AnnH

French laws are very specific on estate agencies, to be an estate agent you have to have a contract with a French estate agency and in addition to your siret number you will also have a Carte Professional number issued by your employer.  If any one sells property in France without a Carte Professional number then they are selling illegally.  Englsih registered companies selling from England should not actually meet you in France unless they also have a French registration.  From this year the laws are tightening even further so beware.

Many thanks to yo uall.  I thought this was the case. Will get back onto Newcastle.

I think so .  Many thanks

Does anyone know the contact details for Sam Crabb, he is an accountant fluent both in English & French Tax laws.  He lives in South West  England. I used to have his number but have lost it. 

I have been told by the UK pensions that they don't actually issue a paper E121 to give to the French authorities in order to obtaine a carte vital, is this correct, what do you need in order to get your carte vital if you are retired?

Even if you are registered for several trades (and proved this to the chambres de metiers) it is still near impossible to get insurance for all the trades you cover as one person.  I asked the question if the prefecture & chambres de metiers can authorise the trades why can't the insurance company insure them, the answer was 'this is France'.

We were quoted €2000 for carpentry, menusery & maconry, however in reality it was €3000 because my husband had learnt his trades outside of France. It reduces by % over 3 years until same as French.  You also need public liability approx €300.  We had to join CAPEB to get these reduced rates.  ALso we never had to do a 5 day chambres de metiers course to get registered, just had to prove qualifications.  Hope this helps

Having read on or two of these threads I think Will is missing the point that most people thinking of moving to France consider Taxes to included income tax & cotistations - I know he is right that there is a difference but in the main most people want to know the overall cost of running a business and it is just more confusing to start talking about the 2 as separate issues.   Having been here for a year and used this forum before and after the move I think you just need to keep it short and simple, especially on this issue.

The limit for micro entreprise is €27,000 (turnover) so depending what your business is it is good to get the customer to buy materials etc and just charge for labour.  If you need insurance for Artisans then if you join CAPEB (€150 per annum) Groupama will give you big discounts,  our insurance came down from over €4000 to €2500. Hope this helps.

Hi, I know this is little off subject, but I have heard of schools offering the international bac, as I understand it the nearest one to me is in Brittany, I live in Mayenne Dept 53, does anyone know of a school offering this nearer to me.   Many thanks.  

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I must admit that sub contracting seems the way forward, however we would like someone on a permanent basis. SO a couple of other questions if I may.   1) Could John (of the last reply) please put his answer in terms of figures ie if employee earns, you will pay etc etc.  I am normally quite numerate but this is all sending me mad.   2) If we used someone who was not skilled as an artisan but was a labourer would they still need to be a micro-entreprise or can they just make a tax declaration at the end of the year, which is what my accountant says I can do if I earn any money outside of the business as long as I am offering a service and not selling.  My husband is registered for a range of trades and can do the work himself but needs someone to clear up, knock out, mix etc  

We have an entreprise and are at the stage we need to take on employees.  Is it better to use other registered people (ie on a self employed basis) or are there any incentives to take staff onto the books? Is this better tax wise than being a 'one man band' etc.  We shall be talking to our accountant but all help appreciated.

Usually you need to make an appointment.  If the system in dept 53 is mirrored in your area all you need is a copy of passports, proof of residence in England (ie recent utility bill).  You don't need to have already bought a house.  A small deposit is all that is needed ie.e €50.   French bank accounts come with charges for cards etc, you should get a cheque book and a bank card - the same card can be used by all account holders but you can request one each.  If you use credit agricol their basic card allows you to use €1500 per week on a rolling weekly basis.  Usually this is enough and any cheques that are written do not account towards this total, however if you are renovating etc you may wish to opt for a card with a higher limit.   Hope this is useful.

Our garden slopes away from the house too, but we have had to have a raised filter bed because of the location of water course, wells and soil make up.  The pump is located just before the filter bed and is purely to pump the water to the top of the bed to allow it to drain down.  1400 euros for a pump is expensive we paid 475 euros.  All the information you need to install your fosse and filter bed should be contained in your survey report for which you have to pay.  We sent this report to our water authority who agreed it and then they just made one inspection, after the installation but before we back filled, and signed it off.  We have just had a materials cost for a customer and that was 2500 euros 3000 ltr, without a pump and the pipe from the fosse to the filter bed, on top of this you need to add the cost of a digger.   Hope this is helpful.

Registered electrician required for total re-wire & under floor heating, dept 61.  Must be available in approx 6 weeks for 1st fix.