Sprogster
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Posts posted by Sprogster
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Yesterday's sunny weather in the south of France was unfortunately a brief interlude, although the mistral was blowing full force, as today the cloud is back and further rain forecast this afternoon and most of the forthcoming week on and off.Whilst the UK gets the unusually cold Scandanavian weather the Med is getting the wet unsettled weather normally typical of a UK Spring!
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Well down here on the Riviera it rained all day again yesterday and was cold at only 9c max during the day. This afternoon the sun came out and it was much nicer, but tomorrow morning rain is forecast again.Generally this winter has been unusually cold and very wet in PACA and with the jet stream apparently doing weird things by moving down to North Africa at the moment, the unsettled cooler weather is forecast to continue.
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I have a one metre dish and whilst I can pick up all the Channel 5 channels including 5HD, I cannot any longer pick up Channel 4HD which does not seem to make sense if they all moved to the new satellite. Any thoughts?
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Welcome back Katie. As you have probably noticed the forum is a lot quieter these days, no doubt due to the economic situation putting the dampers on people's dreams of a French home.Also some regulars have gone back to the UK and as previously mentioned we have sadly lost some stalwarts such as Coops.
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Well here on the Riviera it has been raining cats and dogs for two days and max temp today was 9c!Tomorrow looks better but more rain from Tuesday every day through Sunday forecast!
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idun, I think one of the main reasons this and other similar French Forums are so slow is that there are far fewer Brits contemplating moving to France in the current economic environment and many Brits in France like you have returned to the UK or moved on elsewhere.
Those who are young enough and want to emigrate are sensibly looking at countries like Australia and Canada, which have been relatively unscathed by the recession.
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Overall emigration from the UK is on the increase but mainly comprises young well educated professionals that are headed to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. The decline in emigration is for older individuals and retirees who cannot afford any longer to retire abroad to sunnier climes, because of the demise of the £, final salary pensions, annuity returns and interest on savings. Also the above countries don't want you if you are over 55 as you are seen as a potential liability for their health care systems and as we know even EU countries like France and Spain are making it more difficult for early retirees to use their health care services.
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The reason for the overall reduction in posts is quite simple, in that over the last couple of years there has been a dramatic decline in the numbers of Brit retirees and early retirees leaving the UK for Spain and France, according to official Home Office figures.This should not be surprising with the decline in the value of the £, low interest rates on savings, weak UK housing market and increasing retirement age. The change in the French health rules against early retirees did not help either.Meanwhile, there is a natural attrition rate of existing members due to people returning to the UK.The other two French forums I participate in show the same story, with posts from new members seeking advice on moving to France, scarce as hens teeth these days!
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You are correct to be concerned and have identified a potential problem in that if you move to France before your house in Ireland is sold, any subsequent gain arising from the sale of your Irish house would be liable to tax and social charges in France, as it would not be classed as your primary residence. As the tax regime in France on second homes is now far less favourable, this could be a valid reason for delaying your move until your Irish home is sold, or keep it as a rented investment property, in case like many expats you do return eventually.
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You call me betty is correct, in that the 'other' French Forum has cracked down on the animal rescue posts as apparently there are French legal issues involved, which maybe the administrators of this forum should check out, as it is unlikely the other forum would have taken such a stance without good reason. (perhaps because some of these posts are from organisations like animal charities, rather than private individuals.)The timing of this does correlate to the upsurge of animal rescue posts on this site and I have a certain sympathy with the OP, as there have been times when I go into the 'active' section of the Forum that these posts do seem to be taking over a bit.
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George, the UK pension as a qualifying route to French health care refers to the State pension which you will get when you are 66. This is because the UK will issue an S1 to UK State pensioners living in the EU, whereby the UK reimburse the French for your health care costs.As a fit relative youngster the French will classify you as an inactif and although you can in theory apply to join the French health care system after five years legal residence in France, many Brits are struggling to do so, as to be blunt bottom line is the French authorities do not want low income foreign early retirees burdening their over financially stretched health services.As mentioned by another poster the only practical way for you to avoid the need for private health insurance is to set up a business and go down the AE route.Presumably this is not a bad idea as you will need to do something to supplement a pension at such a young age if financially you are going to survive the falling £ and inflation for the next thirty to forty years.
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Is this subject French relevant?
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tottongirl, unless you are registered disabled I don't believe you will be entitled to an S1 until you reach State retirement age at 65+. Back in 2006, France moved against inactif Brits moving before retirement age to France by stopping them qualifying for French health care, until they have been legally resident in the country five years. Even after 5 years it can be a struggle.For those five years to be legally resident as an inactif you must have fully comprehensive private medical insurance. The problem that you have with your current medical conditions, is that you will find it difficult or even impossible to find the legally required comprehensive medical insurance.As for the weather, winters in France away from the coast can be colder than many areas of the southern UK.
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I totally agree with the previous posters in that if winter warmth is one of your primary motivators, France is not sufficiently far south.I am on the Cote D'Azur and the last few weeks has seen snow and freezing temperatures right down to the coast!However, the most important factor to investigate is health care, as early retirees moving to France usually have to take out private health care insurance, which may not be possible if you have an existing chronic illness.Last but not least, France is not anything like as disabled accessible or friendly as the UK, to the extent that disabled toilets and ramps outside major cities are rare.
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idun, moving to France as a retiree is very different from moving when you are much younger, because as you get older making new friends and learning another language gets more difficult.Also if you have young children that more often than not opens doors to make friends with the parents of other children.From my experience, as French people get older, the less they socialise outside family.
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Quillan is right about renting and trying before buying, especially now in the depressed French property market.As for the 1 in 3 not liking it when they arrive and deciding to go back, you can add another 1 in 3 who stick it out for a few years and then go back. Most have returned home within eight years, so keeping a property in the UK makes sense if you can afford it.As for the weather, Quillan is right again, if you are looking for mild winters France is too far north. Even the Cote D'Azur has had freezing temperatures and snow down on the coast on several occasions recently this winter
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Chiefluvie, I see from your tag that you have now finally left France and moved to Mauritius - Black River, so why so grumpy and seems a bit odd that you are still posting on the forum as I thought you did not like France?
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John, to an extent you have answered your own question as you have said that you know it has been tough over the last few years. I would not rely on your previous experience living in France, as taxes and cotisations are no doubt higher and the economic conditions a lot tougher than they were. I am no expert but Sid's comments about hobbyists undercutting the professionals has a degree of logic to it, as if I was looking for an upmarket gite I would certainly prefer the former if it was a quality gite rather than being on a complex.If you don't need to borrow money, go for it, but I would not risk getting in debt and putting your home on the line if things did not work out.If you are looking at finance, borrowing money to purchase a gite in the current tight credit market might be your biggest challenge.
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Unlike the NHS in the UK, French health care is not free at the point of delivery and the French government do not cover all the costs, which means that you need to take out top up insurance to cover the gap, which can be between 20% to 30% of the overall costs. Although top up insurance is not compulsory, with escalating medical costs, in my opinion one would be foolhardy not to have this insurance and as a foreigner would probably get little sympathy if you were struggling to pay your medical bills. The same applies if you are covered by an S1 or S2.
The good news is that insurers cannot deny you top up insurance if you have a pre-existing condition, although it is reported that taking out top up insurance for the first time over the age of seventy, is getting more difficult and expensive.
The other point of interest is that there are complaints that top up insurance is getting more expensive, as the French government tries to balance its books by shifting more of the cost of medical treatment onto the insurers!
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Contrary to common perception France now has a smaller manufacturing base than the UK.
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Brilliant post Betty! The only thing I would add is the disappearance of the three main engines of growth that fuelled the home abroad purchases for Brits. Namely, easy credit, the strong £ and rising house values.With the weak £, declining property values and mortgages for second homes difficult to obtain, it is unlikely we will see a return to the boom home abroad years for the foreseeable future.Add to that rising taxation and the implementation of social charges on foreign second home owners in France, things are only likely to get worse.As for Brit retirees to France, with the increasing retirement age and decline in annuity rates and pensions, by the time people in the future can afford to retire they will be too old to consider moving abroad!
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idun, do you think the thousands of people who have second homes in the UK all have them uninsured!As long as the house is checked on and not left more than six months there is no problem with the buildings insurance, it is just the contents that can be a bit tricky especially if you leave valuables.I deal with this issue frequently as it is in my line of business..Google and you shall find, as it just took me a few minutes to find second home insurance without a restriction on the period the property can be left unoccupied.
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It is perfectly possible to get home insurance for a second home in the UK, as there are hundreds of thousands of second home owners in the South West and foreigners with a second, third or fourth home in London.Most standard packaged home insurance policies will have the restrictions mentioned, but if you go to an insurance broker they will be able to obtain a customised quote from underwriters that meet your needs.However, I would recommend that you install a monitored alarm system and pay someone to visit the property periodically to check the house, flush loos to stop the seals drying out and put the mail away, as this will keep the premium down.
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It is interesting how the posting activity on the Gites section of this and the other Forum I visit, has tailed off so much over the last year or so.Possibly a sign of many Brit Gites owners selling up maybe.Certainly very few new posts from those considering buying a Gite.
75% of French restaurants serve industrial re-heated food.
in French Food and Wine
Posted
For anyone in doubt as to the decline in the standards of French restaurants, it may come as a shock that in 75% of restaurants in France the food being served is pre-cooked industrial sourced, with the resulting cost saving of not requiring a chef in the kitchen, just someone who can re-heat the food.
http://www.rivieratimes.com/index.php/gourmet-article/items/ducasse-leads-new-quality-label-for-restaurants.html