Settling in
Turnkey settling-in
From arrival to full move-in, without a second thought.
French Realty
Carries out the service with its providers: your dedicated contact runs every intervention.
Setup
Individually quoted by your dedicated contact and approved by you before anything starts.
The essentials in four sentences
Setting up a home in France from abroad comes down to four jobs that cannot be done in any order: opening the energy, water and internet contracts, which require an account in IBAN format but not necessarily a French bank, since article 9 of European regulation 260/2012 forbids refusing an IBAN from another country in the SEPA area; taking out insurance, compulsory for every co-owner under article 9-1 of the law of 10 July 1965; furnishing and equipping, which supposes being present or represented on delivery days; and declaring the home's occupancy to the tax authority, an annual obligation on every owner since 2023. Count four to eight weeks between handover of the keys and a genuinely habitable home, fibre being almost always the longest item. French Realty frames that timetable, directs you to the professionals and coordinates their work; it signs no contract in your place without a written power of attorney.
What is meant by a turnkey settling-in, and where does it begin?
At the handover of keys, not at signature. Between the two there is a notarised deed, a transfer and a handshake; after it, there is an empty home whose electricity and water are in nobody's name, where nothing is insured, no furniture is assembled and whose occupant the tax authority does not yet know. Settling in is that whole interval.
| The job | What it covers | What it requires of you |
|---|---|---|
| The contracts | Electricity, gas, water, internet, insurance | A signature and an account in IBAN format, nothing more |
| The equipment | Furniture, bedding, appliances, crockery, linen | A physical presence at deliveries and assembly |
| The access | Keys, fobs, door codes, letterbox, managing agent | A meeting with the caretaker or managing agent, on site |
| The declarations | Occupancy of the home, insurance, tourist tax if letting | Access to the online tax portal, and dates to keep |
A useful distinction, because it decides what can happen without you: contracts and declarations are signed remotely, provided a power of attorney exists; equipment and access require somebody physically there. A remote settling-in is therefore not a settling-in with nobody, it is one where presence has been delegated in writing.
How does a settling-in unfold, from keys to the first night?
In five stages, and the order is not negotiable: two of the five condition all the rest. With no electricity, no tradesperson works; with no insurance, no managing agent hands over the building's access, and you are uncovered from the first damage.
- Before the keys: take out home insurance, whose certificate the managing agent asks for, and start the electricity connection, which takes a few business days.
- On handover day: read the meters before a witness, photograph every room, collect keys, fobs and codes, and meet the caretaker or the managing agent.
- The first week: open gas and water, order fibre, have locks changed if needed, and declare the home's occupancy to the tax authority.
- The following weeks: deliveries, assembly of furniture and appliances, linen and crockery put in place, every appointment requiring a presence on site.
- The final check: everything works, everything is insured, everything is in your name, and a set of keys is entrusted to somebody who can open in your absence.
Reading the meters on handover day is the least spectacular and most profitable act of the whole settling-in: it sets the starting point of your consumption. Without it, you inherit the seller's consumption between their last reading and your arrival, and contesting it afterwards demands evidence you do not have.
What must you have before the settling-in can start?
Three things, and only one is usually missing. The deed of sale, handed over by the notary. A recurring means of payment, since all these contracts settle by direct debit. And an address to receive French mail, which is precisely the problem of somebody who does not yet live there.
| The prerequisite | Why | From abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Proof the home is yours | Every provider asks for it before opening a contract | The notary's ownership certificate is enough, the final deed comes later |
| An account in IBAN format | Energy, water, internet and insurance settle by direct debit | An IBAN from any SEPA country must be accepted |
| An address to receive mail | Contracts, certificates and tax notices arrive by post | The home itself, with regular collection, or a trusted address |
A provider refusing your IBAN because it is not French is departing from the rule, not applying one: article 9 of European regulation 260/2012 forbids requiring an account to be held in a given SEPA country. The refusal is common and stems from a badly built form, not from the law. It is lifted by insisting, or by changing provider.
What does setting up a home cost, item by item?
No figure can be given seriously here: equipping a Paris studio and a six-room house in Arcachon share no order of magnitude. What can be stated is the structure, and above all the distinction between what is paid once and what will come back every month, every year, whether you occupy the home or not.
| Item | One-off or recurring | Due even if the home stays empty |
|---|---|---|
| Energy and water connection | Once, per meter | No, but the standing charge runs afterwards |
| Furniture, appliances, linen, crockery | Once, renewed over the years | No |
| Home insurance | Recurring, annual | Yes, and it is compulsory in a co-ownership |
| Co-ownership service charges | Recurring, quarterly most often | Yes, in full |
| Property tax | Recurring, annual | Yes, owed by the owner on 1 January |
| Council tax on a second home | Recurring, annual | Yes: abolished on a main home, kept here |
The line that most surprises buyers from abroad is the last one. Council tax was indeed abolished in 2023, but on the main home only: it remains due on second homes, and several municipalities raise it in pressured areas. A property bought to spend six weeks a year in pays it in full.
How long does it take for a home to be habitable?
Four to eight weeks between the keys and a first comfortable night, and a single item explains almost the whole spread: the internet connection. Everything else settles in a few business days, fibre is counted in weeks and does not speed up.
| Item | Usual timing | What stretches it |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity, meter already in place | About 5 business days, 24 h express | A meter long disconnected, requiring a visit |
| Gas | About 5 business days | A connection appointment to keep on site |
| Water | A few days, often immediate in a co-ownership | An individual meter to be opened by the water utility |
| Fibre internet | 2 to 8 weeks | The building's eligibility, and a connection appointment |
| Home insurance | Immediate, online | Nothing, which is why it is taken out first |
| Furniture delivery and assembly | 2 to 6 weeks | Made-to-order items, and a presence at every slot |
Fibre is the only item to start before you need it, and the only one that can be ordered without having owned the place for long: the building's eligibility is checked online as soon as the preliminary contract is signed. Two months later, on handover day, the order has already gone.
What actually jams when you settle in from abroad?
Not the formalities themselves, almost all of which are done online, but three frictions listed nowhere: a form that rejects a foreign address, a technical appointment requiring physical presence, and a supporting document that does not exist in your country.
| The friction | Where it appears | What lifts it |
|---|---|---|
| A form accepting only a French address | Energy, internet and insurance sign-up | Enter the address of the property bought, which is French and is yours |
| A foreign IBAN refused for direct debit | Almost every provider, through a badly built form | Article 9 of regulation 260/2012: the refusal is unlawful, insist or switch |
| A technical appointment on site | Gas connection, fibre installation, deliveries | A written power of attorney, or a provider who opens up and records |
| Proof of a French address | Opening of certain services | The notary's ownership certificate, which stands in for it |
A furniture purchase concluded remotely, by phone or online, opens a fourteen-day cooling-off period under article L221-18 of the Consumer Code. It runs from delivery, not from the order: on a piece ordered from abroad and delivered into an empty home, it is often the only protection left when nobody could see the item beforehand.
What must be checked on handover day?
On that day you still have somebody in front of you and a notary you can reach. The next day, all you have is your memory and your photographs. Whatever is checked that day gets settled; whatever is discovered the following week gets argued about.
| To check | Why on that day precisely |
|---|---|
| Read and photograph every meter | It sets the starting point of your consumption, uncontestable afterwards |
| Count keys, fobs and remotes | A missing set is claimed from the seller, not the managing agent |
| Photograph every room, walls and floors included | It is the reference state before works, deliveries and tenants |
| Open every tap and every shutter | A fault found that day can still be raised with the seller |
| Collect the managing agent's and caretaker's contacts | They are the ones who will let your contractors in afterwards |
| Check the insurance certificate is already issued | Without it, the managing agent may refuse to hand over common access |
If you cannot be there, this list delegates in full, but it delegates in writing and with the photographs sent back. A handover done by somebody who did not have the list produces exactly what is feared: an occupied home and no record of its state on day one.
What can go wrong in a remote settling-in?
Three things, and all of them happen quietly. A contract left in the seller's name, which ends up being terminated. A home left uninsured for a few weeks, which costs nothing until the day it costs everything. And a delivery accepted by somebody with no standing to record reservations.
| The risk | What it costs | What holds it |
|---|---|---|
| An energy contract never put in your name | A cut-off, then reconnection charges and a delay | |
| A home uninsured at handover | Any loss at your own cost, and a legal duty unmet in a co-ownership | |
| A delivery accepted without reservation by a third party | A damaged item accepted as is, with no recourse against the carrier |
Civil liability insurance is compulsory for every co-owner under article 9-1 of the law of 10 July 1965, and it is compulsory from the moment you own, not from the moment you occupy. Between deed and move-in, an empty home is still a home you answer for: water damage starting in your flat engages your liability even if you were on the other side of the world.
Which contracts must be opened, and in what order?
The order is not a matter of comfort, it is a matter of dependencies. Insurance conditions the handover of the building's access. Electricity conditions any tradesperson's work. The rest can wait, and fibre must be ordered ahead of everything because it is the slowest.
| Rank | Contract | What makes it a priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fibre internet | Two to eight weeks: ordered last, it arrives last |
| 2 | Home insurance | The managing agent asks for it before handing over common access |
| 3 | Electricity | With no power, no tradesperson can work on site |
| 4 | Water | Often carried by the co-ownership, hence rarely blocking |
| 5 | Gas, if any | A connection appointment to keep on site |
A symmetrical mistake lurks: terminating the seller's contracts instead of taking them over. A takeover keeps the connection as it stands and avoids reconnection charges; termination cuts the meter, and reopening it requires a technical visit and several days. Always ask for a change of account holder, never an opening after termination.
How do you furnish a home you cannot visit?
By first giving up an illusion: you do not furnish from a catalogue, you furnish from measurements. A dimensioned plan, a ceiling height, a landing door width and a staircase width are worth more than a hundred photographs. Those four figures decide whether the sofa goes in.
- Have the measurements taken on site before any order, landing door and staircase included, and not only the room areas.
- Group deliveries into as few slots as possible: every slot requires a physical presence of several hours.
- Order assembly together with the furniture when the seller offers it, rather than hunting for a fitter after delivery.
- Have written reservations recorded by whoever takes delivery, on the carrier's note, and not by message afterwards.
- Keep the fourteen days of cooling off in mind on everything ordered remotely: they run from delivery.
The written reservation at the moment of delivery is the only document that counts. A photograph sent the same evening does not prove the damage did not occur after the carrier left: it is the signature on the delivery note, with the defect written by hand, that opens the claim.
What changes for a home occupied a few weeks a year?
Almost everything, in both directions. The equipment must withstand months with nobody there, which rules out some choices and imposes others. And the tax treatment differs: council tax, abolished on main homes in 2023, remains due here, and several municipalities raise it.
| The point | Main home | Intermittently occupied home |
|---|---|---|
| Council tax | Abolished since 2023 | Due, and increased in several municipalities |
| Insurance | Standard policy | Vacancy clause to check, declaration of non-occupancy |
| Heating in winter | In use | Kept at frost protection, never fully off |
| Collected daily | Collected periodically, otherwise deadlines expire | |
| Equipment | Chosen for daily use | Chosen to hold with no upkeep for months |
One annual obligation escapes almost every non-resident owner, because it did not exist before 2023: the declaration of occupancy provided for by article 1418 of the General Tax Code is filed online from the tax portal and concerns every owner, occupying or not, resident or not. Its very purpose is to determine whether the home is a second home.
Which mistakes cost the most when settling in?
They all share one origin: having treated settling in as a list of errands, when it is a chain of dependencies. A task done out of order is not caught up, it is done again.
| The mistake | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Ordering fibre after moving in | Two to eight weeks with no connection, in an already occupied home |
| Terminating instead of taking over the seller's contracts | A meter cut off, reconnection charges and several days |
| Signing the deed without insurance in place | An uncovered period, and a managing agent who may withhold access |
| Not reading the meters on handover day | The seller's consumption on your first bill, with no evidence against it |
| Ordering furniture with no door and staircase measurements | A return to organise from abroad, and an empty room meanwhile |
| Forgetting the declaration of occupancy | A fine per undeclared property, and a tax computed without you |
The seventh mistake only shows a year later: entrusting a set of keys to nobody. While all is well it changes nothing; on the day of a leak, a delivery or an intervention by the managing agent, a home nobody can open costs a forced lock and a reinstatement.
What does French Realty do on your settling-in, and what does it not do?
It holds the timetable and the order of dependencies, selects the professionals whose trade matches each item, and attends the appointments that require somebody on site. It reports back to you in writing, with the photographs, after each stage.
- The framing: the list of items in your settling-in, their order, and the dates each must start for the chain to hold.
- The direction: the professional whose trade fits, chosen for their area and specialism, never a single provider for everything.
- The coordination: appointments grouped, contractors received, deliveries taken in with written reservations where needed.
- The report: after each stage, what is done, what remains, what has changed, with dated photographs to back it up.
What it does not do, and the line deserves stating plainly: it signs no contract in your name without a written power of attorney, it does not carry out the works, which belong to the building trades, and it practises neither letting management nor insurance broking, which require licences it does not hold. It informs, it directs, it coordinates.
What the service includes
- End-to-end coordination of the move, from schedule to providers
- Receiving deliveries and assembling furniture
- Setting up linen, tableware and equipment
- A final check and handover of a ready-to-live-in home
Included
- End-to-end management by your dedicated concierge
- A detailed photo report
Billed separately
- Furniture and equipment purchases, billed at actual cost
- Providers' fees (movers, fitters)
Concrete examples
- A full move-in organised remotely
- A pied-à-terre made ready before a first arrival
Frequently asked questions
Last updated: September 2026
What does a turnkey settling-in include?
Everything that makes your home immediately livable on arrival: opening meters and subscriptions (water, energy, internet), starting up appliances, basic outfitting of the home, first-necessity shopping and the finishing touches. You arrive, everything works.
What is the point when arriving from abroad?
To land in your home, not in a building site. French meter-opening and subscription formalities happen in French, on local time slots: we take them on before you arrive and synchronise everything with the key handover date.
Can you prepare the home before my first stay?
Yes: deep cleaning, appliance checks, purchase and placement of basic linen and crockery from a list you approve, heating and airing. Every item is approved with you before purchase and captured in a quote.
How does settling-in coordinate with the notary and the removal?
We work to the deed's calendar: subscriptions open on the key handover date, the home prepared just before you or the movers arrive, and providers expected on the right day. One pilot, no scheduling clash.
Does this suit a second home too?
Yes: ahead of each season or each stay, restarting the house (winter-drained water, water heater, shutters, checks) follows the same principle. Many of our non-resident clients book it before every return.
What do furnishing and decoration cover?
Everything that makes a home ready to live in or let: choosing and buying furniture and equipment, delivery and assembly, basic linen and crockery, decoration, and presenting the property before a letting or a sale.
Can you buy and take deliveries while I am away?
Yes: you approve a list and a budget, we order, receive deliveries, handle returns and check assembly. Every purchase is approved with you before ordering and billed at actual cost.
Do you offer ready-to-live solutions or only bespoke?
Both. A standard equipment pack (bedding, basic kitchen, linen, essential appliances) covers the essentials fast and well; for a designed interior, we bring in partner decorators and furnishers.
Is this useful for a short-stay let?
Yes, decisively: full equipment from the listing onward, referenced consumables, linen in quantity, and a refresh between seasons. Booking rates and guest reviews soon follow the condition of the property.
How is this service priced?
French Realty's time (advice, purchasing, receiving, fitting) is individually quoted; furniture and supplies are billed separately at their real cost. You approve the purchasing budget before any order.
Your personal study for your settling in
A concrete reading of your project in France: buying, financing, tax, coordinated by your dedicated French Realty contact.