The hell of unfinished building sites

With property prices soaring, it was tempting for aspiring homeowners to embark on the new-build route, whether for a flat or a single-family home, as is Luxembourgish tradition. But here too there are pitfalls, and the adventure can go wrong. This is the bitter experience of Christophe and Delphine, a French couple who have lived in the Grand Duchy for over ten years. On the eve of their 40th birthday, they decided to build a house in the centre of the country. The dotted line was signed at the notary's in 2019, with delivery scheduled for 2021.

But three years on, the house has still not been delivered, and the developer is "playing dead". "In 2023, we sent a formal notice to the developer, who had given us no sign of life, " explains Christophe. According to the Journal's research, the company still officially exists in the Trade and Companies Register, but its annual accounts have not been up-to-date since 2020. The 2019 accounts show a debt of 3 million euros – double that of the previous year.