In France, many areas have recently been designated "zones rouges" meaning that if a house burns down it can not be rebuilt and any existing building permits can not be used. As such, banks will not give mortgages for these properties, seriously reducing their value. The Cote d'Azur and Var are particularly affected. This thread on riviera.angloinfo.com (general forum) gives some useful links to maps etc.

http://riviera.angloinfo.com/forum/topic.a...thin%2Cbad+news