sueinbushey

Many thanks for the information regarding the possibility of flooding. We will certainly look into this aspect thoroughly before making any commitment. I assume, as you have said, that unless you are actually on the river bank, you will probably be OK - thanks to the Dutch!

We are travelling to France at the beginning of August to view various properties in Depts 46 and Southern 19. The one that has really caught our eye on paper is an old partly renovated house situated just outside St Cere (Northern Lot just south of the River Dordogne). Don't know this particular area - so can anyone shed any views on this area - anyone know any good or bad points, stories, on-going or proposed developments, crime rates etc, etc. Will obviously visit the Mairie when we are there but would like to hear any comments in the meantime. Thanks Sue

We are getting a little nearer now to the day we finally take the plunge and go to France permanently - we will of course be taking our 110 Defender and would like any recommendations for companies offering insurance cover for such a vehicle at good competitive rates (English speaking would be preferable). It will obviously initially be a UK registered vehicle but we will be going through the process of re-registering it. Advice greatfully received via PM. Many thanks. Sue

We will hopefully be purchasing a old traditional house in rural France later this year - our budget will be around 290 000 euros and it will be our main residence. The question is, and we have heard much different advice, should we instruct an independant lawyer to look after our interests or can we leave the process in the hands of the Notaire. Any views or advise will be grately appreciated. If we go down the lawyer path, should we instruct a local lawyer to where we will be buying or should we go for one of the many advertised law firms in the UK. Any thoughts?

Any advice please. When we move to France later this year, we anticipate that neither myself nor my husband will work for the first six months or so. Is it necessary for us to register for French Health Care or will the E106 form suffice. I realise the E106 form will only cover us for 75% of the costs and we will take out a top up insurance. Is it only necessary to register once one of us starts employment. Thanks

Hi, moving to Correze later this year and have been looking into ways of making the financial side, exchange etc as easy as possible. We have been talking to HSBC offshore who will offer a Sterling and Euro Account whereby we can transfer money between the two accounts without charge. They will also take care of the arrangements to open a french bank account with CCF, which supposedly will allow us then to transfer euros from our Euro offshore account directly into the CCF account or indeed to Notaires etc at a relative inexpensive cost of £15.00 per transaction. Has anyone any experience of these arrangements or could anyone advise of an easier way around the whole problem? Thanks Sue

Advice needed - in really simple step by step instructions. We will be relocating later this year to the Correze and we desperately want to take our Land Rover with us. Do we need an export certificate? If so, how do we get this? Do we need anything to actually import it into France? How difficult is to to register the car there once we have gone through the process of actually getting it there? Please help. Our car is a 7 year old Defender 110. Sue

Our family is hoping to re-locate to Dordogne at the end of this year. My husband has been in the Kitchen industry in the UK for the past 18 years. He has worked as a kitchen installer, fitting a wide range of manufacturers but generally concentrating on the top end of the market e.g. Poggenpohl. He has worked as an Installation Manager for the past 5 years. We were just wondering how difficult/easy would it be for him to get work as an installer for one of the kitchen companies - as is often the case with this trade, he has no qualifications on paper but a wealth of experience and expertise. He would be able to bring letters of recommendation and photos of past work. Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

Am I correct in assuming that if we are able have an E106 form issued by Works & Pensions in Newcastle confirming that my husband has paid NIC for at least the last two years, that our family can register with the French Health system and receive medical treatment for 2 years without paying contributions into it. If my husband then starts working, does this form become obsolete? And then do we have to re-register with the French Health system and start paying contributions? Does anyone know how much this could amount to for a married couple in their 40s with 3 children. I know that only part of the cost of treatment is covered and that we would have to top it up with private medical insurance. Anyone know a good company with reasonable cost policies?

Thanks everyone - I have the agenda for the day and it seems to me that the more information that you can get, the more views you can listen to the better.

We are anticipating leaving the UK with enough money to live for 1 year without finding employment. We are hoping that during this 'time out' year, my husband will be able to secure some either employed or self-employed work. We are also planning to buy a property so that we have no mortgage and the house will be bought outright. Hope that this leaves us with enough of a cushion!

Have you been to one of these seminars and found them helpful or can most of the information be obtained through reading up?

If, as someone stated, it is not necessary to apply for residency or even a Carte de Sejour, is it still possible for my family (husband and 3 children) to run our day to day lives, without problems. For instance, will it still be possible to join the French Health system etc. without a residency permit. We are in the early stages of looking to move permanently to France and are trying to read up and gather as much information as possible. Any clarification on such things as above, plus how difficult it is to register for self-employed work (what qualifications are recognized by the French authorities in the building/interiors/kitchen installation trades)? Any help would be appreciated.

I am new to this, so please excuse the naive questions, if as someone stated one does not need apply for residency or even a Carte de Sejour, is it still possible for my family (husband and three children) to run our day to day lives, or will we encounter certain situations whereby we will need proof of residency. Will it be possible for instance to join the French Health Service etc?