In France inheritance is along the direct bloodline which means that if Colman and I own a property in France and one of us dies that persons share (assuming owned jointly) is inherited by that persons living blood relatives.  If we had children, the children would inherit. This means the surviving spouse now only owns 50% of the property.  The kids own the other 50%.

If we bought our property through an SCI then we would own share sin teh company.  The company would own the property.  The shares can be left to anyone either of us wants to leave them to.  So I could say that I wanted my shares to go to Colman or the-man-in-the-moon. The shares will nto go automatically to the bloodline relative.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde