Property valuation report (expertise en évaluation immobilière)

The word expertise is used in French for many things; the Charte de l’expertise en évaluation immobilière (French property valuation charter) gives it a precise meaning. While a simple estimate can be produced by any competent property professional, a property valuation (expertise en évaluation immobilière) is the service of a valuer meeting the conditions of the Charter: it consists in determining the value of property and property rights by analysing all the legal, economic, technical and tax factors, and takes the form of a written report based on a prior contract defining the engagement.

The Charter distinguishes three situations. The single-party private valuation, requested by one party alone. The joint private valuation, requested together by two or more parties, who receive the same report. The court-ordered appraisal, ordered by a judge who appoints an expert in the course of proceedings. The first two are governed by contract; the third by the Code of Civil Procedure and the law of 29 June 1971 on court experts.

Where the rule comes from

Title I of the Charter (6th edition, November 2025) sets the conditions of practice: definition and three formats (§ 1.1), fees on a fixed or hourly basis, never linked to the value (§ 2.1), duty of care and reservations (§ 2.2), professional liability insurance (§ 2.3), independence and professional courtesy (chapter 4). Title II describes the engagement: engagement contract with its compulsory terms (§ 9.1), inspection of the property (§ 9.2.1), content of the report (chapter 10). The European Valuation Standards 2025 deal with the qualified valuer (EVS 3), the process (EVS 4) and the report (EVS 5). In France, court experts in property valuation are registered on the Court of Appeal lists under heading C.18 of the nomenclature.

In a valuation report

The report follows a structure that the Charter imposes “save for justified exception”: framework of the engagement (client, purpose, identification of the property, standard applied, type of value, assumptions), declarations (no conflict of interest, competence, dates of inspection, valuation and drafting, person who inspected), documents received and missing, legal and physical description, market analysis, methods with their calculations, conclusion as a range and a point value, appendices. It must be clear, precise, concise, paginated, dated and signed. It states what is included in and excluded from the engagement, and the technical reservations (structure, services, contamination) on which the valuer is not competent.

Example

A notaire (French civil-law notary) handling the settlement and the two lawyers of a divorcing couple ask for a joint private valuation of the family home. Contract signed by both spouses: market value at the date closest to the partition, rental value for the occupation indemnity, fees on a time basis at €65 per hour, VAT not applicable. Inspection in the presence of both parties, eight comparables analysed, a twenty-four-page report sent simultaneously to both lawyers: €312,000 as a point value, within a range of €300,000 to €325,000, and a rental value of €1,150 per month. The parties settle on that basis without the judge having to order a court appraisal.

Not to be confused with

An opinion of value states a value without demonstration. A technical survey (asbestos, lead, energy) falls outside the scope of the Charter. A building survey deals with construction defects, not with value.