Building a house in France: the 30-point checklist (free) – permit, CCMI, insurance

Free: pay what you want, $0 accepted.

Having a house built in France for the first time? This free 4-page checklist takes you from the plot to the keys in 30 checks, each with the French term and the legal reference, so you know what to ask your builder, your notary and the town hall.

What the checklist covers

• The plot: planning certificate (certificat d'urbanisme), local plan, clay soil study, the hidden costs including the 2026 development tax values.
• The building permit: when you need an architect (over 150 m²), RE2020 certificate, review time, display on site, the new one-month rule for informal appeals, validity and extensions.
• The CCMI contract: mandatory clauses, the builder's completion bond (garantie de livraison), caps on early payments, conditions precedent, 10-day cooling-off period.
• Insurance and money: dommages-ouvrage insurance, contractors' ten-year insurance, late-delivery penalties.
• During the works: the legal CCMI stage payment schedule, with an example in fictitious figures.
• Handover and after: reservations, the 8-day rule, the three warranties, completion declaration and tax declaration within 90 days.

What you get

• Building-a-house-in-France-30-point-checklist.pdf: 4 pages, readable on a phone and printable on A4. Every point is checked against official French sources (service-public.gouv.fr, Légifrance, impots.gouv.fr, ecologie.gouv.fr), accessed on 17 October 2026.

Go further

Building a House in France, from the same store, is an Excel workbook that budgets your project and checks every CCMI stage payment, with a guide from plot to keys: $39; VAT or sales tax may be added at checkout depending on your country. https://lesbonsmots.gumroad.com/l/build-a-house-in-france

The checklist is complete without it.

Download

Gumroad asks for an e-mail address to send you the file and the receipt. You can also pay what you like to support the project; $0 stays accepted.

Legal information

• Publisher: SASU MOE CAPITAL (MOE CAPITAL Digital brand), 95 impasse des Garennes, 81710 Saïx, France, Castres Trade and Companies Register 979 936 085, VAT FR70979936085. Gumroad, the reseller, takes any payment.
• Contact: the store's messages; e-mail and phone in Section 1 of the Terms of Service.
• Digital content: 1 PDF file, available as soon as you order.
• Consumers: 14-day right of withdrawal on the "Withdraw from contract" page (https://lesbonsmots.gumroad.com/withdrawal); conformity of digital content for two years and complaints under Section 23 and Appendix 2 of the Terms of Service.
• Consumer mediator: Société de la Médiation Professionnelle (SMP), Alteritae, 5 rue Salvaing, 12000 Rodez, France – www.mediateur-consommation-smp.fr.
• Terms of Service: https://lesbonsmots.gumroad.com/terms (personal data: Section 13).

Written with AI assistance. Not legal, tax or financial advice: check your own situation with a notary, lawyer or other professional. Updated October 2026. The stage payment example uses fictitious figures.

The license terms are shown on the Gumroad product page.