Undeclared swimming pools: only a few days left to avoid fines
France's Public Finance Department has identified almost 120,000 undeclared swimming pools. © Unsplash
Owners have until 30 June to declare the size, nature and completion date of their pool.
More than 120,000 homeowners have already received an e-mail – or are about to receive one – from the French Public Finance Department. They must then report the details requested for their pool. If the pool is over 10m2 and cannot be moved without being demolished, it is subject to property tax.
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The French tax authorities hope to collect several tens of millions of euros. This autumn, owners of undeclared swimming pools could see an average of €375 added on to their bill. To locate the pools, the tax authorities use software developed by Google and Capgemini, which uses aerial views from the Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière (National Geographical and Forestry Information Institue) to compare them with cadastral (land registry) maps. Any discrepancies are then checked on site in person.
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If you receive one of these emails, you have 30 days to declare your pool on impots.gouv.fr, in the “Biens immobiliers” (Property) section.