In the case, a buyer of a house with a surface area of 153 m2, purchased for €300,000, lost a long lawsuit against his notaire after discovering, a month after the signing of the sale and purchase contract (compromis de vente), that the property was located in an area zoned for agricultural use.

This zoning classification, he claimed, prevented him from extending his house or constructing new buildings, as he had planned. In practice, an extension to an existing residence in an agricultural area is permitted development.