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Short answer
French banks lend on shops, offices and business premises, but on business terms rather than home loan rules. The 35% debt limit and 25-year cap do not apply to purely commercial property. Banks usually lend over 15 years or less, ask for guarantees and often lend to a company such as an SCI rather than to you personally. Fewer lenders take on buyers from abroad for commercial property, so tell us about the property and we will tell you whether we can help.
Do French home loan rules apply to commercial property?
No, not to purely commercial premises. The HCSF rules, which cap repayments at 35% of income and terms at 25 years, apply to loans for homes or for mixed home and professional use. That includes loans to an SCI and loans to non-residents for a home in France. Loans for purely commercial premises, and loans to companies that finance a business activity, fall outside them.
The same line decides your consumer protections. The 10-day wait before you can accept a home loan offer does not apply to a business loan. A mixed-use building with a flat, bought by you as an individual, may still count as a home loan, so check how your case is classed.
Sources: HCSF FAQ on its lending rules, January 2024; economie.gouv.fr on home loans, February 2026; Congrès des notaires report on the scope of the home loan rules.
How long can I borrow for, and how much?
There is no official table of terms. Société Générale and Crédit Mutuel both describe professional property loans of up to 15 years, and the broker Cafpi says 10 to 15 years is usual and that a professional loan rarely covers more than 80% of the need. Expect the bank to ask for a guarantee from you, from another company or from a guarantee body such as Bpifrance or SIAGI, or a charge over the property itself.
As a guide to how banks see risk, the French banking supervisor reported that at the end of 2025 most commercial property loans held by the largest banks were below 60% of the property’s value. That describes their existing loans, not an offer.
Sources: Société Générale on professional loans; Crédit Mutuel on professional loans, November 2024; Cafpi, August 2025; ACPR report on commercial property lending, July 2026.
Should I buy through an SCI?
Many buyers do. An SCI, société civile immobilière, is a company with at least two partners set up to hold and manage property. It is often used to own business premises and let them to the owners’ trading company. Banks lend to SCIs in the company’s name, and the partners are liable for its debts in proportion to their shares, so banks usually ask each partner for a personal guarantee. The purchase is still signed before a notaire.
A company that owns property in France, whether French or foreign, may owe an annual tax of 3% of the property’s market value unless it is exempt, and must file a return each year, so get advice on the structure before you buy.
Sources: Service-public.fr on the SCI, October 2025; Notaires de France on holding business premises in an SCI, April 2026; impots.gouv.fr on the 3% tax.
Is there an alternative to a loan?
Property leasing, the crédit-bail immobilier, is common for business premises. A leasing company buys or builds the premises and leases them to your business with an option to buy at the end, typically over 15 to 20 years and sometimes for the whole cost. It usually costs more than a bank loan and ties you to the property for the full term.
Source: Bpifrance Création on property leasing, July 2026.
What does it cost to buy commercial property?
- An older building carries the same purchase tax as a home: about 5.81% of the price where the department charges 4.5%, or about 6.32% where it charges 5%, for deeds signed from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028. The reduced rate for first-time home buyers does not apply.
- In Île-de-France an extra 0.6% applies to offices, shops and storage premises.
- A building completed in the last 5 years, sold by a VAT-registered seller, carries 20% VAT instead, with purchase tax cut to about 0.7%. On an older building the seller can choose to charge VAT.
- Notaire fees and disbursements come on top. Our buying costs guide explains them.
Sources: Notaires de France on the higher purchase tax, November 2025; collectivites-locales.gouv.fr on purchase tax; Service-public.fr on property VAT, April 2026. Estimates, as at October 2026.
What if the property comes with a tenant?
Business premises are usually let on a bail commercial of at least 9 years. The tenant can normally leave at the end of each 3-year period on 6 months’ notice, which matters to a lender looking at the rent. Rent reviews follow an official index, the ILC for shops and the ILAT for offices and warehouses. Ask for the lease and the rent history before you offer.
Sources: Notaires de France on commercial leases, August 2026; Service-public.fr on ending a lease and reviewing the rent, May 2026.
How French Finance helps
Tell us about the property, how you plan to own it and how it will be used, and we will tell you whether we can help. We do not give financial, legal or tax advice, and one of the leading, reputable English-speaking law firms we work with can help with the structure. Check your options.