Gay marriage now available in France!
Wednesday the 29th, the first gay couple have tied the knot in France! The ceremony took place in Montpellier, where the two men got married in front of 500 guests and 140 reporters and photographers. By accepting same-sex marriage, France has joined a group of 14 countries: New-Zealand last month, but also Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, South Africa and so forth. This historic event closes the endless debate around same-sex marriage, as the couple sealed it with a kiss.
Now that the newly weds are united in the name of the law, it might be time to think about future prospects. What does this new law change for gay couples?
In regards to French inheritance law, this change is very important for gay couples. Previously, in French law, the defined proportion of the estate, the réserve legale, must be given to specified categories of heirs: firstly, to the children and issue, and if no children or issue, the surviving spouse. With the new law, the surviving partner has claims on the French property.
Another option of holding the property, through a Société Civile Immobilière (SCI) allows the investor, foreign or otherwise, to own shares, rather than real estate directly – so that the SCI shares, which are considered movable property, are not subject to French inheritance law (though they are subject to French inheritance taxes).
At Sextant French Private Finance, we have helped many people find their dream home – hetrosexual or gay! A dream home is a dream home regardless of your gender.
Due to our whole of market approach we are able to access mortgages which may not be available on the open market. We are impartial and not tied to any particular French lender. As a result we take a customer first approach to all our clients.
As part of our service, we offer our clients transparency on our deals. We keep you up to date throughout the mortgage process and take care of the hassle associated with applying for French mortgages.
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