Investing in Guadeloupe from abroad

It comes from a simple calculation: an average advertised rent of €18.5 per m² for 1 or 2 rooms, divided by the median price of €1,711 per m² of apartments sold. But 19.4% of homes in Les Abymes are vacant and the municipality’s population is falling by 0.8% a year, according to INSEE. A home empty two months a year loses a sixth of its rent: choose a renovated property close to jobs, and include vacancy in your budget.

The 11 municipalities of the Pointe-à-Pitre - Les Abymes urban area: Les Abymes, Pointe-à-Pitre, Baie-Mahault, Le Gosier, Lamentin, Morne-à-l’Eau, Le Moule, Petit-Bourg, Petit-Canal, Saint-François and Sainte-Anne, according to the list published on Légifrance, which remains the same on 1 January 2027. The tenant’s notice period for an unfurnished home is one month there and rent increases between two tenants are capped. Basse-Terre is not one of them: check the exact municipality of your property.

In general, no. The tax reduction for rental investment in the overseas departments is reserved for taxpayers domiciled in France for tax purposes, according to the BOFiP, unless you earn most of your income in France. The Pinel scheme only applies to investments made up to 31 December 2024. Your project must therefore be financed by the rent, not by a tax reduction.

Guadeloupe is classified in seismic zone 5, the highest, and its municipalities are exposed to hurricanes, flooding and marine submersion, according to Géorisques. Each municipality has a natural risk prevention plan, being revised for seven of them, including Les Abymes, Pointe-à-Pitre and Le Gosier. Read the risk report provided with the preliminary sale agreement, and check the building’s earthquake- and hurricane-resistant construction as well as the property’s insurance.

The calendar is shifted compared with mainland France, according to Service Public: a home rated G can no longer be let from 1 January 2028, and a home rated F from 1 January 2031. Have the energy performance certificate carried out before buying an older property, and include the works in your budget.

According to sales recorded in DVF in Les Abymes from January 2025 to December 2025, a studio sold for a median price of €89,000, a two-room apartment for a median price of €120,500 and a large home for a median price of €110,000. Allow about 8% notary fees on top for older properties, and a works budget if the energy performance certificate is poor.

In 2026, the municipal property tax rate is 57.97%, plus 0.50% for the intermunicipality. These rates apply to half the cadastral rental value of the home: ask the seller for their latest property tax notice to know the amount.

For a 40 m² furnished two-room apartment bought for €68,440 in Les Abymes and let for €740 a month, about 11.6% of the price remains after tax if you are covered by a scheme in the European Union, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom without depending on a mandatory French scheme, and 10.8% otherwise, under the micro-BIC regime and at the 14.4% minimum rate that applies to overseas rental income. Charges, property tax and purchase costs are not deducted. This calculation also assumes a property let all year round: with 19.4% of homes vacant in Les Abymes according to INSEE, allow for months without a tenant in your budget.

The capital gain is taxed in France at 19%, plus social contributions, and the notary withholds this tax at the time of sale, with an exemption from tax after 22 years and from social contributions after 30 years of ownership.