No official tax targets foreign buyers in Paris. Yet there is a phenomenon I see every year across dozens of quotes: the same scope of work is priced differently depending on who the client is, where they are based, and whether anyone on the ground is reading line by line. The difference is rarely a doubling of the total; it is almost always a steady drift of five to twenty per cent on individual lines, hidden in quantities, units, and sub-contracted margins. Over a €400,000 renovation, that drift is €20,000 to €80,000 that becomes hard to retrace later.
The benchmarks, in 2026 euros
Sense-checking a quote starts with its per-square-metre envelope. The three defensible ranges — rental refit, mid-range private renovation, Haussmannian restoration — are set out in full, with what they exclude and two worked examples, on the page that answers the question directly: how much does it cost to renovate an apartment in Paris? Those figures are held in one place, and one place only, so that nothing on this site contradicts itself. What follows here is the other half of the work: not what the envelope should be, but how an individual quote drifts away from it.
How to read a quote line by line
Quotes inflate in four predictable places. One, quantities: the square metres of painting listed may exceed the plan's actual surface by ten to twenty per cent, because ceilings and returns are double-counted. Check with a tape or on the scaled plan. Two, units: a line at "forfait" is harder to challenge than the same line broken into square metres or hours. Ask for the breakdown. Three, supply-and-fit margins: a €900 basin listed at €2,400 is not uncommon on a non-resident file; ask the trade to separate fourniture from pose, and compare the supply price against the manufacturer's list. Four, works not on plan: any line that does not correspond to a clearly drawn location on the plan needs a circled explanation.
A short checklist before you sign
Before you approve the comparative table your design authority or general contractor hands you, do five things. Insist on at least three quotes from different trades or general contractors. Require each to use the same descriptif technique, word for word. Ask for per-square-metre ratios per trade (painting per m², flooring per m², electrical points per unit) so you can compare on a like-for-like basis. Separate supply from fit on every line above €1,500. And ask, in writing, whether any commissions are received by the party who recommended the trades — the answer in writing is already half the battle. From abroad, the same discipline applies, entrusted to a representative whose fees come from the owner alone. That is the precondition.
On who reads the quotes, and on whose behalf, see "who does what on your renovation" and "independence and commissions". For the whole journey, the guide "Renovating a Paris apartment from abroad".
— Paris, April 2026. Charles-Eric Guerrier.