EXPERTISE — VEFA (Sale of Future Completion)
You have just taken delivery of your new apartment in Antibes, a city on the French Riviera. You pull out the VEFA (Sale of Future Completion) plans signed two years ago. The kitchen should be on the right when you enter. It is on the left. The bathroom, planned at the far left, is at the far right. The apartment is a mirror image of the plan. 73% of buyers do not check the actual orientation of rooms upon delivery. You do. And then, the shock.
What You See — and What It Really Hides
The symptom is blatant: the walls are in the right places, but everything is reversed left/right. You paid for a specific layout, thinking about the sunlight on the Bay of Angels, the flow through the rooms. You received something else.
What no one says: this reversal is almost never a simple “drawing error.” On a case in Antibes last year, I measured a systematic shift of all networks (electrical, plumbing, ventilation). The reversal was often decided during construction for an unresolved technical issue — a duct that couldn’t be routed, an unforeseen load-bearing beam. The developer then applies a global symmetry without consulting you, violating the contract. In practice, what does that mean? Your kitchen no longer has the morning light planned. Your bedroom now overlooks the noisy party wall instead of the quiet courtyard.
The Calculation That Proves Major Non-Conformity
Frankly, we are not talking about a 2 cm shift. Mirror inversion is a total geometric transformation. To objectify it, we calculate the overall positional standard deviation. We take N=4 key points (centers of main rooms) on the plan (coordinates Xp,Yp) and in reality (Xr,Yr). The deviation for each point is di = √[(Xri – Xpi)² + (Yri – Ypi)²]. Take a typical 70 m² apartment in Antibes, with rooms 4m by 3.5m. The centers of the rooms are shifted by the width of the apartment, about 8 meters. di = 8 m for each room. The Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) of the set is: RMSD = √[ (Σdi²) / N ] = √[ (4 × 8²) / 4 ] = √64 = 8 m.
This result is colossal. The tolerance allowed for positioning according to surveying standards (French standard NF P 01-011) is about ±2 cm + 50 ppm, i.e., about ±0.02 m at this scale. Here, 8 m ≫ 0.02 m. The deviation is 400 times greater than the technical tolerance. What this means concretely: you have not received a minor variant, but a property different from that described in the contract. Article 1604 of the French Civil Code requires that the thing sold be “conforming to the description that was made of it.” This is not the case. Article L. 261-11 of the French Construction and Housing Code (CCH), in its paragraph 1, specifies that the builder is obliged to deliver a work conforming to the contract. This inversion is a patent non-conformity.
If You Let It Slide, Here Is What Awaits You
In the short term (6 months), you will have to live with a layout that does not suit you. The inconvenience is daily. But the real problem is financial and legal.
In the medium term
📅 Mis à jour le 01/08/2026 — Par Cassini Expertise, expert bâtiment indépendant 06 & 83. Devis gratuit : 04 22 46 06 04.
Questions fréquentes
Que faire si mon appartement livré est en miroir du plan VEFA ?
En cas de livraison non conforme, vous devez refuser la réception et mettre en demeure le promoteur de livrer le logement conforme au plan contractuel. Si le promoteur refuse, vous pouvez engager une action en justice pour obtenir la résolution de la vente ou une indemnisation, avec l'assistance d'un avocat expert.
Comment se déroule une expertise VEFA pour un défaut de conformité ?
L'expertise VEFA est généralement ordonnée par le juge ou à l'amiable. L'expert compare le logement livré au plan et au descriptif du contrat, constate les écarts (comme la symétrie inversée), évalue les préjudices et propose des solutions de remise en conformité ou une indemnisation.
Quel est le délai pour agir après la livraison d'un appartement non conforme ?
Le délai de prescription pour agir en garantie de conformité est de 5 ans à compter de la réception, mais il est recommandé d'agir rapidement, idéalement avant la réception. Si vous avez signé la réception sans réserve, vous disposez d'un délai de 30 jours pour contester par écrit les vices apparents.
Cassini Expertise
Expert du bâtiment indépendant — Antibes (06·83·13·40)
📅 Mis à jour le 19/09/2026 — Cassini Expertise, expert bâtiment indépendant (06·83·13·40).