salamander
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Posts posted by salamander
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Can someone please give a rough idea of the social charges payable by a french resident who is renting out an unfurnished property on a long term basis? I'm sure I read about this on the forum some months (years?)ago but now I need it, can't find any trace with the 'search' box.
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Thanks for the link. Does this mean that all that's required, if you're earning less than 415 euros a month, is to declare this amount on the income tax form?
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What happens when you have a tiny house and tiny courtyard (20 sq m) and no connection available to mains drainage? Is there an ultra expensive method of dealing with sewerage in these cases or no method at all?
Portapottie springs to mind but I doubt this would conform to regs.
Merci d'avance.
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Thanks for your reply. I've had a look at the site but can't see any 'contact us' button or any way of getting in touch. Perhaps I could start off with a query at the DDE.
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I'm very interested in a house for renovation which is within 50 metres of the village church. Because of this distance, the maire has said any Déclaration de Travaux must be approved by L’Architecte des bâtiments de France and that 3 months should be allowed.
The most important change is to put in 2 roof windows. These are at the back of the house and don't look out on to any other buildings. The house itself cannot be seen from the church. I don't want to make an offer on the house unless I can be sure extra light can be allowed in as it's a real black hole. Does anyone have experience of such architect permissions and how strict they are? Just a little way away is a terraced house whose entire front is aluminium but maybe this is outside the distance limit!
Before I put in for a Déclaration de Travaux for our present home, I was able to talk to someone at the DDE who gave me guidelines. Do you know if there's an equivalent for the Architecte des Bâtiments?
Thanks in advance.
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Hi Luke
It's about gardening in general in France. If you have a specific interest, you can share it with others.
Salamander
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I have just posted a message in the Poitou-Charentes section further down about a new gardening club in Deux-Sèvres. Please have a look.
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A new Deux-Sèvres branch of the Jardiniers du Sud-Ouest gardening club has recently opened and meetings take place on the 4th Thursday of each month at the Salle de Prieuré overlooking the plan d'eau at Verruyes at 2.30 pm.
The club was started last year in Chives in the Charente and was such a success there that a second branch has now opened.
If you would like to find out more, in English, about making the most of your french garden, why not give it a try?
More information available on:
http://www.geocities.com/lesjardiniers -
Thanks a lot for your replies. It seems the name is the worst aspect of this infestation.
It's quite possible the beetle has been around a long time as the vendor was born in the house and she's just recently moved to a retirement home. In other words it's a long time since the wood's been inspected - if ever!
I'll check out the posts about woodworm. Thanks.
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I've searched for this topic but can't find any relevant posts - we surely can't be the first to have this little horror on our termite report?
Is it just the nastiest type of woodworm or does it bear any relation to the seriousness of a termite infestation? If a house has woodworm, it wouldn't put me off at all. If it has termites, it would be a definite no-no. Is deathwatch beetle really at the milder end of the timber infestation?
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We are looking at making an offer on a house which allegedly has a fosse toutes eaux yet the waste from the kitchen sink goes straight into the ditch. My understanding was that the fosse toutes eaux was literally for ALL water from the house so it seems odd.
If it really is a fosse toutes eaux, would it be a comparatively easy (cheap) to have extra pipework laid to connect the sink pipes to the fosse?
Merci d'avance.
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We missed taking up this offer in 2005 but I see it's been extended. Has anyone booked the 10-trip ticket in 2006?
When I tried to book this special ticket according to the instructions (by entering one-way trip for 25 December), a confirmation page came up with a single trip on Xmas Day 2006 at 38 £. I'm reluctant to proceed further in case that trip is what I end up with!
Anyone already done this?
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We’ve just come back from spending a week in a gite about 7kms west of Bernay. Pleased to find some replies to my original post. Pete, we had 2 good lunches in the Tourist Bar! Orbec is so animated yet surrounded by beautiful countryside. It seems like the best of both worlds. We only found 2 estate agents, Espace and Mer et Campagne. The guy at Espace said the prices in Orbec were ’fou’ and likely to become more so because of the motorway. Are the other 2 agents already there or in the pipeline? There were also 2 notaires but we didn’t get as far as seeing them.
I would like to know what it’s like trying to keep a colombage house warm in the winter. The walls seem so thin compared to the thick stone we’ve got used to down here. Does it cost a bomb to keep warm?
I was quite sad to leave the area but our next visit will be an easier and shorter drive thanks to the motorway extension.
Thanks for replies and offer of help. Will send a PM if I think of anything.
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Hello to all those living in Normandy
We're planning to move further north away from the searing summer heat of Poitou Charentes (and a bit closer to family and friends in England) and are thinking back to a gite holiday spent near Orbec.
If anyone living near the triangle Orbay, Bernay, Broglie has any advice or info about the area, please share it with us. We're looking for a village/small town with its own pharmacie and basic shops. A bit worried that Normandy is 'overrun' with English - don't want to go where we're not wanted! is this just a media exaggeration?
Any input will be appreciated.
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Sorry don't know your area but we spent many months when we first moved to France desperate for French lessons and couldn’t find any. Now we know of several dotted about our department but it takes time. Why not be very brave and put a card in the local village shop/nearest supermarket saying ‘couple anglais cherche lecons en francais’? You could also take this card to your Mairie and just show it to them - you might find they can help. If not, at least you’ve shown yourselves willing.
I think there are branches of AVF in Alencon and Le Mans. AVF is a voluntary organisation whose aim is to welcome newcomers of all nationalities to French towns. Some of them do run language lessons but if not, someone will help you seek them out. In any case, it’s a great organisation to join as there’ll be a variety of events for you to take part in to get to know people and places. However, be persistent when you try to make contact as it’s run on a shoestring and it can take a while to get the ball rolling!www.avf.asso.fr/
Don’t know about expat clubs in the area. Maybe put another card in the shop, in English this time!
Best of luck.
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Please does anyone have contact details for a translator of medical reports. I've managed up to now with reasonable french and a medical dictionary but now we have a report from a cardiologist and I'm clueless.
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Thanks very much for your responses. My husband was a smoker but by no means sedentary and it seems the problem is peripheral vasular disease as suggested. He's now had the Doppler test (an ultrasound scan, also called doppler test in English) but to establish the extent of the damage, an MRI scan is required which will take place in 10 days. Only then will we know prognosis and treatment. In the meantime, we keep up the walking regime. The english speaking doctor who explained the result of the Doppler will be responsible for the next scan too. I'm hugely relieved to know that. We both appreciate the speed at which things are happening.
Yes, a blood test was ordered at the same time and blood pressure had already been taken by the GP. Both were OK.
I'm managing to find lots of info on the internet now that I know what to look for.
All this is because of smoking. My husband has no other risk factors apart from his age. If anyone reads this who is a smoker, please stop. You might think you just can't do it but you can.
Thanks again.
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Does anyone have info on this - I know it's not the common cold, it's to do with the arteries in the lower body.
Added to this is 'echographie aortique' (think that's what it says but it's in handwriting rather than typescript).
The GP told us the condition is 100% covered by french health system. I told him we had a complementaire with Groupama but this seemed irrelevant. I think the point he was making was it's 100% covered so 100% serious.
I've found this on the list of conditions with 100% cover:
Artériopathies chroniques avec manifestations ischémiques.
Is this the appropriate one?
We've been told to get the 'doppler' + blood tests done asap. + my husband must walk 5 kms each day.This is where 'je me debrouille bien' is as much good as a chocolate teapot and I'm scared. How worried should I be?
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Thanks for your replies. I should have said I'm in France but this has never happened before (nearly 2 yrs)
"the connection dies
Please be much more specific."
By this I mean that the page I'm trying to reach comes up with the 'page not available' screen, a red cross comes up against the modem icon and my ISP icon vanishes i.e. Im cut off.
Strangely, after I posted the original message, I stayed on this site for about 25 mins and didn't get cut off. So perhaps it is to do with traffic at certain times of the day. Like Clair, my connection speed is always very slow too so maybe contacting France Telecom about the line is the next step.
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1 or 2 minutes after connecting to the internet, sometimes even before displaying my home page, the connection dies. I've tried with 2 ISPs and it happens with both.
Please can someone suggest how to fix this problem or where to go to find a solution.
Needless to say, it's driving me MAD!
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We've bought 2 houses in France now. First time round, the notaire's policy was 'we'll hang on to the paperwork until you ask for it'. Didn't find this out until talking to a different notaire for the purchase of the second house! He told us we needed to ask. Having done this, the paperwork arrived within a week. But it's not 'deeds' as we know them in England - ie no telling who has boundary responsibilities etc and not a lot of history (which we were hoping for).
If your spoken French is good, just ring the notaire's office involved in your sale, tell them you bought a house in xxxxx place, xxxx many months ago (6 months' delay is normal) and haven't received the papers. This should do the trick.
If you really must write a letter, do it along the same lines. As long as it gets the messages across, does it matter about spelling, grammar mistakes? If it matters to you, put it through the reverso website www.reverso.net. Maybe not a perfect translation, but the best on the net.
Good luck! We didn't feel the house was completely ours until we had the paperwork so understand how you feel. -
Thanks very much for your replies. 'Je regarde' is nice and easy to remember.
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Can anyone offer a translation of 'I'm just looking,thanks.'?
Each time I'm asked if I need any help, when in a clothes shop etc, I'm stumped for a speedy reply. What do you say?
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This is really good fun - and educational for those contemplating a similar venture. Wish you lots of luck with this big adventure. Enjoy!
PS I didn't see any red, just a nice rosy pink, not hard on my eyes at all.
Social charges payable by landlord
in Long Term Letting
Posted