Right of Way Disputes on French Property: How an Independent Expert Builds Your Case

Private lanes and ancient rights of way shape property access across the Riviera’s hilltop villages — Vallauris, Grasse, Mougins, Saint-Paul. When neighbours disagree about the width of a passage, the walls built along it, or the works authorised next to it, the dispute ends up technical before it ends up legal. An independent building expert is the professional who establishes the facts.

A real case, anonymised

A hillside house above Vallauris, a private lane called « la Rampe », and an appeal pending before the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal: how wide is the right of way? The deeds — going back to a century-old judgment — fix a passage of about two metres. The neighbour claims 3.50 metres, citing local practice and planning documents. The expert mission reviewed the full documentary chain: notarial deeds, mid-twentieth-century survey records, the 79-page court-appointed expert report, and the neighbour’s building permit consulted in full at the town hall. Findings worth noting: neither the local plan (PLU) nor the flood-risk plan sets any minimum width for an existing access — and the fire service’s opinion on the permit carries no general rule. The « 3.50 metres is the law » argument collapsed on paper.

What the titles say is what applies

French law sets no numeric width for rights of way. When a deed or an old judgment fixes a width, that width governs. Planning rules apply to new roads, not historic lanes. This surprises many foreign owners — and it is exactly what an expert report demonstrates with documents, not opinions.

How we work with English-speaking clients

• Fact-finding: full review of deeds, surveys and permits, site measurements, wall-by-wall history of the lane;
• Written expert report (in French, for court use) walked through with you in English, document by document;
• Teamwork with your lawyer: our findings feed directly into the pleadings, before the Tribunal judiciaire de Grasse or the Court of Appeal.

Access disputes reward speed: every fence, wall or gate left unchallenged strengthens the other side. Call 04 22 46 06 04 — English spoken — for a free quote. 22 rue Vauban, 06600 Antibes.

📅 Mis à jour le 24/09/2026 — Cassini Expertise, expert bâtiment indépendant (06·83·13·40).