Steve_Meribel

Any hints and tips for getting cheap house insurance? I only have a tiny single room apartment in a ski resort so don't really want to be spending a fortune (it doens't exactly have a lot of stuff in there), but want something that provides a decent level of service and protection. What have you all learnt about getting property insurance?

Ok then, i've taken people's advice off here and i'm looking to open my first french bank account, and Britline are the favoured option at the moment, mostly as i don't have much more time to mess about at doing this.  However, i'm unaccustomed to the practice of 'certifying' documents.  I've spoken to my main bank and they say they don't do certifying any more.  (Santander).  So i'm not sure how i go about 'certifying' a copy of my passport or utility bills such that Britline (or any bank) would be happy with it. I'm even happy to post to the original bills if that helps. Has anybody got any pearls of wisdom for this?

Has anybody had any experience of dealing with Boursorama? http://www.boursorama.com/banque-en-ligne/compte-bancaire/souscrire-en-ligne/

Maybe i misunderstood the T&Cs of the bank accounts. investigated HSBC, and i don't earn enough for free international banking, so their charges seem to be about £25 per month! I'm not intending on living there full time, just a holiday apartment there for the time being (we shall see) Happy to be educated on the types of charges i might see and given any other options. the fact there are different types for residents and second homes is a fact i was not aware of to be honest.

I know that this is quite likely to be one of those questions that comes around so frequently and i'm sorry this is my first post but i'm hoping you can help. I have found myself in the classic bureaucratic issue of wanting a french apartment, for which i'll require a french mortgage, for which i'll require a french bank account for which i'll require to have a french address in the first place. I'm trying really hard not to find myself with an expensive bank account that costs me a fortune to keep running, and one that will allow me to make euro cash withdrawals for free when i;m in france. Does anybody know how to break this cycle and start to open a bank account without a french address (yet)? I'm looking for a basic french bank account (ie low monthly charges) and free cash withdrawals in Euro in france (and ideally low charges in other Euro countries) using an ATM type card. Visa Blue? Can anybody point me at a bank account that i can open in anticipation of my mortgage/appointment? ideally one i cna open from the UK. i know in my local town there will be a credit agricole and a Banque de Savoie. are there any internet bank accounts i can open with a UK address? I do not want to open a britline account due to the charges and the cost of taking money out in the rest of france (i do not intend to spend much time in Normandy) Any pointers of how to move this forward? very stuck and signing date is getting very close indeed