Buying New-Build in Les Gets: A 2026 Guide to VEFA Apartments, Prices and What to Look For

Of all the resorts in the French Alps, Les Gets has become one of the most consistent destinations for British and Benelux buyers looking at a new-build ski apartment. The combination of traditional Savoyard village character, a genuinely fast 1h15 transfer from Geneva, and the resort’s ongoing infrastructure investment (including the new Rosta 8-seat detachable chairlift arriving for the 2025–26 season) has kept demand steady even through the broader European property slowdown. This guide is written for buyers who are seriously considering a new-build VEFA purchase here and want to understand the mechanics rather than the marketing.

A few housekeeping notes up front. We have deliberately focused this piece on new-build VEFA (Vente en l’État Futur d’Achèvement, France’s off-plan sale framework) rather than specific developments, because projects come and go and the article should remain useful beyond any particular release. For current live inventory, see our new-build ski apartments page. For a deeper walk-through of the resort itself, our Les Gets guide covers slopes, lifestyle and the broader buying case. For an overview of how the Domosno team supports buyers, start there.

Expect concrete 2026 price ranges, a frank assessment of what you get for your money, the VAT-reclaim maths, realistic rental-yield expectations, and the specific questions you should ask a developer before you sign the reservation contract. If you are comparing Morzine new-build to Les Gets, this piece will help you understand what you are weighing.

New-build apartments in central Les Gets are trading at €7,200–9,500 per square metre in 2026, with the very best-positioned projects near the Chavannes lift base reaching €11,000–12,000/m² for prime units. Entry-level one-bedroom apartments start around €385,000 and two-bedrooms from €540,000, while three-bedroom apartments in well-located projects typically begin at €770,000 and climb quickly into the €1.2M range for larger, view-rich penthouses. Four-bedroom apartments and duplexes are rarer and usually only appear in smaller boutique projects.

Demand is heaviest for units close to the Chavannes gondola base on the main Portes du Soleil circuit side, and for properties within walking distance of the village centre. The Mont Chéry side of the resort is quieter, with slightly softer pricing (€6,800–8,500/m²) but less rental intensity. Outlying hamlets trade at a meaningful discount but should only be considered by buyers who genuinely prioritise privacy over rental performance or lift access.

Inventory levels in 2026 are moderate — four to six active new-build projects typically have units available at any given time, with roughly 70% of a given phase pre-sold before construction completes. Buyers who wait until completion pay a premium (usually 5–10%) and have far less choice of unit position within the building. For this reason, most serious buyers reserve off-plan a full 12–18 months before delivery.

VEFA is a protective legal framework for buyers of new-build French property. When you reserve an apartment off-plan, you sign a contrat de réservation and pay a deposit of typically 5% into a notary escrow account. Between reservation and the acte de vente (the final deed of sale, usually 60–90 days later), the developer provides detailed building plans, a notice descriptive of materials and finishes, and the VEFA guarantees. You can then walk away during a statutory 10-day cooling-off period.

Payments are staged across construction. The typical schedule is 35% at foundations, 70% at completion of structural work (mise hors d’eau), 95% at final finishes, and 100% at key handover. You sign up to these milestones at the acte and funds are released by your notary on developer certification. Most British buyers also arrange their French mortgage during this period, although some choose to pay in cash from UK savings or bridge from an existing property.

VEFA comes with three statutory guarantees that genuinely protect the buyer: a garantie de parfait achèvement (one-year snagging guarantee), a garantie biennale (two years on fittings and equipment) and the ten-year structural garantie décennale. These are not optional — they are baked into French law and apply to every VEFA transaction regardless of developer.

The headline advantage of new-build over resale in France is the 20% VAT reclaim available to buyers who commit to a classified managed rental programme for a minimum of nine years. This is not a hypothetical benefit — on a gross price of €600,000, the VAT component is €100,000 and is refunded by the French tax authority post-completion once the rental management agreement is in place. The buyer does pay the VAT up front (financed via mortgage or cash) and claims it back, so budget accordingly for the cash-flow timing.

Notary fees on new-build run 2–3% of the purchase price, substantially lower than the 7–9% charged on resale — another concrete cost advantage. On a €600,000 apartment, that is roughly €12,000–18,000 in notary costs instead of €42,000–54,000. Combined with the VAT reclaim, a new-build apartment can be €115,000–130,000 cheaper in net acquisition cost than a comparably priced resale, before any lifestyle benefits of modern insulation, DPE rating and RE2020 energy standards.

The rental commitment is real and should be modelled honestly. To retain the VAT reclaim, your apartment must be let through an approved management company (parahotel status), furnished to classified standards, and available for rental most of the year. You can retain 4–6 weeks of personal use per year without losing the reclaim, but using the property for 3+ months will jeopardise it. For buyers who want genuine heavy personal use, the VAT reclaim is probably the wrong route — and a resale apartment may be a better fit.

When you are evaluating a specific VEFA project, look past the glossy brochure and ask for the notice descriptive. This document specifies exactly what is included — brand and model of kitchen appliances, flooring specifications, bathroom fittings, electric radiators vs. underfloor heating, triple vs. double glazing. Cheaper developers specify the minimum RE2020-compliant package; better developers use mid-range branded fittings that meaningfully affect both the perceived quality and the long-term rental appeal.

Check the developer’s track record. Are they French or foreign-owned? How many projects have they delivered in the Haute-Savoie specifically? Ask for references from their last two or three completions and — if possible — visit a completed building from the same developer to judge finish quality yourself. Several well-known French developers operate in Les Gets (MGM Constructeur, Les Chalets de Philippe, Vinci Immobilier); smaller local players vary in quality and reliability.

Finally, look at the building site logistics. How many apartments are in the building? Is there an underground car park? A ski locker and boot-warming room? A shared wellness area (often a small sauna, hammam and relaxation space) meaningfully improves rental appeal for premium projects. Does the complex have proper year-round access for rental guests arriving by car? The answers to these questions matter far more than the paint colour in the showroom.

French mortgage availability for non-resident buyers has improved meaningfully through 2025–2026 as the ECB has continued to cut rates. British and other non-EU buyers can currently access 70–80% LTV on new-build VEFA purchases, with the most competitive profiles reaching up to 85%. EU citizens can in some cases access higher LTV. Typical fixed-rate offers on a 20-year term run 3.2–4.3% in early 2026, down from the 4.0–4.8% range seen through 2024. Our French mortgage page has a current-rate calculator.

French mortgage approval is conservative compared to UK standards. Lenders will assess your taux d’endettement (debt-to-income ratio) against a maximum of 35%, including both your French and your UK mortgage commitments. They will require bank statements, payslips, tax returns, and evidence of deposit. The process takes 6–10 weeks from initial contact to formal offer, and British buyers should work with a specialist broker who deals exclusively with non-resident French mortgages — it makes the difference.

The specific VEFA twist is that the developer releases construction funds on milestones, so your mortgage facility is drawn down in tranches rather than a single disbursement. Interest is only charged on the drawn amount during construction, which significantly reduces carrying costs. Budget 90–120 days from reservation to final mortgage offer, and make sure your broker understands the VEFA draw schedule before starting the application.

A well-positioned new-build two-bedroom apartment in central Les Gets, entered into a classified managed rental programme, will typically deliver 3.0–3.8% net yield in 2026 if you do not use the property personally, or 2.2–2.8% net if you take 1–2 high-season weeks for your own use. These figures are after management fees (typically 20–25% of gross rental income), concierge fees, and routine maintenance, but before mortgage interest. The best central addresses with strong summer bookings can reach 4.0–4.5% net in optimal years.

Summer demand matters more in Les Gets than in purely winter-focused resorts. The village has become a significant UCI World Cup mountain-biking venue, and the four-season appeal meaningfully improves rental utilisation compared to Val Thorens or Tignes. Expect winter occupancy around 80–90% in a well-managed apartment and summer occupancy at 45–60% — which together produce the yield figures above. Shoulder months (April, May, October, November) are weaker and drag the annual average down; honest modelling should assume around 40–45 rented weeks per year.

For buyers planning significant personal use, rental yields should not be the primary decision criterion. A Les Gets apartment used for 6–8 weeks per year of family holidays is a lifestyle asset first and a weak-yield investment second; modelling it any other way risks disappointment. For pure-investor buyers, prioritise two-bedroom apartments in central locations with parking, ski-storage and wellness amenities — these consistently outperform one-beds and larger units on net yield.

Les Gets new-build makes sense for buyers who want year-round rental potential, easy Geneva access, traditional village character and a moderate-to-premium price point without stretching into the Megève or Courchevel stratosphere. It is an excellent fit for British buyers specifically, because the English-speaking community is well established, specialist agencies (including Domosno) have been operating here for decades, and the rental management infrastructure is mature and genuinely professional.

It is probably not the right resort for buyers whose priority is guaranteed high-altitude snow above all else — Val Thorens, Tignes or Val d’Isère are better on that specific metric. It is also not the right fit for ultra-prime luxury addresses with helipad-level services (Megève and Courchevel 1850 remain the benchmarks there), or for buyers who want a purely low-cost entry point into French Alps ownership (the Portes du Soleil has quieter, cheaper alternatives like Châtel or Abondance itself).

For the large majority of buyers — families, year-round users, investors looking for balanced returns, or retirees planning longer Alpine stays — Les Gets remains one of the strongest new-build propositions in the French Alps. Walk through current inventory on our Les Gets property page, read the buying process guide for step-by-step VEFA walkthrough, and reach out to the Domosno team if you want a tailored shortlist. Good luck with the search.