Areas we cover on the Côte d'Azur

The five areas below are where the contractors we work with are based and working week to week.

Which Alpes-Maritimes communes do we cover?

Nice and the eastern Riviera

Mostly apartments in a copropriété. Outside work, such as an AC unit on the façade, needs a vote at the owners' general meeting (AG) before an installer can start. Parts of the city sit inside protected heritage sectors, where anything fixed to a façade needs separate authorisation.

Towns: Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var

Antibes and Juan-les-Pins

A mix of detached villas on the Cap and apartment blocks in town. Villa work is usually simpler to authorise, and bigger plots leave room to put outdoor units well away from the neighbours.

Towns: Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cap d'Antibes, Biot, Villeneuve-Loubet

Cannes and the Esterel coast

Lots of copropriété ownership and seasonal letting, which changes when work can happen. In Le Suquet and on the Croisette, listed monuments bring heritage review of visible changes.

Towns: Cannes, Le Cannet, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Théoule-sur-Mer, Mougins coast side

Valbonne, Sophia Antipolis and the tech corridor

Newer detached houses with more usable roof space and modern fuse boards. Commuters to the tech park make home EV charging and solar a natural fit here.

Towns: Valbonne, Sophia Antipolis, Roquefort-les-Pins, Le Rouret, Opio, Châteauneuf

Grasse, Mougins and the inland villages

Altitude changes the calculation. Grasse sits around 350m and the villages above it higher still, so winter heating is a load in its own right.

Towns: Grasse, Mougins, Mouans-Sartoux, Peymeinade, Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey, Cabris, Spéracèdes

Why our coverage stops at Mandelieu, Menton and the villages above Grasse

Our practical western edge is Mandelieu and Théoule. Beyond that, into Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, we have fewer contractors and the ones we do have charge for the drive. Eastwards we thin out after Beaulieu, though Menton enquiries are worth sending. Monaco is outside our coverage entirely, since it runs its own permitting and utility arrangements.

Inland we go as far as the villages above Grasse. Past Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey the population thins, contractors get scarce and the drive stops making sense for anything smaller than a full system installation.

If your property sits outside these boundaries, tell us anyway, and we'll say whether we can help.

Why does the same heat pump cost more in Cabris than on the Nice seafront?

Mostly because the specification changes, and only partly because of the drive. On the Nice seafront a reversible heat pump is chosen for a mild winter and salty, corrosive air. The same system in Cabris, 550 metres up, faces spells below zero. It has to be sized against the maker's figures for output in cold weather, not the headline efficiency rating.

Who owns the building matters as much as geography. In a Cannes apartment building, the owners decide by AG vote before anyone drills into a façade. The syndic (the building's managing agent) puts the proposal on the agenda and may want an architect's opinion first. A detached villa in Roquefort-les-Pins needs a form at the mairie (town hall) only when the work changes how the outside looks. The difference is how long approvals take before work can start. Our guide to installing AC in a French copropriété covers that process in detail.

How do we match your commune to an English-speaking contractor?

We ask what the property is, where it is and what you're trying to solve. If it's inside the areas above and matches a trade we cover, we pass it to a contractor who works in that commune and speaks English. If it isn't, we say so. We don't do the work ourselves, and we aren't paid to send you somewhere unsuitable. How we choose those contractors is set out in how we vet our partners.

Common questions about our Alpes-Maritimes coverage

Can we find a contractor for a property in the Var or east of Menton?

Ask anyway. The boundaries above describe where we have contractors working regularly, not a hard limit. Properties in the Var around Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, or east towards Menton and the Italian border, are worth an enquiry. If we can't cover yours, we'll tell you, and we won't pass the job to someone making a two-hour round trip.

Can we get more than one quote through you?

Where we have more than one suitable contractor covering your commune and trade, yes, and comparing two written devis (quotes) is the sensible way to buy work of this size. In trades where we currently have a single contractor in your area, we'll say so, and you're free to get a second quote independently.

Why don't we arrange contractors in Monaco?

Monaco has its own permitting regime, its own utility arrangements and a separate contractor market. Contractors we work with do take Monaco jobs privately, but it sits outside what we can usefully help with.

Can we ask about a Riviera property before we buy it?

Yes, and it's often the better time to ask. An ageing oil boiler can't legally be replaced with a new oil one, so a villa that has one will need a different heating system. With an apartment that has no cooling, what the copropriété will vote through matters. Both change what the property is worth to you.

Where we work on the Côte d'Azur