[House and contents insurance]

I use Axa France and because my house is a maison secondaire there is a restriction on the maximum I can insure the contents for and valuable items such as jewelry are not covered if we are not in residence at the time of claim. As a result my contents are probably slightly under insured but according to the French insurance broker I deal through, there is no company that will offer full cover for a second home.

[Helping children (and Americans!) learn French!]

caroline, another factor to take into account is that from the 1st July this year the UK will cease giving S1's to early retirees, which would mean you have to obtain comprehensive private health insurance in France, because as an inactif you would not be eligible to join the French health care system until you had been French resident for up to five years. Not a problem if you are fit and healthy other than the cost, but potentially an issue if you have a pre-existing health condition that could mean private health insurance would be expensive and difficult to obtain.

[Helping children (and Americans!) learn French!]

Caroline, if he has not already, your husband should think about applying for British citizenship and getting a British passport. This does not necessitate giving up his US citizenship as both countries allow dual nationality. Otherwise, your husband is restricted to a maximum of two 90 day a year tourist visits to France unless your husband applies for a French long stay visa, which can be tricky to get these days unless you are a self sufficient retiree.

Buying a holiday home first is very sensible and gives you time to decide if a permanent move to France is going to be right for your family and economically viable, as the main challenge these days for those of working age moving to France is finding employment, with France as I am sure you are aware in fairly dire ecomonic straights at the moment. Also for some people the language barrier can be unsurmountable, especially if fluency in written and spoken French is needed for employment, so best to find this out before any move.

Most Brits and members of this and other similar forums with property in France tend to be retirees, or second home owners as whilst France is a good place to go on holiday or retire to, it is a very different story if you need to make a living as a foreigner.

[How do you change email address/username?]

Thanks Nosmoss and Andy.

[How do you change email address/username?]

I am having to change my email address as my existing provider is terminating its email service. However, I cannot work out how to get into settings, as when I put the cursor over settings it will not let me click on it. Please could someone advise how to change my email address/username please?

Thanks

Sprogster

[Moving to France with a Disability - Health cover?]

I concur with previous posters in that in my area of France it is not at all disabled access friendly by comparison to the UK and USA. I am not sure why this is, but suspect it maybe down to France not having introduced the same level of legislation requiring disabled access for all.

As for the cost of living in France it definitely is not cheaper than the UK , especially as the £ is still well below its strength against the euro when it was introduced.

Another consideration is that if something happened to you, would your wife be able to cope in France on her own?

[New changes in Health Care cover]

tinabee, you have highlighted a very good point and I recall in the past posts from early retired expats complaining they had to join the French health system when it was compulsory, because private health insurance was a better and cheaper option for them. Many private health insurance policies automatically provide Europe wide cover for no more cost, enabling someone for example to use privately a top hospital in London if they wished. That is probably part of the dilemma the French have with early retiree expats in that those on lower incomes and or poor health are probably more drawn to CMU than those with higher incomes and good health where private health insurance could be a cheaper and better option until their S1 kicks in. 

[New changes in Health Care cover]

Pickles, my understanding is that legislation is not

required, as just an executive order is needed, in view of the fact that the UK

is unique in issuing S1's to early retirees, so not part of any EU undertaking.

Therefore, caution is needed as this could easily be implemented anytime

without further notice.

[Bank checking client ID.. is it just us Brits?]

You should never send a bank your passport, as they require a certified true copy, which they will either do themselves if you take it into a branch, or you can get a lawyer or accountant to take and certify a copy for you that you mail to the bank. When certifying a copy passport legally you are required to do it in the presence of the passport holder so you can verify that the passport photo is of a true likeness. Therefore, if you sent the bank your original passport they cannot take a certified copy without you being there.

The other anti money laundering requirement is address verification which is usually achieved by sending the bank a utility bill less than three months old, or a certified copy of one.

These requirements have to be undertaken when opening an account and do not usually need to be repeated unless you change address or name through marriage for example. Sometimes a bank may ask for updated verification if there is a trigger event such as opening an additional account or applying for a mortgage.

The anti money laundering requirements imposed under the EU money laundering directive are becoming increasingly burdensome and intrusive.

[ICE CREAM VAN BUSINESS]

sexyboy, if you click on a

posters name you can find out when they last signed on the Forum, which in

Arkle's case was nearly six years ago! I must admit to getting confused when

these really old threads get resurrected as I don’t tend to check the posting dates

at first!

[Cialis]

As far as I am aware, cialis and viagra can be prescribed for other medical reasons unrelated to ED, such as assisting circulation and urinary flow with prostate cancer patients. In fact viagra's ability to help with ED was an unexpected side effect and not what the drug was originally developed for.

I may be wrong, but I think some may have jumped to the wrong conclusion as to why Evianers has been prescribed this medication!

[From Hollywood to Provence]

I think you will find that most members of this and other similar French

forums are either retirees or second home owners, so there is probably limited

experience of your situation.

My understanding is that the long stay visa available for non EU citizens

wanting to live in France is mainly aimed at well off retirees and prohibits

work. Although you have special skills and might have no problem in obtaining

work in the EU, this does not necessarily translate into finding it easy

obtaining a French work visa, especially with the current dire French economic

and unemployment situation. Furthermore, I believe you have to demonstrate

there are no EU citizens equally qualified who can undertake your job.

Most non EU nationals that come to the EU to work are usually sponsored by

an existing employer who are transferring them to their European operations for

a limited period of time, or who have married an EU citizen. Although there is

a Schengen visa for visiting non EU citizen tourists to the EU member countries

party to the Schengen agreement, there is no EU wide permanent resident or

employment visa, as each individual EU country controls its own non EU

immigration policy. So a work visa for France does not enable you to work in

the UK for example. There are investor/entrepreneur permanent visas available

for non EU citizens in some EU countries, but I believe the minimum amounts required

for investment are high at a million plus.

My advice therefore is to go to a good French immigration attorney who can

advise you as to your chances of getting a permanent resident working visa for

France. Also just because you have a vacation home in France don’t limit your

search to just that country, as you might well find other EU countries more

welcoming to non EU citizens with your skills.

Last but not least investigate carefully the financially implications of

living in France, because as an American citizen you will still be liable to

pay Federal taxes in the US on any income and gains, subject to a non-resident

allowance. Although there is a double tax treaty with the USA that enables you

mitigate some elements of potential double taxation, this does not extend to

social security costs in France which by American standards are painful!

 

[Record rainfall in the South of France]

Like you gardengirl a large part of the attraction for me for my part of France was the light and sunshine so that in winter even though I knew it could be cold, at least one would get away from the grey up north. Unfortunately recent winters and springs in the Cote D'Azur have been unusually rainy and we do seem to be in something of a trend, so if this continues for the next few years and property prices in France recover, I might have to go back to the drawing board and find another country with sunnier climes for my declining years!

[Record rainfall in the South of France]

Somewhat overshadowed by the terrible floods in the UK is the similar havoc that has occurred in the coastal Var with hundreds of houses badly damaged by flood waters. To put the weather into context Nice has already had more rainfall this year than for the whole of 2013! http://www.rivieratimes.com/index.php/provence-cote-dazur-article/items/its-official-this-weather-is-not-normal.html

 

 

[Home alarm with telesurvalance]

John, the monitored alarm service we have uses GSM and has a battery back up so even if the power and phone lines were cut the system would still work and use the cellular telephone network to call out. This is the standard system that is fitted by the particular company my neigbours and I use, so would be surprised if you were not able to obtain the same. I also added monitored smoke detectors as it added little to the cost. One further thing I am adding is a Y-cam home monitor HD/Wi-Fi Wireless video monitoring camera with free online recording that comes highly recommended and is not expensive. 

[Cost of Health Insurance]

The critical financial

calculations involved with Tinabee’s important point I am sure are overlooked

by many early retiree Brits who move to France and set up an A&E to get

into the French health care system before their 5 years residency. In many

cases if the early retiree is close to State retirement age with a reasonable

UK pension it might well be considerably cheaper to remain inactive and pay for private health insurance

for a few years rather than be saddled with 7.1% CSG/CRDS deductions from your

pension for the rest of your life in France. I wonder how many early retiree

Brits moving to France appreciate that for short term financial gain in

avoiding the need for private health insurance they are incurring much greater

long term financial pain in losing their free S1 health cover they would be entitled

to at State retirement age, if they remained inactif?

[A thankyou to NormanH!]

The older

you are, or if you have a chronic health condition involving the heart, lungs

or circulation, the greater the risk of a general anaesthetic and that is why

increasingly older patients having a hip replacement are given an epidural and

sedation rather that a general anaesthetic. Whilst I have heard that they are

sometimes used for colonoscopies have never heard them used for endoscopies, as

without the patients cooperation there is a greater risk to the procedure.

I have

had five endoscopies in the last three years and each time ask for maximum

sedation, as the options are no sedation, light sedation, or full sedation. I

go privately so cost is not a consideration. Apparently, with endoscopies most

patients go for no sedation, just the anaesthetic spray to the back of the

throat, as that way you can be in and out of hospital within an hour and back

to work, with no restriction on driving or need to be accompanied, but rather

them than me!

 

[A thankyou to NormanH!]

mogs, the Doctors call it top and tailing, something I have had to endure on

several occasions and never once have I had a general anaesthetic, just

sedation. Some people think they have had a general anaesthetic, when in fact

they have had heavy sedation and an amnesiac drug, which means you have no

memory of the procedure.

For an endoscopy you have to have the patient sufficiently conscious to be

able to swallow the scope and the procedure normally lasts no more than a few

minutes. The colonoscopy takes somewhat longer and my partner had one last year

without any sedation to my amazement and said it was absolutely fine!

The risks of a general anaesthetic, which can involve long term memory

impairment in older patients, means that sedation is the preferred option

medically, especially if you have other chronic health conditions such as high

blood pressure.

 

 

[Prices in the Languedoc are flat]

Same story on the Cote D'azur where property transactions were down 10% in 2013.

http://www.rivieratimes.com/index.php/real-estate-article/items/riviera-property-sales-slump-10.html

 

[elderly parents]

jjmb, I sympathise with your situation and from the description of your father it seems his dementia is fairly advanced.

Do you have extended family in the UK that could help investigate getting your parents into a care home there, as I agree if your father speaks no French going into care in France could be an isolating experience and more expensive.

Let us know how you get on as this is a very pertninent topic for the thousands of retiree Brits in France.

[Dyslexic Child]

In recent years there have not been that many posts about young families moving to France, probably in part due to the poor economic situation and week £ to the Euro.

However, I do recall some years ago several posts on experiences about educating dyslexic children in France which were not favourable and confirmed your impression that the French educational system was not geared up to cope.

As for private schools, the ones I know of in the South of France are extremely expensive.

One thing I would add is that in the past when there have been discussions about children moving to France from the UK who are not fluent in the language, the consensus seems to be that 13 is probably too late, as they will have started the most critical stage of their secondary education.

I am sure you are aware that the current economic situation in France is bad with the country being seen as the new sick man of Europe having near record levels of unemployment and therefore if you do not have a job to go to, now may not be the best time to move.

Most members on this Forum and Brits in France tend to be early retirees or retirees so fortunately not in a position of having to make a living in France.

[What happened to this forum]

There are other French forums Pommier, but all but one that I am aware of are even quieter. The one that does have some activity was pretty much due to the activities of a single poster who has recently disappeared and any questions as to their whereabouts see the thread locked!

I don't think there is any mystery to the reduced activity, as it appears a lot of the original posters have left France and with the dramatic decrease in foreigners buying French property, we rarely see posts from new members. Also with most members being in the retiree category, unfortunately over the ten years I have been a member, we have lost a few forum friends.  

[What happened to this forum]

From recollection, when the Forum was at its busiest, it was because there were frequent posts from new members who were asking questions about moving and or buying property in France. However, in recent years there has been a substantive decrease in the number of foreign buyers purchasing French property, which according to stats just released was down 30 per cent in 2013. With previous decreases year on year since the peak of 2007, there are far fewer Brits purchasing French property than during the boom years of Place in the Sun.

The other French Forums I joined some years ago have seen a similar decline in posting activity, with posts from new members asking questions about buying or moving to France a rarity these days.

The reasons are not difficult to find, with concerns about the deteriorating state of the French economy which is increasingly seen as the sick man of Europe with the latest manufacturing data showing France falling behind Greece, and increased taxation and imposition of French social charges on foreign property owners renting or selling their French second homes.

For Brits, the continuing strength of the Euro does not help, although there is some hope that this year might see the Euro weaken to around 1.25, although that is still some way short of the heady days of 1.60 to the £!

Also there are reports that where there is an increase of interest in buying second homes abroad, other countries like Spain seem to be more in favour these days perhaps because better value can be found.

Last but not least we have sadly lost some of the forum stalwarts over the years either due to illness or that quite a few have returned to the UK.

Chancer, if it is of any consolation regarding the weather you are experiencing in the UK, here in the South of France it has been diabolical with torrential rain for over 24 hours non stop!

[Proposed healthcare in UK from 2015]

My understanding is that the UK government want to give UK retirees with an S1 living in the EU, the option to return to the UK for health care, as that could be a more cost effective than reimbursing other EU countries for UK retirees health care costs.

At the same time the S1 will no longer be made available to early reirees.

I think April has been given as the possible introduction date?

[Moving to Limousin]

Very sensible to rent, especially in the current weak French housing market, as if you decided the area of France you have chosen is not for you after all, because the winter climate is colder than you expected for example, you don't want to find you are stuck because you cannot sell without taking a big loss.

Important to realise that unlike the UK's forecast booming housing market, French property prices, especially rural, are forecast to contunue to decline and with many currency analysts bullish about the fortunes of the £ going forward, waiting to buy is probably a prudish decision.