All owners can take this step to hope to obtain local tax relief. Only problem: it requires a little paperwork.
Every year, millions of French people fear one thing: receiving their property tax. And for good reason, this tax can represent a significant burden on a household budget, particularly for those with low incomes or modest pensions. Especially in recent years, property taxes have seen significant increases in certain municipalities. Local authorities, looking for ways to finance their services, sometimes increase this tax, which increases the bill for many owners. Of course, who wouldn’t like to see their property tax go down? Most give up, thinking that they have no choice but to pay what is asked of them, and yet, it is possible to do something…
In fact, few people know it, but there is a process to obtain local tax relief: contest the value of your property. Indeed, the calculation of the property tax for your home is based on the cadastral rental value, an estimate that may seem disconnected from reality for many. And rightly so! Because each year, on January 1, it is reevaluated by what is called the “revaluation coefficient” voted by Parliament, generally based on the inflation observed the previous year. This coefficient is applied uniformly to all properties in France. In 2024, the flat rate increase is 3.9%, last year it was 7.1%.
The problem is that the tax authorities often have incomplete or incorrect information regarding the value of the property. As a result, your home may be overvalued, leading to higher local taxes. This is why it is important to remember to check the information used by the tax authorities to calculate the cadastral rental value of your property. What recourse is then available to owners?
As our colleagues from UFC Que Choisir explain, owners can contest the value of their property with the help of a lawyer, a tax specialist or a notary. If this is your case, firstly, you must check all the elements applied to your property (category, standing, surface area, comfort elements, etc.) by going to your personal tax space, “Manage my real estate” section. and by requesting the evaluation sheet “n°6675 M”.
If there are one or more errors, your advisor will prepare a file with you with supporting documents to modify the cadastral rental value of your house or apartment. And don’t worry, even if you’ve already paid your taxes for this year, “you have until December 31, 2025 to submit a claim” and obtain a refund, indicates the Public Service website.