“I want to buy new-build in Martinique and do Pinel overseas.” I still hear this sentence every week, and I have to share news that changes everything: that scheme no longer exists. New-build property tax relief in Martinique has changed profoundly, and thinking in 2026 the way you did in 2022 sets you up for nasty surprises. As an island resident and manager of holiday rentals in Trois-Ilets, Sainte-Anne, Le Diamant and Tartane, I’ll give you a clear overview of the levers still open in the new-build market. This educational guide is no substitute for the advice of a chartered accountant or a wealth-management adviser, the only people qualified to validate your arrangement.
The end of Pinel overseas: what has changed
The central fact first. The Pinel scheme, including its enhanced version for the overseas departments (DOM), came to a definitive end on 31 December 2024. No purchase made from 2025 onwards can qualify. Those who signed before that date keep their reduction until the end of their commitment (six, nine or twelve years), but the window is closed for any new project.
This is a major break for Martinique. Thanks to the end of Pinel overseas, the scheme had offered reduction rates higher than mainland France: it was the automatic reflex for new-build in the DOM. Yet many online simulators still point to this defunct framework. Be wary of any offer promising “Pinel in Martinique”: either it is selling off stock signed before 2025, or it is out of date.
Does this mean giving up on new-build? No. New-build property tax relief in Martinique is now built around other tools, sometimes more powerful for a holiday rental. Before committing, gauge the town and its demand: our complete guide to Martinique details, area by area, the beaches, distilleries and must-sees that drive rental tension.
The new-build tax relief schemes still active in Martinique
Several levers remain, suited to different profiles: some target the tax you owe this year, others your rental operation over time.
LMNP under the actual-expenses regime: depreciating a new-build, the most durable lever
For a holiday rental, this is often the most effective tool, and it targets new-build precisely. Under the Non-Professional Furnished Landlord (LMNP) actual-expenses regime, you deduct your costs (interest, insurance, property tax, concierge management) and you depreciate the property and the furniture. On new-build, the depreciation base is high and the property needs no renovation: the benefit kicks in at full strength from year one.
In concrete terms, for a new-build flat bought at 230,000 euros generating 19,000 euros in rent, depreciation combined with costs can bring taxable profit down to zero for ten to fifteen years. You pocket real rental income tax-free, at the cost of a chartered accountant (200 to 600 euros a year, deductible): not a headline tax reduction, but a neutralisation of rental income that is often more advantageous than an old Pinel.
Girardin housing: the direct heir of new-build tax relief in the DOM
The Girardin housing scheme remains the specifically overseas mechanism for new-build. Beware: it has been refocused on social and intermediate housing let unfurnished, under strict conditions (rent and income caps, a five-to-six-year commitment). A seasonal tourist rental is therefore not eligible: to target the dry season (Careme) or carnival, this is not the right tool.
On the other hand, if your aim is to build wealth rather than to run a beach rental, it allows a genuine tax reduction on a new-build property. It is a fundamental trade-off: high tourist yield with no tax break, or capped yield with a tax reduction. The two logics cannot be combined on the same property.
Industrial Girardin: cutting your tax with no link to your property
Often confused with property, industrial Girardin finances new productive equipment operated overseas. Through an approved firm, you contribute funds and obtain, the following year, a “one-shot” reduction slightly higher than your stake. Three points to remember:
- you do not recover your contribution: the reduction is meant to exceed it a little, which is the whole point;
- the operation is decoupled from your rental: it cuts your overall tax with no connection to your property;
- it carries a clawback risk if the operator defaults: insist on firms that are approved and insured.
So this is not property tax relief, but a complement for a heavily taxed investor who is also buying under LMNP. Along the same lines of unfurnished letting, Loc’Avantages offers in Martinique a tax reduction in exchange for a capped rent and tenants within income limits: reserved for those targeting a year-round tenant.
