[Key holder]

I'm sure this is in the wrong forum so please feel free to move! 

We have previously had someone to clean for us and also act as key holder.  Now we are retired we don't really need the house cleaning before we arrive / laundry etc. and we don't rent out our holiday home so no need for 'changeovers'.   Our cleaner used to also act as key holder in case anyone needed to have access to the property.  With the end of the cleaning arrangements they will no longer be acting as key holder. Do others with second homes have a key holder or do you just lock and leave?

[Thatcher has died]

Val_2

I assume you were a private company that would benefit from Maggie's wonderful ideas to the demise of the working class. Perhaps that is why you are now resident in France. Sorry if personal circumstances defy the norm.

On a slightly larger scale, regarding PFI in the NHS and local councils, who has benefited other than the private companies?

On the contrary, in France the worker is still screwing the employer. Perhaps there is a compromise??

NB unfortunately it should be the lib dems, but their leader has made a farce of that???

.

[Thatcher has died]

Can we therefore conclude that she (and son) was slightly more right wing than Mr B"liar".

Totally disagree with the politics, but she must have been quite a woman, contrary to Glenda's views.

Stupid though to give a military funeral, including the queens right wing approval, to the woman.

[cheque d'emploi]

Many thanks.  The work was sporadic.  Typically she would clean the house for maybe 5 renters a year maximum plus the occasional bit of gardening.  Checking the declaration for 2012, we paid her for 30 hours in total spread over eight declarations (we paid a different rate for cutting the lawn / strimming which her husband helped with).  The first declaration for 2012 was for April and the last was for July.  I don't think she worked for more than 4 consecutive weeks as we did some changeovers ourselves. 

TBH it might be easier just to pay her off (I estimate a grand total of <€60 including cotisations) and have done with it.   We had numerous complaints about the cleaning standards so it will not be a huge loss (her approach to toilet cleaning was to squirt toilet duck under the rim!) 

When we first started off we thought that we would try and give as much work to local artisans as possible, but I must say our experience of employing anyone in France means we are not anxious to repeat it :) I envy those who have good neighbours who will keep an eye on the house without the expectation of financial reward except for a generous gift system.

[cheque d'emploi]

Clair,

Thanks for your comments. Did you have a written contract as our employment just "developed". She would even do work that we had not asked for.

If we employed a casual gardener for a couple of hours in a particular year, for example, would we then be required to pay another 10% in the following year if we did not require the service again?

Richard

[cheque d'emploi]

We have been paying a local person for changovers etc when renting out our house in France. This year we have decided not to rent the property out (it just isn't worth it) and from being a friend she has become rather difficult. Even though we have no contract she has said that she is due 20% of the maximum years earnings from the last 5 years. We are under the impression that cheque d'emploi is for casual work done and a means of ensuring that what is due to the state is duly paid. As such we don't have to pay any severance pay.

Can anybody advise?

[Cyprus alright now, British banking experts offer 'technical assistance']

Thanks for agreeing with me. One day ....

[Cyprus alright now, British banking experts offer 'technical assistance']

I assume the quote was much more than six weeks ago!

Yet another crisis averted then.

One day ........

[With apologies to Catholics.....]

Agreed, but I would extend  to all religions that start to impinge on the politics of any country. It could lead to the suppression of other groups in the country - even if they are the majority.

[Cyprus alright now, British banking experts offer 'technical assistance']

Same with Ireland. Now they are paying for their doing what they were legally entitled to do.

So with Cyprus.

More worryingly - so with France??

[Cyprus alright now, British banking experts offer 'technical assistance']

No, Wooly, exactly the opposite. You vil do exactly what common sense says!! Why should Germany or any other strong economy pay for idiocy in other countries in this wonderful , united, group.

[Cyprus alright now, British banking experts offer 'technical assistance']

Sorry Q, but a collapse in the euro ( in its present form) is an inevitability. How can you equate the German economy (or other? strong economies) to that of some of the other members who provide such ridiculously excessive public services?

[Summer Time Reminder]

Again many thanks for the reminder. We are travelling "Ryanair" on that day from East Midlands and 1 hour may definitely be the difference between success as failure.

[How many rooms in the house?]

Thank you for such an informative thread. I can now understand the descriptions in the adverts I see.

Too bad that the prices of equivalent properties to our chez nous have got rather less than what we have invested - initial price plus necessary improvements over a period of 5 years.

Still thinking that our main home should remain in UK but  are still wondering.

Richard

[Tree surgeon / expert in Dordogne]

We too are somewhat north of Sarlat (about an hour) and used Roots and Shoots last autumn. They were very professional. As we were not there at the time they sent photographs of the work they did.[:)]