Kitchens, bathrooms and plumbing on the Côte d'Azur
A new kitchen, a bathroom refit and a leaking pipe share more than a plumber. The same French rules apply to all three: a devis (written quote) that binds once you sign it, TVA (French VAT) at 10% on the work, and guarantees that cover some parts of the job and not others.
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Kitchen, bathroom and plumbing guides for Riviera homes
Each guide covers what pushes the price up, the rules that apply and what the devis should show.
Moving the sink or hob is what pushes a kitchen price up most. The fitting is taxed at 10% and the appliances at 20%, and a gas hob ends with a certificate of conformity.
Explore Kitchen renovationMoving the shower or WC adds the most to a bathroom price. Tile grout isn't waterproof, so the layer underneath decides whether the flat below stays dry.
Explore Bathroom renovationWhat pushes the price of a walk-in shower or an adapted bathroom up, who can claim MaPrimeAdapt', why the tax credit is gone, and what to ask the fitter.
Explore Accessible bathroomsThe plumber owes you a written devis before starting, however small the repair, and the water meter decides who fixes a leaking supply pipe.
Explore PlumbingBathroom projects
Swapping the bath for a walk-in shower: whether the floor can be level, why a flat's slab needs the owners' vote, and the waterproofing layer under the tiles.
Explore Walk-in showersWhere the waste pipe can run, why a macerator toilet needs the health authority's opinion in the Alpes-Maritimes, and when a new bedroom outgrows the septic tank.
Explore En-suites & shower roomsMarble that etches under limescale cleaners, a stone bath on an old floor, what a private steam room needs behind the tiles, and who carries the ten-year insurance.
Explore Luxury bathroomsShared rules
Which French rules apply to kitchen, bathroom and plumbing work alike?
All three start with a devis. In France a signed devis is the contract: the price and the scope are fixed, and a change needs a written amendment. For a repair, the plumber must give you one before starting, whatever the amount.
The TVA is the same too. On a home finished more than two years ago, labour and built-in units are taxed at 10%, and appliances and freestanding furniture at 20%. A good devis shows each rate on its own line.
The guarantees are where owners get caught out. A bathroom's waterproofing layer is part of the building, so a leak through it can fall under the garantie décennale (ten-year building insurance). The insurer decides case by case after an expert visit. A new tap, a water heater or an oven added to an existing home is not covered by the décennale at all. For those, the manufacturer's warranty and the contract are what protect you.
In an apartment, moving a sink, a shower or a WC can mean reconnecting to the building's shared soil stack. That needs a vote of the copropriété before work starts, and the general meeting usually sits once a year.
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French kitchen and bathroom terms you'll meet
Key French terms for this service
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More on renovation contracts, TVA and hard water
Questions
Frequently asked questions about kitchens and bathrooms
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Often, yes. Both jobs need the same trades: a plumber, an electrician and a tiler. A general builder or a firm that fits kitchens and bathrooms can quote both on one devis. Ask for the devis to name who does each trade and to list each one's décennale insurer.
On a home finished more than two years ago, the fitting work and built-in units are taxed at 10%. Appliances and freestanding furniture stay at 20%, so a kitchen devis should show two TVA lines. You sign a statement on the devis that the home is over two years old. Our TVA guide covers the exceptions.
MaPrimeAdapt' helps older and disabled owners adapt a home, and replacing a bath with a shower is on its list. It only applies to a principal residence, so most second homes can't use it. Our accessible bathroom guide explains who qualifies.
Because the price depends on what each firm expects to find once the old room comes out. Give both firms the same brief and ask for the work split by trade, so you can compare line by line. Ask each one what happens if the floor, wall or pipes turn out worse than expected, and get that answer on the devis.
No. Since a 2024 ruling of France's highest court, equipment added to an existing home falls outside both the ten-year and the two-year builder guarantees. What protects you is the manufacturer's warranty and the plumber's contract. A bathroom's waterproofing layer is different: it's part of the building, and the décennale covers it.
Sources
Official sources for TVA, the devis and builder guarantees
- Entreprendre.Service-Public.fr: reduced TVA rates on work in homes (F23568) The 10% rate on work in a home over two years old, and the 20% rate on appliances.
- Service-Public.fr: when a devis is compulsory (F31144) A signed devis binds the contractor, and repair work needs one whatever the amount.
- Service-Public.fr: garantie décennale (F2034) The one, two and ten-year builder guarantees, all counted from the handover.
- Légifrance: Cour de cassation, 3rd civil chamber, 21 March 2024, no. 22-18.694 Why equipment added to an existing home gets neither the two-year nor the ten-year guarantee.
- Service-Public.fr: MaPrimeAdapt' (F37501) The grant for adapting a home to age or disability, for principal residences only.
- Service-Public.fr: work in a copropriété (F31513) When work in your apartment needs a vote at the general meeting.
Rules checked against these sources in September 2026.