Legal obligations of a property hunter: what the law requires in 2026

Property hunting is a strictly regulated profession in France. The Hoguet law, the Alur law, the CCI professional card, financial guarantee, professional liability insurance, continuing education: the legal framework is comprehensive. As the founder of a firm that brings together 16 property hunters and has done so since 2011, I know these obligations from the inside. Here is what the law actually requires, and what you should check before entrusting your property search to a professional.

What does the Hoguet law require of a property hunter?

Law No. 70-9 of January 2, 1970, known as the Hoguet law, imposes four obligations on a property hunter: holding the T professional card, holding a financial guarantee, taking out professional liability insurance, and collecting no fee before the acte authentique is signed. Practising without a card is a criminal offence punishable by 6 months imprisonment and a 7,500 euro fine (Article 14).

This law is the legal bedrock of all property intermediation professions in France. It fully applies to property hunters, who carry out a transaction activity within the meaning of this law.

The central obligations are as follows. The T (transaction) professional card is mandatory. It is issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) in the department of practice. To obtain it, the professional must demonstrate a relevant qualification (BTS in property professions, law degree, business school) or sufficient professional experience (10 years as an employee, or 4 years in a management role). The card is renewable every 3 years.

The financial guarantee protects client funds. If the property hunter handles funds on behalf of their clients, which is rare in practice since payments generally go through the notaire, they must hold a guarantee from an approved body (bank, insurance company, professional organisation). The minimum amount is 30,000 euros for the first two years, then 110,000 euros.

Professional liability insurance covers damages the property hunter might cause in the course of their work. It is mandatory and must be taken out before any activity begins. At Home Select, our professional liability insurance covers each of our 16 active property hunters.

Finally, the prohibition on collecting funds before the transaction is completed is a fundamental principle. No fee, no deposit can be requested until the acte authentique is signed at the notaire’s office. This is Article 6 of the Hoguet law, and it is non-negotiable.

What did the Alur law add in 2014?

The Alur law added three obligations to the Hoguet framework: 14 hours of continuing education per year, transparent display of fees on every communication material, and a compulsory written mandate. Without documented training hours, the professional card is not renewed.

The law for Access to Housing and Renewed Urban Planning (Alur law, 2014) considerably strengthened the framework. Here are those three contributions in detail.

Mandatory continuing education requires 14 hours of training per year (or 42 hours over 3 consecutive years). This training must cover areas defined by decree: professional ethics, legal matters, building techniques, urban planning, energy transition. Renewal of the professional card is conditional on demonstrating these hours. In practice, a property hunter who does not train loses their card.

Fee transparency requires that fees be displayed visibly on the professional premises and on all communication materials, including the website. The fee schedule must be expressed as a percentage of the sale price or as a fixed amount. At Home Select, our fees are clearly published: it is the law, and it is also a matter of trust.

The mandatory written mandate formalises the relationship between the property hunter and their client. This search mandate must specify the scope of the assignment, its duration, the remuneration terms, the resources deployed and the respective obligations of both parties. Without a signed mandate, no service can be invoiced.

What does the property code of ethics commit a hunter to?

The decree of August 28, 2015 subjects every property professional to a code of ethics: integrity, competence, transparency and confidentiality. The National Council for Property Transactions and Management (CNTGI) oversees its application and can impose disciplinary sanctions.

For the client, this means that a property hunter has a duty of advice and disclosure. They must act exclusively in the interest of their client, report any potential conflict of interest, and provide honest information about the properties presented.

What does the DGCCRF inspect among property professionals?

The DGCCRF inspects fee display and the regularity of mandates, and its 2023 investigations in the property sector found an irregularity rate exceeding 50% among the professionals inspected. Sanctions range from formal warnings to administrative fines of 15,000 euros for an individual and 75,000 euros for a company.

The General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control carries out these inspections on a regular basis. The most frequent failings recorded are precisely fee display failures and mandate irregularities.

Beyond the administrative fine, practising without a professional card exposes the firm to criminal prosecution.

How do you check that a property hunter is compliant?

Four checks are enough before signing a mandate: the T professional card number, the financial guarantee certificate, the professional liability insurance certificate and the website’s legal notices. A serious professional provides all four without reservation, and a refusal to produce them is itself a warning sign.

In detail, ask for the professional card number and verify it with the issuing CCI. Request a copy of the financial guarantee certificate and the professional liability insurance certificate, both currently valid. Check the website’s legal notices: they must include the card number, the name of the financial guarantor, and the fee schedule.

A serious professional has no problem providing these documents. At Home Select, all this information is available on our legal notices page and we share it with every new client before signing the mandate.

What do these obligations guarantee for the buyer?

These obligations guarantee that your property hunter is qualified, insured, trained 14 hours a year, and can only be paid on success, after the signing at the notaire’s office. It is a valuable safety net in a market where the amounts at stake regularly reach several hundred thousand euros.

On this point, the French regulatory framework is one of the most protective in Europe for clients of property intermediaries. The combination of the Hoguet law and the Alur law leaves no grey area on qualification, insurance or the moment of payment.

If you are looking for a property hunter in Paris, take the time to verify these points. And if you would like to discuss them, our team is available to explain our support process with full transparency.

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