sinal

A deposit: money the buyer gives the seller on signing the promissory contract (CPCV). It is neither an advance payment nor a guarantee: under Article 442 of the Civil Code, if the buyer pulls out, the seller keeps the deposit, and if the seller pulls out, they must pay back double. The parties may agree otherwise in the contract itself. The law does not set the amount: on the housing market it is usually at least a tenth of the price, as agreed, and it is often paid in two or three instalments — part on signing the CPCV, part closer to completion.