The French mortgage broking market (Prêt Immobilier Courtier) is still under regulated and nowhere more so than with French mortgages for non-French borrowers.

If you are incautious, or just plain unlucky, you can encounter a selection of "old Spanish practices" that can easily be avoided. These guides will give you the information you need to stay safe.

Below are two examples of what we mean, sent to us by clients that had previously contacted other French mortgage brokers.

Even if you decide not to use our services PLEASE use due diligence to ensure that you are not taken for a ride by unscrupulous French mortgage brokers.

1. E-mail from client to us after we picked up the pieces

   Paul - thanks for your comments. As you have helped me then below is the e-mail trial showing the company/person I was dealing with as I am sure you like to know what the competition are doing. This chap  states they are the 3rd biggest broker in France so clearly your comments about them/him were correct - their web site is   www.xxx.com The chap is clearly English as I have spoken to him but some of the replies are obviously from a native French speaker....if I were a betting man I would say his wife/partner , Regards, (name withheld)

2. E-mail from broker to client :
   Dear Mr (name withheld)
   Further to your email
   
   1. The money comes from a lender that we have special facilities with as we process a high volume of business
      
   2. I worked for a number of years with a major company in the UK which was FSA regulated, with a lot of experience to success
      
   3. Yes the loan will be secured against your property
   4. The £395 will cover survey and all additional costs which is non returnable and then 1% on completion or €1000 if the loan amount is under €100,000. The fee for the £395 will not be refunded as if you are refused for a loan offer then it will cover costs for the work that we would have done on your port folio that we eventually build up.

   We are the 3rd biggest broker in France and are key account holders with several different main banks. Sorry to hear about the crooks that are out there , this is why we charge you only on completion so if we do not get you a loan offer then we do not get paid. Also we do not tell are clients which lender we go through as you say there are crooks out there and we also have competitors out there that would like to get the facilities we have. Hope to hear from you soon.

 

This case came to us from a client that had been trying to arrange a mortgage through yet another broker. He was ultimately not asked to pay for the other brokers services but if you read on you'll understand why.

Dear Paul,
Firstly I should explain that we have been trying to obtain a retail mortgage for over 12 months via a broker (name withheld) who has led us up the garden path. He originally provisionally offered us a mortgage for €120,000 via Credit Foncier which, on his advice, was increased to €220,000 to cover buying out my former business partner, renovation works & removal costs and re-financing my existing mortgage with GE Moneybank. It seems that for some reason he seemingly failed to pass on information to Credit Foncier and as a result we have supplied THREE sets of information to them (Bank statements, Accounts etc.). All the time we were told that the data was satisfactory and that formal offer would be imminent but, 12 months later, it has still never appeared.
Regards, (name withheld)

The real cost of falling foul of the "old Spanish practices" in the French mortgage market can be a shocking 3% or more of the sum borrowed.

On a €250,000 French mortgage that amounts to €75,000 which you needn't have paid.

So, read on...

The Best French Mortgage guide is intended to arm you with a set of key questions to ask your your French Mortgage Broker. If you're happy with the answers then you and your finances should be safe from the wolves

In our experience 5 KEY issues seem to recur as causes of difficulty between the client, the broker and the Estate Agent and this guide explains how to avoid problems.

The Best French Mortgage Consumer Guide >

The Best French Mortgage 8 point French mortgages customer charter.

This is the Best French Mortgage quality guarantee of the service you should expect from Best French Mortgage in respect of each and every one of our French Mortgages.

Best French Mortgage Customer Charter >

Answers to questions that we are often asked.

Let us know here if there are additional items you would like adding to our FAQ page.

Best French Mortgage FAQ >

Best French Mortgage take pride that our no fees French mortgages service delivers French Mortgages that are:

• Up to 3% less expensive.
• Up to 12 weeks quicker to finalise.
• Better suited to your long and short term needs.
• Better overall value than going direct to a lender.
  

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