In France, the contact details of the property owners are confidential because the privacy of individuals are protected . Nevertheless, it can be useful , and in some cases essential, to have relevant information on the owner(s) of a property.
Indeed, obtaining the contact details of a property owner will allow you to contact him when buying an apartment or a lot for example , to make a real estate investment or even to buy an abandoned house. It will help you to settle a neighborhood dispute or inform the owner of a particular situation that needs to be brought to his attention.
What information can be communicated?
Some information may be communicated: such as the surnames, first names and official addresses of the owner(s), the property registration details. However, all the information considered to be private, such as the owner’s personal contact (telephone number or email address, etc.), as well as his date and place of birth, must remain confidential.
How to obtain information to contact the owner ?
To get in touch with the owner, it is necessary to start with a little investigation , you have different ways to proceed.
1. Neighborhood study
First, start by going to the location of the property in question to see if certain information, such as the name of the owner, is indicated somewhere like on an old mailbox . It is also possible to question the neighbors , always in respecting the private life of each others . Some may be able to provide you with important information to get in touch with the owner of the property.
2. Consultation of the property registration details “Le cadastre”
The French administration is using a tool to register all the properties : the cadastre. The cadastre is a plan that lists and represents all the properties in every cities or villages. Cadastral registers can be consulted by everyone, at cities halls, the tax office administration or directly on the internet. You can then search for:
- an individual
- a legal person (companies)
- an association
The property statement (or extracts from the cadastral data base ) will list , for each owner, all his properties (house, apartment, parcels of land ).
Where can I request these property statements?
These statements can be requested from the city hall or the tax administration office in charge of supervising the district where the property ( properties) is located . The cadastre has to be updated on January 1 of each year. It should contain the correct information. However, if the update has not been made , the name that will appear may be the one of a deceased person In that case , it is possible to check the person is dead.
In this case, and in order to identify the potential heirs, it may be interesting to question the neighbors of the lot on which the property is located.They may have information on the owner’s heirs or even, the name of the notary in charge of the inheritance and the probate process. If the name of the notary in charge of the succession cannot be found, we strongly recommand to contact the notaries based in the region where the property is located.
Geoportail : www.geoportail.gouv.fr is a website that will display the cadastral parcels. You will be able to obtain , thanks to the postal address, a parcel number that will help on your research.
3. Le Service de Publicité Foncière : SPF
It is also possible to collect relevant information on a property by making a written request to the Service de la Publicité Foncière, SPF. To do this, you can fill in a request form depending on the location . You can either contact the SPF by writting , email , phone or go in person to the Tax Center that does supervise the district where the property is located . The administration will charge you a fee for your request. If you are not familiar with that type of procedure , you might find it long and challenging.
On the property deed you may also be able to find interesting information such as old addresses.
4. Hire a private detective
Some cases are difficult and time consuming and you will need the assistance of a private investigator. He can therefore assist you during your investigations in order to access certain information and work faster . Indeed, his skills and knowledge in genealogy will allow you to discover and locate where the potential heirs live , whether they have an interest or not in the property.
The authorized investigator will carry out the researches with full respect of the law. Besides, he has a great experience dealing with those type of cases. He will be able to set up a plan to serve your interest efficiently and get the informations quicker . You will save time and your investigations will be handled by professional experts searching for evidences and informations.
Do not hesitate to contact Agora Detectives agency. Our team will review and analyze your case with great attention and provide you with a full detailed estimate.
