Taxe Fonciere - typical amount

Hi,

I have a small 2-bed leaseback house (circa 56sqr ms) in rural Languedoc and the Taxe Fonciere is €930 per year.

Is this similar to what others pay ??

I read somewhere that the Taxe Fonciere can be higher in rural areas since there are less properties generating it..

For any newbies to French Leaseback property, the Taxe Fonciere (which is a council type tax) for a new build is at a reduced rate for the first 2 years. In my case this reduced rate was about 25% of what it turned out to be. The company selling you the property is unlikely to inform you about this. This tax must be paid by the owner regardless of whether he has the property leased or not, and regardless of whether he gets any rent or not. Be warned !

Companies such as Sextant Properties give a misleading view on the subject : http://www.sextantproperties.com/legal-and-finance/french-taxes 

"This is a local tax that is paid by the owner of the house. The size of the property determines how much is paid and owners of new properties are exempt for the first two years. The tax is paid by the person owning the property on 1 January each year with payment due in the final quarter of the year. If the property ownership changes during the year, the purchaser usually reimburses the seller for the tax of the remaining portion of the year. This tax is not onerous, for example it can be 350€ (£230) a year for a farm-house in Dordogne."

Define 'onerous' guys....

thanks,

Sinead