Buying 2nd hand apartment with 20 year period expiring in 2027

23 September 2021

Hi,

 

We are contemplating to buy an appartment in Village De Lessey, but do not really get clear answers on the situation.  The 20 year VAT period expires in 2027.  But if we understand correctly that does not mean the leasing contract (do we take that over as is from the previous owner or do we get a new one ?) also expires.  But if the leasing contract is in practice indefinite it means we would never be able to really live in an appartment with our own furniture and soforth or to rent it out ourselves.  What is then the advangtage of buying such an appartment, I guess it will always feel like you are renting an appartment, and for the amount to be paid one can really rent a much nicer appartment each year for 20 years.

Thanks!
Glen

Submitted by Loatie on

Hi,

We bought our apartment in the Village de Lessy having been told by the selling agent that we could have it as our own after the first lease period expired.  That is possibly technically true but what they did not mention is that we would have to pay a large exit fee to CGH to break the lease.  We would also have to install our own electricity and water meter - virtually impossible in the Village de Lessy - and no-one could confirm what annual charges we would be invoiced for and on what basis they would be calculated.  So in reality it would never happen for us.

That is why we decided to sell.  I don't know what will happen after the 20 year period expires.....

I think if you are looking for somewhere that you could live in yourselves at some point in the future, an apartment in a Residence de Tourism may not deliver on that.

The advantage of buying in the Village de Lessy is that (depending on the lease you have) you have summer and winter weeks of occupation guaranteed to you.  You have a rental income, whether or not the apartment is actually rented out.  You only have to pay tax fonciere (not tax d'habitation), you have no electricity or water bills - they are all included in the annual charge.  You have an underground parking space, you have your own cave where you can keep your ski equipment, clothes, toiletries etc.  There is on site maintenance who ensure that everything is replaced in your apartment if it is faulty eg, taps, lightbulbs, crockery etc. 

There is a very nice relaxation area, pool, wellness centre etc which you can use.

You are also entitled to 28 days stay in the 'off season'.

So for some people this is enough of an incentive as the apartments are very nice in the summer and winter, they only want to spend a certain amount of weeks there, and as they have the lease attached are a lot cheaper to buy than equivilent sized apartments without the lease.  

At the moment the lease is being re-negotiated and it is still unclear what the final outcome will be for the owners.

For us, it became clear that the apartment was never going to be ours in the way we had hoped/invisaged at the start and we sold it in the summer.

Hope that helps

 

 

 

 

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