What a search mandate is
In most French sales the agent holds a mandate from the seller. Under a mandat de recherche the roles are reversed: you, the buyer, instruct Agnieszka in writing to find a property that matches your brief and to help you buy it. Her duty is to you.
What Agnieszka does for you
- She turns your wishes into a written brief: areas, type of house, land, view, number of bedrooms, budget and timing.
- She searches the whole market: homes advertised by any agency, homes sold privately by their owners and homes offered discreetly without advertising.
- She visits first and filters, so you see only the homes worth a journey, with notes on the asking price against recorded sales, the condition and any planning points.
- She accompanies your viewings, in person or by video call when you cannot travel.
- She negotiates the price and terms on your behalf.
- She follows the file through the compromis, the notaire's checks and the signature of the acte authentique.
How it works under the Loi Hoguet
The Loi Hoguet of 2 January 1970 governs every estate agent in France, whether acting for a seller or for a buyer. A search mandate must be in writing and signed before any work starts. It states the property sought, the fee and who pays it. You keep a signed copy. If the mandate contains an exclusivity clause, either party may end it at any time once the first three months have passed, with fifteen days' notice by registered letter. If you sign at a distance or away from the agency's premises, consumer law gives you fourteen days to withdraw.
When the fee is paid
The law forbids an agent to demand or accept any fee before the purchase has actually been concluded and recorded in a signed deed. You pay nothing when you sign the search mandate. The fee falls due only when your purchase completes, in practice at the signature of the acte authentique.
To be completed: search mandate fee (a percentage of the purchase price including VAT or a fixed amount), any minimum fee and confirmation that the buyer pays it
The fee also appears in our published fee schedule.
Who it suits
A search mandate suits buyers who live abroad and cannot spend weeks viewing, families moving for work at Sophia Antipolis who need to settle before a school term and buyers looking for a type of house that rarely comes up, such as a single-level villa within walking distance of a village. It also suits buyers who want one person to compare every option rather than deal with several agencies at once. If you would rather simply hear about discreet sales, the off-market register may be enough; our page on buying describes the steps of a purchase in full.
This page gives general information on the rules. The mandate you sign sets out the terms that apply to you.
Last updated: 11 October 2026