well, rainwater, a borehole and the mains costed side by side over 5, 10 and 20 years.
The real cost of water →