Historic monuments: deduction of expenses from income

For a listed historical monument, the tax regime governs the deduction of expenses: it determines where these expenses are deducted. The BOFiP (French Official Tax Bulletin) distinguishes three scenarios. Expenses are deductible from rental income if the property is rented with taxable revenue. They are deductible from total income if it generates no revenue. They are split between the two if it is partially occupied by the owner. The deductible percentage then depends on whether the property is open to the public and its status: listed, registered, or certified.

This page deals with the deduction of expenses. It does not cover non-residents, details of ownership conditions by a company, or line numbers on tax return forms.

Which buildings are affected?

The scheme applies to buildings listed or registered as historical monuments. It also applies to buildings awarded the Wealth Foundation label, subject to a favorable opinion from the UDAP (BOI-RFPI-SPEC-30, § 10). According to impots.gouv.fr, no location requirements apply.

The owner undertakes to retain ownership of the property for at least fifteen years from the date of acquisition (BOI-RFPI-SPEC-30, § 30). Direct ownership is required, subject to exceptions. For ownership by a company, jointly or severally, the conditions must be verified before purchase.

The three cases of imputation

The BOI-IR-BASE-20-40 (§ 20) stipulates that the expenses are deducted:

• of the overall income, if the building does not generate any revenue; ;
• property income, if it is rented out with taxable income; ;
• part of the property income and part of the overall income, if it is partly occupied by the owner.

Direct deduction from total income is subject to compliance with specific reporting requirements (BOI-IR-BASE-20-40, § 40). These requirements are not detailed here.

Case 1: The building is rented out with rental income, but is not occupied.

All expenses are deductible from rental income, according to impots.gouv.fr. In the event of a rental loss, a deduction is applied to total income without any limit. The BOFiP table (BOI-ANNX-000093) gives the same rule for income-producing properties: deduction of actual expenses, loss deductible without limit from total income. It adds that any excess can be carried forward to the total income of subsequent years, up to and including the sixth year.

Case 2: The building generates no income

Only owners of historical monuments who retain their use for their own purposes can deduct these expenses from their total income (BOI-RFPI-SPEC-30-20-20, § 10). The excess expenses do not generate a deficit that can be carried forward to the total income of subsequent years. No property income tax return is required (impots.gouv.fr).

For a listed or registered property, the BOFiP (§ 50) refers to the expenses in Article 31 of the French General Tax Code (CGI). These include, in particular, repair, maintenance, and improvement costs, property tax, insurance premiums, and interest on debts incurred for the preservation, acquisition, repair, or improvement of the property. The percentage depends on whether the property is open to the public.

The BOFiP specifies that the deduction is limited to 50 % if the building is closed to the public (§ 130). This limit applies to expenses other than the contributions covered in §§ 100 to 120. For subsidized work, the deduction is reduced by a discount equal to the subsidy rate (§ 120). The owner's contributions to work carried out or subsidized by the government remain fully deductible (§ 100).

Regarding public access, impots.gouv.fr indicates that for a property that generates income and is not owner-occupied, the property must be open to visitors for at least 50 days per year, including 25 non-working days, from April to September inclusive, or at least 40 days in July, August, and September. These thresholds are published for this specific case. For the distinction between properties with no income (100 % / 50 %), the applicable definition of public access is verified at the source before opening or closing the property.

The certified property

For a certified building, only repair and maintenance work is eligible (BOI-RFPI-SPEC-30-20-20, § 170). § 180 limits eligible work to that related to walls, facades, and roofs. These expenses are deductible at a rate of 50%, or 100% if the subsidy covers at least 20% of the cost; these rates apply only to the portion of the work not covered by a subsidy (§ 210). Loan interest and insurance premiums, in particular, are not deductible (§ 170).

Case 3: The building is partly occupied by the owner

For a listed or registered property, open to paid visits and occupied by its owner, the BOFiP table (BOI-ANNX-000093) provides:

• a deduction of 100 % of the charges related to the right of visit or partial opening, and of the subsidized works (net of the subsidy); ;
• for other property charges, in property income, "as a practical rule 75 % of charges", for premises accessible to the public; ;
• in overall income, the expenses of the portion that the owner reserves, "as a practical rule, 25 % of the expenses".

impots.gouv.fr includes this breakdown: the flat-rate assessment of 75 % for premises open to the public, and the balance of 25 % deductible from total income for a listed or registered building.

For a partially occupied, certified property, impots.gouv.fr only indicates that specific rules apply. The BOFiP table stipulates that, for the portion reserved for the owner, half of the maintenance expenses are deductible from total income, or the full amount if the subsidy covers at least 20% of the total, and other expenses related to the premises open to the public are deductible in proportion to the surface area. This case is handled on the application, at source.

Joint ownership and overall cap

In the case of a building held in joint ownership, each joint owner only deducts the expenses that he has actually borne (BOI-RFPI-SPEC-30-20-20, § 20).

The BOFiP excludes from the overall cap tax benefits related to historical monuments (BOI-IR-LIQ-20-20-10-10, version of 27/08/2026, § 80).

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. Three fictitious owners each possess a listed building and incurred €40,000 in property taxes in 2026. The first rents out his building, receiving €25,000 in rent. The second receives no income and keeps it for his own use. The third partially occupies it and opens it to the public for a fee.

Issue. Where are these €40,000 deducted, and for what amount?

Strategy. Apply the BOFiP rule to each case. To simplify, the calculation does not take into account loan interest, the standard allowance, deferral or spreading over time, and all third-party charges are treated as "other property charges".

Result.

Option B: €100,000 of subsidized repair work at 25 %. The total deductible base is €75,000, net of the subsidy. The BOFiP links the deduction to the payments and receipt of the subsidy: it can be spread over several years.

The calculation provides deductible amounts, not tax savings: these depend on your other income. These profiles are hypothetical. The figures illustrate the mechanism and do not predict any specific outcome for your situation.

What changes depending on your situation

• Whether or not the building generates income.
• Occupancy by the owner, total or partial.
• The opening to the public and the definition that applies to your situation.
• The nature of the property: listed, registered or certified.
• The subsidies received for the work.
• The reporting obligations to be respected for the deduction from total income.
• The form of ownership: direct, through a company, jointly or in co-ownership.

The rule depends on your situation. No results are guaranteed.