Turnkey Renovation and Legal Guarantees for International Buyers in Paris

The Garantie Décennale: Ten Years of Structural Protection

The garantie décennale is a mandatory ten-year guarantee covering all structural defects that affect the integrity or habitability of a building. It is required by French law under Article 1792 of the Civil Code and applies to any licensed contractor carrying out construction or renovation work.

Under the décennale, if a structural defect becomes apparent within ten years of the completion of works, the contractor's insurer is liable for the cost of repair — regardless of the contractor's financial situation. LUPOQ Rénovation carries full décennale insurance, and a certificate of coverage is provided to every client at contract signature. This is not optional; it is your legal right.

Garantie de Parfait Achèvement and Garantie Biennale

Beyond the décennale, two shorter-term guarantees protect clients in the immediate post-completion period. The garantie de parfait achèvement (one year) requires the contractor to repair any defect notified at the handover inspection or reported within twelve months of completion. The garantie biennale (two years) covers the proper functioning of all separable equipment and fixtures — heating systems, ventilation units, built-in appliances.

At LUPOQ Rénovation, these guarantees are activated at the formal handover meeting, at which a detailed snagging report is compiled and signed. Every item on that report is resolved within the agreed timeframe — typically before the client takes occupancy.

What Turnkey Really Means

A turnkey renovation means the client receives a fully complete, fully compliant, fully functional apartment — with no remaining actions required on their part. At LUPOQ Rénovation, this includes: all building permits obtained and closed, syndic authorisations received, all trades completed and snagged, cleaning completed, and all warranty documentation compiled and delivered.

International clients particularly value the turnkey model because it eliminates the need for any on-site presence to manage the administrative close-out of a project. LUPOQ Rénovation handles every closing step and delivers the handover dossier digitally, in English, with a signed inventory of all works completed.

Co-ownership Compliance and Administrative Close-Out

A renovation that is physically complete but administratively incomplete is a liability rather than an asset. LUPOQ Rénovation ensures that every co-ownership obligation is met before handover: syndic notifications are filed, common areas are restored to their prior condition, and any conditions attached to assembly authorisations are formally confirmed as satisfied.

For clients who subsequently wish to let the apartment, LUPOQ Rénovation can advise on the regulatory requirements for short-term rentals in Paris, including the registration obligation with the city and co-ownership rules regarding tourist letting.

Beginning Your Project With Confidence

The combination of French legal guarantees and LUPOQ Rénovation's turnkey operating model means that your Paris renovation investment is protected at every stage: from the first structural decision to a decade after handover. You are not relying on goodwill or reputation alone — you are relying on law.

To discuss your project and receive a detailed proposal, call LUPOQ Rénovation on 07 68 53 54 13 or complete the enquiry form on our quote page. We respond to all international enquiries within one business day.

What turnkey means in practice, and what it does not

Turnkey is used loosely. In France it should mean one company holds one contract for the whole scope, employs or engages every trade, carries the insurance, and hands back an apartment that is finished and clean. It does not mean the owner has no decisions to make; it means the owner is never asked to arbitrate between two trades who disagree about whose work comes first.

The test is simple. Ask who signs the contract, who is named on the décennale insurance certificate, and who is on site when a problem is discovered. If those are three different answers, it is not turnkey, it is coordination sold as a package.

The three statutory guarantees, in plain terms

French construction law gives a private client three guarantees and they are not optional extras that a company grants as a courtesy. The garantie de parfait achèvement runs for one year from handover and covers every defect noted at handover or reported during that year. The garantie de bon fonctionnement runs for two years and covers equipment that can be removed without damaging the structure: taps, radiators, shutters, fitted units. The garantie décennale runs for ten years and covers anything affecting the solidity of the works or making the property unfit for its purpose, which in practice includes waterproofing, structure and major services.

The décennale is backed by compulsory insurance. This is the important part: if the company disappears, the insurer remains. A certificate that names the contracting company, is current, and covers the trades in your scope is the strongest protection a client has.

Handover, snagging and what to do with the list

Handover is a formal step, not a handshake. The apartment is inspected room by room, and every defect is recorded in a written document signed by both parties. Anything on that list is covered by the one-year guarantee whether or not it is corrected immediately.

Owners who are abroad often sign handover remotely to save a trip. It is worth returning for. An hour walking the apartment with the site manager catches things that no photograph shows, and once the list is signed the position is protected.

Frequently asked questions