Property finance in France.
France is a bank-dominated market with limited appetite for anything other than capital-and-interest lending, and historically among the harder jurisdictions to lend into from outside. We arrange what is genuinely placeable there for corporate and SPV borrowers, and are honest early when it is not.
By Dominic Whitecross, Co-Founder, HyLend. For corporate and SPV borrowers.
How lending works in France
France is bank-dominated, with limited appetite for anything other than amortising, capital-and-interest facilities, and it has historically been among the harder jurisdictions to lend into from outside. Short-term, exit-led structures are difficult to place, and where a deal works it is usually an investment or development facility with a local or international bank.
France rewards a realistic, well-structured corporate proposition and turns away speculative short-term requests — and we will tell you which yours is at the outset.
What we arrange in France
Across the whole of market, always via a lender licensed or permitted in France, we arrange the same families of facility we do in the UK — structured to how France actually lends:
- Short-term / bridging where an international or private lender supports it, at higher minimums than the UK.
- Development finance for corporate developers, against cost and value with staged drawdowns.
- Investment and term facilities to hold income-producing assets, typically the most available product locally.
- Specialist and structured capital — equity, mezzanine and larger raises on complex or cross-border mandates.
How we work on a France deal
We arrange and introduce; we are not a lender. Facilities are arranged with lenders licensed or permitted in France, and local legal and tax advice is taken in-country as a matter of course.
Corporate and SPV borrowers, on non-regulated purposes. We do not act for individuals buying residential property for their own occupation in France or anywhere in Europe — that work is regulated locally and a regulated broker in-country is the right route.
We will tell you early if a deal is not placeable. HyLend Limited is a UK credit broker and does not hold or claim authorisation to conduct regulated credit intermediation in any EU member state.
What to send us
The location and asset, the borrowing entity and where it is incorporated, the amount and term, and the exit. If a local bank or lender is already involved, tell us. We will come back on whether it is placeable, roughly where pricing sits, and what the structure needs to look like — before anyone spends money on fees.
France property finance FAQs
Can you arrange property finance in France?
Yes, where it is genuinely placeable — typically investment and development facilities for corporate and SPV borrowers. France is bank-dominated with limited short-term appetite, so we are honest early about what will and will not work.
Do you lend to individuals buying a home in France?
Yes, for corporate and SPV borrowers on non-regulated purposes. We do not act for individuals buying a home for their own occupation — that is regulated locally and a regulated broker in-country is the right route.
Why is France harder to lend into?
It is bank-dominated with limited appetite for anything other than capital-and-interest facilities, and has historically been among the harder jurisdictions for outside lenders.
What works in France?
Well-structured corporate investment and development propositions with a credible plan, rather than speculative short-term requests. We give a straight read on placeability first.
Currency: the cost line most borrowers miss
On a French deal, the exchange rate can move the economics more than the loan margin does — deposits, drawdowns, interest and the eventual exit all cross currencies, and banks rarely price that well. We work closely with Total Currency Exchange, a UK currency specialist whose payment services are provided through FCA-authorised partners, for competitive rates and properly managed transfers on cross-border deals.
Want an introduction? Tell us when you send the deal — or ask us directly — and we will connect you personally rather than leaving you to a web form. We do not provide currency advice; timing and hedging decisions remain yours with your FX provider.
How the property will be valued
Valuation practice is national, not European, and the differences are not cosmetic. In France valuation is carried out by experts immobiliers, and lenders will generally require a report from a firm they recognise rather than accepting one you commission independently.
Two things hold true across every market we work in. The valuer is instructed by the lender and reports to the lender, not to you, whoever pays the fee. And the figure the lender applies its leverage to may not be the market value in the report — several European lending regimes work from a deliberately conservative value beneath it, in the same way UK lenders use restricted marketing period figures.
Build the valuation into the timetable rather than treating it as an administrative step: on cross border commercial deals it is routinely the longest single item. The full valuations guide →