Sell your property differently, and draw a regular income
Turning property into income while giving the buyer immediate use of the home.
The free viager lets an owner turn the value of their property into capital and additional income straight away. Unlike the occupied viager, the seller leaves the property at the sale and hands full enjoyment of it to the buyer immediately.
The buyer can then live in it, let it and collect the rent, or hold it as part of a wider estate strategy.
The sale generally rests on two elements: a bouquet paid in cash before the notary, and a life annuity paid periodically until the seller’s death.
The free viager suits owners who want to move, to fund a new project, to supplement their income for good, or to simplify the management of their property.
This solution is for you if…
You want to sell a home you no longer live in
You want a guaranteed additional income
You want to fund a new chapter
You want to pass on, or help your family
You want to unlock the value of your property
You want a sale secured by a notarial deed
When the free viager is the right answer
The free viager is usually preferred where the seller already has somewhere else to live. It converts locked-up property wealth into a regular income while keeping the legal security of an ordinary property sale.
Because the seller keeps no right over the property, there is no occupancy discount: the calculation starts directly from market value. That is why, for the same age and the same property, both bouquet and annuity are appreciably higher than in an occupied viager.
Estimate this solution for your property
An indicative estimate, calculated in your browser: nothing is sent anywhere. It covers a single life — for a couple, ask for a tailored study.
Les principaux avantages
Pour le vendeur
- Percevoir un bouquet plus important qu’en viager occupé
- Bénéficier d’une rente généralement plus élevée
- Transformer un capital immobilier en revenus réguliers
- Financer de nouveaux projets personnels
- Simplifier la gestion de son patrimoine
- Préparer une transmission anticipée
- Profiter d’un cadre juridique sécurisé
- Conserver le régime fiscal avantageux de la rente
Pour l’acquéreur
- Disposer immédiatement du bien
- Pouvoir l’occuper ou le louer
- Générer potentiellement des revenus locatifs
- Investir dans un actif immobilier tangible
- Construire un patrimoine sur le long terme
- Éviter les contraintes liées à une libération future du logement
The tax treatment of a free viager
For the seller — the bouquet
The bouquet is the part of the price paid immediately. It is not treated as income. Capital gains tax may nevertheless apply, depending on the nature of the property sold: exempt, subject to conditions, for a main residence; potentially taxable for a second home or a buy-to-let.
For the seller — the annuity
The annuity enjoys favourable treatment. Only a fraction of it is taxable, depending on the seller’s age at the first payment:
| Age at first payment | Taxable fraction |
|---|---|
| Under 50 | 70 % |
| 50 to 59 | 50 % |
| 60 to 69 | 40 % |
| 70 and over | 30 % |
The older the seller when the annuity begins, the greater the tax advantage.
For the buyer
- The property can generate rental income immediately.
- Rents are taxed under the applicable regime.
- The property tax is generally borne by the buyer.
- Charges and responsibilities are set out precisely in the notarial deed.