20 ChatGPT prompts for lawyers in real estate law

You are a lawyer specializing in French real estate law and commercial leases.

Analyze the following commercial lease and produce a report identifying:
- The clauses missing in light of the commercial lease regime (articles L.145-1 et seq. of the French Commercial Code)
- The clauses potentially void or deemed unwritten
- The significant imbalances in favor of the landlord or the tenant
- The compliance of the rent review clause (indexation, triennial review, turnover rent)
- The treatment of charges, works and taxes (allocation compliant with article R.145-35)

For each point, indicate the risk (low/medium/high) and the recommendation.

[Paste the pseudonymized lease]

You are a French real estate lawyer, acting for the tenant.

Draft a commercial lease renewal request by extrajudicial act (notice to quit with offer of renewal) with the following parameters:
- Lease expiry date: [date]
- Current rent: [amount]
- Activity carried out: [nature]
- Desired changes: [if any: de-specialization, rent change, term]

The request must comply with the formalities prescribed by article L.145-10 of the French Commercial Code (6-month notice before expiry, statement of grounds, indication of the proposed rent where applicable).

Flag the risks if the tenant fails to make this request within the deadline.

You are a French commercial lease lawyer. My client (the tenant) is challenging the rent proposed by the landlord at lease renewal.

Parameters:
- Current rent: [amount]
- Rent proposed by the landlord: [amount]
- Characteristics of the premises: [floor area, location, condition]
- Reference rents in the neighborhood: [if known]
- Applicable index: [ILC / ILAT / ICC]

Build an argument for the judicial fixing of the rent before the commercial rents judge, relying on:
- The criteria of article L.145-33 of the French Commercial Code (rental value)
- The reduction/increase factors (article R.145-3 et seq.)
- The case law of the 3rd Civil Chamber on rent capping and uncapping

Propose a reasoned estimate of the rental value.

You are a French real estate lawyer. Draft an amendment to a commercial lease covering:
- [Subject: assignment of the lease right / subletting / change of activity / extension of floor area / rent review / works]

Parameters of the initial lease:
- Lease date: [date]
- Parties: [pseudonymized landlord/tenant]
- Subject of the amendment: [details]

The amendment must refer to the initial lease, recall the clauses being modified, draft the new stipulations and specify that the other clauses remain unchanged. Include the mandatory statements where applicable (inventory of fixtures, diagnostic, environmental schedule if floor area > 2,000 m²).

You are a lawyer specializing in French real estate transactions.

Analyze the following bilateral preliminary sale agreement and identify:
- The conditions precedent (obtaining a loan, waiver of the urban pre-emption right, absence of easement, mortgage status): are they complete and correctly drafted?
- The withdrawal and cooling-off clauses (SRU law, article L.271-1 of the Construction and Housing Code)
- The mandatory diagnostics attached (energy performance (DPE), asbestos, lead, termites, electricity, gas, ERP risk statement, noise, sanitation): is the list complete in light of the location and the age of the property?
- The penalty clauses and the deposit
- The risks for the buyer / the seller

Format: table (Clause | Analysis | Risk | Recommendation).

[Paste the pseudonymized agreement]

You are a French real estate lawyer, acting for the buyer. Draft an enhanced latent defects warranty clause for a real estate sale deed, in the following context:

- Type of property: [apartment / house / building / commercial premises]
- Age: [year of construction]
- Seller: [professional / non-professional]
- Identified risks: [moisture, structure, roof, foundations, etc.]

The clause must strengthen the buyer's protection beyond the statutory regime (articles 1641 to 1649 of the French Civil Code), in particular by stipulating a warranty period, a reporting procedure and the consequences if a defect is discovered.

If the seller is a real estate professional, recall that they cannot exclude liability for latent defects and adapt the drafting accordingly.

You are a lawyer carrying out a real estate legal audit (due diligence) in France. Produce a complete checklist for the acquisition of:

- Asset type: [office / retail / logistics / residential / land]
- Location: [city/department]
- Legal situation: [full ownership / co-ownership / building lease / long lease]

The checklist must cover:
1. Title of ownership and chain of title (origin of ownership over 30 years)
2. Mortgage status and registered preferential rights
3. Town planning (local urban plan (PLU), buildability rules, public utility easements, pre-emption)
4. Environment (classified facilities (ICPE), soil pollution, technological risk plan (PPRT), flood zones)
5. Current leases (rental status, lease compliance, arrears)
6. Co-ownership where applicable (regulations, AGM minutes, ongoing proceedings, works fund)
7. Technical diagnostics
8. Taxation (VAT, registration duties, capital gains)

For each point: document to obtain, risk if missing, source of verification.

You are a French real estate lawyer. A client is consulting me because the energy performance certificate (DPE) of the property they bought (or rent) turns out to be wrong.

Parameters:
- DPE shown at the sale/letting: [rating]
- Actual DPE found after expert assessment: [rating]
- Date of the transaction: [date]
- Type of transaction: [sale / letting]

Analyze the possible remedies:
- Liability of the diagnostician (article L.271-6 of the Construction and Housing Code)
- Action for price reduction or rescission of the sale for misrepresentation
- Consequences on energy renovation obligations (ban on letting energy-inefficient properties)
- Applicable limitation period

Produce a summary note with the estimated chances of success and the recommended strategy.

You are a French co-ownership lawyer. My client (a co-owner) wishes to challenge a resolution voted at a general meeting.

Parameters:
- Date of the AGM: [date]
- Challenged resolution: [subject]
- Majority required: [article 24 / 25 / 26 of the law of 10 July 1965]
- Majority obtained: [vote details]
- Ground for challenge: [defective convocation / lack of information / abuse of majority / failure to respect the majorities / irregularity of the minutes]

Structure the writ seeking annulment before the judicial court (article 42 of the law of 10 July 1965), identifying:
1. Admissibility (2-month deadline, standing to act)
2. The grounds for annulment available
3. The claims (annulment, damages where applicable)

Cite the applicable case law. If you are not certain of a reference, flag it.

You are a French co-ownership lawyer, acting for a co-owner.

Draft a formal notice addressed to the co-ownership managing agent for:
- [Reason: failure to maintain the common areas / non-execution of an AGM decision / failure to convene an AGM / failure to provide documents / non-compliance with the provisional budget]

The formal notice must:
1. Refer to the legal obligations of the managing agent (law of 10 July 1965 and decree of 17 March 1967)
2. Recall the facts in detail
3. Set a reasonable deadline to comply
4. Mention the next steps envisaged in case of inaction (liability action, request to appoint a provisional administrator)

Tone: firm, factual, legally substantiated.

Context: [pseudonymized description]

You are a French town planning lawyer. My client has received an order refusing a building permit.

Parameters:
- Municipality: [name]
- PLU zone: [zone]
- Ground(s) for refusal: [grounds invoked by the town hall]
- Nature of the project: [new construction / extension / change of use]

Analyze:
1. The legality of the grounds invoked in light of the Town Planning Code and the applicable PLU
2. Any procedural defects (review, deadlines, consultation of services)
3. The available remedies (informal appeal, application for judicial review before the administrative court, urgent application to suspend)
4. The applicable appeal deadlines (article R.600-2 of the Town Planning Code)

Propose a reasoned litigation strategy.

You are a planning lawyer specializing in French town planning law.

Here are the characteristics of a construction project:
- PLU zone: [zone and sub-zone]
- Projected floor space: [m²]
- Projected height: [meters]
- Ground coverage: [%]
- Distances to boundary lines: [meters]
- Planned parking spaces: [number]
- Building use: [housing / office / retail / craft]

Check compliance with the standard rules of a PLU (articles 1 to 16 of the regulations). For each rule, indicate: compliant / non-compliant / to be checked against the specific PLU of the municipality.

IMPORTANT: you do not know the exact PLU of this municipality. Indicate the points that require verification with the planning department, and do not assume the local rules.

You are a French construction lawyer. My client (the project owner) has noticed defects in a structure delivered [number] years ago.

Defects observed: [description]
Date of acceptance: [date]
Reservations at acceptance: [yes/no, which ones]
Contractors involved: [pseudonymized list]

Analyze:
1. The characterization of the defects (warranty of perfect completion / two-year warranty / ten-year (decennial) warranty under article 1792 of the French Civil Code)
2. The severity criterion: impairment of the structure's soundness or unfitness for its purpose
3. The parties to be brought in (builder, subcontractor, project manager, inspection office, structural damage insurer)
4. The applicable limitation period
5. The value of triggering the structural damage insurance before launching litigation

Propose an action plan with the critical deadlines.

You are a French real estate lawyer, acting for the buyer. My client has discovered a latent defect after acquiring a property.

Parameters:
- Nature of the defect: [infiltrations, structural cracks, termites, soil pollution, etc.]
- Date of acquisition: [date]
- Date the defect was discovered: [date]
- Exclusion clause in the sale deed: [yes/no, exact wording]
- Seller: [professional / non-professional]
- Expert assessment carried out: [yes/no]

Structure the latent defects warranty action (articles 1641 to 1649 of the French Civil Code):
1. Characterization of the defect (pre-existence, severity, hidden nature)
2. Enforceability of the exclusion clause (a bad-faith seller cannot rely on it)
3. Choice between the rescissory action and the price-reduction action
4. Additional damages
5. Limitation period (2 years from discovery)

Identify the evidence to gather and the protective measures to take.

You are a French real estate lawyer. My client is suffering an abnormal neighborhood nuisance.

Parameters:
- Nature of the nuisance: [noise, view, loss of sunlight, smells, plantings, encroachment, etc.]
- Origin: [neighboring construction, commercial activity, neighbor's behavior]
- Duration and frequency: [details]
- Steps already taken: [letters, mediation, complaint, bailiff's report]

Analyze the situation in light of:
- The doctrine of abnormal neighborhood nuisances (settled case law of the Court of Cassation, autonomous basis)
- The applicable regulatory provisions where relevant (Public Health Code, co-ownership regulations, PLU)
- Any pre-existence of the activity (article L.113-8 of the Construction Code)

Propose a graduated strategy: formal notice, mediation, interim relief, action on the merits. With the estimated chances of success for each step.

You are a French expropriation lawyer. My client is targeted by an expropriation procedure for public utility purposes.

Parameters:
- Expropriating authority: [State / local authority]
- Stage of the procedure: [public inquiry / public utility declaration (DUP) / expropriation order / fixing of compensation]
- Nature of the property: [land / built building / commercial premises]
- Compensation offered: [amount]

Identify the grounds for challenge available at the current stage:
1. Challenge to the public utility declaration (judicial review, negative cost-benefit balance)
2. Challenge to the expropriation order
3. Challenge to the compensation before the expropriation judge (principal compensation, reinvestment allowance, ancillary compensation)

For each ground, indicate the legal basis, the competent court and the appeal deadline.

You are a French tax and real estate lawyer. A client is consulting me on structuring a real estate acquisition through an SCI (a French civil real estate company).

Parameters:
- Nature of the property: [main residence / rental investment / professional premises]
- Number of partners: [number]
- Acquisition budget: [amount]
- Financing: [personal contribution / bank loan / mixed]
- Objective: [wealth management / transmission / tax optimization]

Analyze:
1. SCI taxed under income tax vs SCI taxed under corporate tax: advantages and disadvantages in this specific case
2. Applicable tax regime (property income / commercial profits / corporate tax)
3. Impact on the real estate wealth tax (IFI)
4. Transmission strategy (dismemberment of ownership, gifting of shares)
5. The classic pitfalls (partner's current account, abuse of law, undervaluation of shares)

Conclude with a reasoned recommendation on the optimal scheme.

You are a legal auditor specializing in French residential leases. Produce a compliance checklist for a landlord who owns [number] dwellings for rent.

The checklist must cover:
1. Lease agreement (compliance with the standard lease, mandatory statements, term)
2. Rent control (municipality covered / not covered, rent supplement)
3. Mandatory diagnostics (DPE, lead, asbestos, electricity, gas, ERP risk statement, noise)
4. Decency of the dwelling (criteria of the 2002 decree, floor area, energy performance)
5. Ban on letting energy-inefficient properties (timeline: F in 2025, E in 2028, D in 2034)
6. Recoverable charges (exhaustive list of the 1987 decree)
7. Notice to quit and notice periods (formalities, deadlines, grounds)
8. Security deposit (amount, return, deductions)

For each point: reference text, risk in case of non-compliance, corrective action.

You are a French real estate lawyer. Draft a letter to a non-lawyer client setting out the following situation and your recommendations:

Context: [pseudonymized situation — e.g.: latent defect discovered, permit refusal, co-ownership dispute, rent challenge]
Legal issue: [question]
Analysis: [main points]
Recommendation: [what you advise]

The letter must:
- Be understandable by an individual or a non-lawyer investor
- Present the risks and the chances of success factually
- Propose 2-3 options with their pros, cons and estimated costs
- Conclude with a concrete action

Length: 1 page maximum. Tone: professional, reassuring without being misleading.

You are a legal monitoring specialist in French real estate law. Produce a monitoring memo on recent developments (legislative, regulatory and case law) regarding:

[Theme: e.g. energy-inefficient properties and the ban on letting / rent control / co-ownership reform / taxation of real estate capital gains / building permits and town planning litigation]

For each development:
- Source (statute, decree, judgment — date and reference)
- Summary in 3 sentences maximum
- Concrete impact for a real estate lawyer and their clients

CAUTION: only cite texts and judgments you are certain of. Flag "reference to be verified" where necessary. I prefer 5 verifiable developments to 15 approximate ones.