Choosing the right plot of land is an essential step in building your future home. AtHome informs you about the elements to take into account before embarking on such a project.

The choice of plot should be made with the utmost care. Don't just worry about the location, the setting and the charm of the place. To be suitable for your real estate project, your plot of land must be buildable, serviced, bounded...

Criteria to be taken into account

The geographical location, the position of the plot in the commune, the proximity to shops and other amenities (school, public or individual transport, hospital, shops, etc.) are all determining factors in refining your choice. To find the ideal plot of land, it is advisable to proceed in the same way as when you want to buy a house that is already built.

Land in a housing estate or isolated?
There are two types of plots of land: plots of land in an allotment and plots of land in isolation.

The housing estate concerns the sale of plots of land by lot with a view to creating homes. In terms of servicing, it is a safe solution since connections to the various networks (water, electricity, etc.) and constructability are guaranteed. However, the so-called "subdivision" regulations impose certain special rules in addition to the land use plan. These constraints have some direct consequences on the architecture of your house (materials used, colours of exterior cladding, shape of roofs, etc.). The latter must be in harmony with its immediate environment (mailbox, fence, etc.). Similarly, community living obligations are sometimes imposed in the specifications, such as garden maintenance.

Isolated landThe latter will allow you to express yourself more freely from an architectural point of view. However, there is still a risk: the nature of the soil, the size of the plot, etc., are not guaranteed. It will therefore be up to you to manage any connections (water, electricity, etc.), and to pay for them!

Some precautions before making a decision:

Get a planning certificate

This document is available at the town hall, so be precise in your request, so that you have a complete and reliable document.

The document includes the following elements:

• the constructability of your land;
• any public easements: expropriation project, alignment rules, renovation perimeter, etc;
• the town planning provisions to be respected: authorised density (number of square metres of floor space in relation to the surface area of the plot), height, external appearance, destination of the premises (residential, professional, commercial, etc.);
• any protected, classified or safeguarded sector classifications;
• the viability of the land: road, water, electricity, gas... ;
• the situation in a risk area.

Is the land viable?

If the plot is located a little away from the other houses in the municipality, find out about the possibilities of connection to the networks useful for modern life: electricity, water, gas, sewerage, road and telephone.

Ask at the town hall for information on water and sanitation. For the other networks, you can find out about the possibilities and costs directly from the service providers.

Find out about the quality of the soil and subsoil

The nature of the soil and subsoil and their past history can have a significant impact on your building project.

Find out if there are any pipes under your land, if there have been any buildings on it in the past and if it has been polluted by any industrial or commercial activity. It may be wise to seek the advice of a geologist. When a subsoil has been polluted, the person responsible for it must clean it up or at least bear the cost. This is the principle, but be careful, the pollution may be old and the polluter difficult to trace.

Consult the local urban plans (PLU) and other plans

They can be consulted free of charge at the town hall. They contain a lot of information. But these administrative documents are difficult to interpret, as they are very technical.

It may also be wise to check whether the land is located in a so-called 'risk area'. Areas where flooding, landslides or other natural disasters can occur.

This plan can be consulted at the town hall, so check that your plot is not located in a risk zone.

Land Use Coefficient (LUC)

The land use coefficient or COS is an essential piece of information found in the PLU. It determines the building density allowed on a plot of land. For example, with a COS of 0.4 for a plot of land of 1,000 m2, you will be allowed to build a house of 400 m2 (1,000 x 0.4) of net floor area (SHON).

Urban planning regulations and in particular local urban plans (PLU) can set the value of the COS. The COS is defined in article R.123-10 of the town planning code.

Have the land marked out to reveal the exact boundaries

While demarcation, which consists of precisely delimiting the land, is always carried out for subdivision land or after land consolidation operations, in all other cases it is not an obligation.

However, it is the only way to know exactly the surface area that you are buying. Indeed, although it does not in itself give the surface area, it allows it to be established precisely and without any possible dispute.

A demarcation carried out by an expert surveyor will also allow you to definitively and precisely establish the boundaries of your land in relation to neighbouring properties. This is an expense that may prove useful.

You can try to share the cost with your neighbours, but they are not obliged to do so.

What is the purchasing procedure?

As with a house or flat, the sale of a plot of land is carried out in two stages: a preliminary contract, promise or compromise, first, and then a final deed of sale which must be signed by a notary.

However, the terms of the period of reflection offered to you deserve to be clarified. If you buy a plot of land on a housing estate, you have seven days after signing the preliminary contract to think about it and possibly reconsider your decision. All you have to do is send a registered letter to say that you have changed your mind and you will be released from all obligations. Any money you have paid must be returned to you.

If you want more information, you can also conduct a small neighbourhood survey to gather crucial information about how to build in the area. This information can be decisive for the choice of land. A cheap plot of land would indirectly become unaffordable if special foundations were required to build a villa.

As for the house itself, trust your imagination!