Howie

Ahh. I see (so far). Thanks. So, the only grey area then, is the logistics/legal/tax implications of how to split one property into two properties, owning both, building an extra house, selling one part and then selling another, WITHOUT incurring CGT on any of it? I can't quite get my head around how the following will be treated: A/ When the land is split, 'property one' will be devalued. B/ 'Property two' will then be a different property - which we will also own (ie - 2 properties owned at the same time). I think 'B' might cause us a possible GCT problem. or.... am I somehow making it far too complicated? Thanks for all your help.. Howie.

[quote user="parsnips"] Hi,     Provided that while living in the first house, you submit at least one french  income tax declaration, then it will be recognised by the notaire when you sell it as your principal residence, and so will be exempt from CGT. [/quote] Thanks for the reply. And if we've split the property, turned it into two properties, sell one, and then (eventually) sell the other?

Hi all. I'm sure that SOMEONE has some knowledge of this! We are selling our house in the UK and moving to our house in France. It will therefore become our only home and we will apply for French residency in order to avoid any future CGT when we eventually sell it. But, just to complicate things, we intend to build another house on part of the land, split the property in two (one house in each plot), then sell the original house (with it's now, smaller garden), and move into the new house. So, can anyone give me a hint about any possible CGT implications? I would be really grateful. Thank you.

[quote user="Pickles"] I think we can summarise as follows: If you are UK resident it is illegal for you to drive a foreign-registered car in the UK. It may be a ridiculous law; it certainly is inconvenient; but it is the law. The fact that this is evidently being abused by being applied to non-UK-resident UK nationals driving correctly-foreign-registered vehicles within the UK is nothing short of a scandal. There is NO period of grace if you are UK-resident and bring a foreign-registered car over to the UK (unlike in France, where you would have 30 days or possibly more depending on the vehicle's circumstances) The chances of being caught are probably very low (but may possibly be increasing, from a very low base) The result of being caught is extreme inconvenience (immediate seizure/impounding of vehicle) plus whatever fines/points/costs are applied In bringing this subject up I only wanted to warn the OP that there is an issue with what he was planning on doing - hadn't really intended to cause a fuss ... Regards Pickles [/quote] Hi again. No offence taken. Thanks very much for your help. Howie.

[quote user="Pickles"] I'm sorry, but I am afraid that you are chasing the wrong hare here. The problem is not insurance. If you were to drive the vehicle in the UK you would be insured under the French policy. The problem is the law: it is simply not legal for you to drive the foreign-registered car in the UK whilst you are a UK resident. The issue is where the car is REGISTERED and where you reside. (Edited to add): I'm not trying to be difficult: as noted above, I would like to be able to drive my French-registered car in the UK but cannot; you need to be aware that if you drive your foreign-registered car within the UK at all you will be committing an offence that could result in the impounding of your car and considerable inconvenience to you if you are caught. There is anecdotal evidence of occasional (but severe) problems being encountered by non-UK resident British nationals who have been legally driving their foreign-registered vehicles within the UK but have not been believed by the Police. Regards Pickles [/quote] Hi again. Yes, I understand really. I think I'll just take my chances regarding prosecution. I'm not too worried about that. the only thing that would concern me is if I caused an accident in the UK which wasn't covered by insurance. Now that I know that my French insurer would cover me, then that's fine. Appreciate all replies here. And so quickly too! Howie.

[quote user="Pickles"] Yes, any EU driver may well be covered ... but if they are UK resident then they cannot drive the car in the UK ... The question has been posed to the DVLA in the recent past - indeed I have asked this very question as I had hoped that in extremis I would be able to get back to the UK (where we live) in our French-registered car. The answer was quite unequivocal: the car cannot be driven in the UK by a UK resident unless it is re-registered. [/quote] OK. SORTED! Thanks for that. I've just realised how it can be done: I also have a UK car insured in the UK and it allows me, (from memory), to "drive another vehicle with the permission of the owner, - providing that that vehicle is also legal and insured in its own right". So, my UK insurance will cover me, - surely!

Sorry ... I've just remembered something: Not only did Britline insurance tell me that I am covered in the UK. They also said that (for up to 60 days), any EU driver may drive my French car in the UK, AND my included French breakdown cover is still valid so that I can claim in France for the car to be recovered to a UK garage for essential repairs. Basically, (as he said), "each and every benefit that you get in France is also included, at the same level, in any green-card registered country for up to 60 days". After that, it is just minimum green-card cover.

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]Basic third party cover is a compulsory component of all insurance policies and is valid for all the countries mentioned on your insurance certificate without any time limit. Time limited cover may only apply to your other guarantees (ie, the 'comprehensive' part) and are set out in your policy terms and conditions. Here are mine: Vous bénéficiez des garanties de votre contrat : - en France Métropolitaine, dans les départements et territoires d’outre-mer, au cours de déplacements effectués : - dans les pays de l’Union européenne et dans les états suivants : Vatican, Saint-Marin, Liechtenstein, - dans les principautés d’Andorre et de Monaco, - et aussi dans les pays mentionnés et non rayés sur la carte verte (cf définition page 47). Tout déplacement à l’étranger ou dans un département ou territoire d’outre-mer d’une durée supérieure à 3 mois doit nous être signalé, faute de quoi vous vous exposez à des difficultés en cas de sinistre. [/quote] Excellent. That's what I thought. Thanks very much for the info.

[quote user="Pickles"]Depends on the insurer: the few that I have looked at have always covered for indefinite periods within Europe. I note from your details that you share your time between the UK and France. We've covered this before - many times, unfortunately - but you should be aware that if you are UK-resident then you cannot drive a foreign-registered vehicle within the UK (apart from certain, very specific circumstances, which would be very unusual). If you are actually resident in France, please accept my apologies for the digression. [/quote] OK. Now, that is totally at odds with what my French insurer has just told me. I will search the other forums here, but my insurer (CA Britline) have just arranged my car insurance at my maison-secondaire and have sold it to me using a number of benefits, - including the very fact that I can also use the car in the UK for up to 60 days with the full benefits of the policy (ie - fully comp). During the conversation, we specifically discussed the fact that I am resident in the UK and the adviser even took my full-time UK job details in order to give me the quote. He accessed all my personal details on his system because of the bank account I have with them, so there can be no doubt about my residential status. So, if what you say is true, even some insurers don't know it.

[quote user="Boiling a frog"]I know I am stating the obvious but ,ask your assurance, they are the ones to tell you, every assurance coy have different terms[/quote] I understand what you are saying. But, - from what I've read, the green card system is nothing to do with specific insurers. The way I understand it, every insurer must include green card cover for all other participating countries. However, I cannot find any info in the Green Card scheme rules that mention a restricted time period. ??

The green card info does not state whether it is restricted to x number of days. If I used my French car in the UK for, say, 4 months, would the basic 3rd-party cover from my French insurer still be valid under the Green Card scheme or is there a time limit, - after which I would not be insured at all? Thank you. Howie.

Hello. My French is not good and I wonder if I can just ask if anyone knows of a friendly garage who can do an engine tune and repair a brake pipe? I've just taken an old Peugeot 406  in for a CT and, (if I've got it right), it seems that the the only obligitory repairs necessary are:  1/ Canalisation de frein. 2/ Teneur en co et valeur du lambda des gaz echappement. (Leaking brake fluid and high gas emissions)? Any advice would be very welcome! Thank you.

Hello Claire. Thanks very much for that. Very useful. Howie.

I'm looking in areas 56 and 44 specifically. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi everyone. Hope you can help. If a UK vehicle breaks down in France and the owner hasn't got European breakdown insurance, who does the driver call for assistance? Thank you. Howard.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Sorry to have been such a pillock! H.

Oooh. that's really wierd. Thank you so much. The guy at the desk in my local CT station looked through all my documents and told me the Carte Grise wasn't there. Your picture is exactly what I have. Is it possible that a normal French car has a different type of Carte Grise and that he just didn't know that this is a different type of the same thing, - for a car that has been re-matriculated from the UK? Howie.

Hi all. Hope you can help. I can't believe it myself, But I've lost my Carte Gris. I must have had one when I re-matriculated my car from the UK, mustn't I? Anyway, I have the old CT (which was done using the UK registration certificate), and my certificate d'immatriculation. Bearing in mind that my spoken French isn't brilliant, and my written French is worse, does anyone know the process for applying for a new Carte Gris. I will be extremely grateful and I can't get the car CT'd without it. Thanks in advance, Howard.

[quote user="oldgit72"]  If you are referring to the 'stench pipe', I am putting mine outside just after joining the water waste with the toilet waste. I am putting in a non return valve known in France as a 'clapet interruptor' before joining the water and toilet wate pipes'. Why are you putting in a 100mm vertical vent? I am using 32mm fixed to an external wall capped with an 'aerateur a membrane' to dissipate odours exiting the pipe at the top. The internal horizontal run will only be around 1 meter at 3% fall as I have planned all my plumbing to be close to the point at which the pipes exit the house. [/quote] Right. This is confusing. I believe that everything you're planning, is against the rules! See: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1655065/ShowPost.aspx Can anyone clarify this? Thanks.

[quote user="La Guerriere"]Not sure that SPANC are interested in what happens inside the house[/quote] Hello. I'm fairly sure they are. From what I've been told, they inspect the entire installation and each toilet has to have it's own vent - which can't be joined to any other vent.

Hi all. I'm sure you can help me here! I'm fitting my own fosse toutes eaux and am doing the internal pipework first. Does anyone know how much of a horizontal run SPANC allows from each toilet before the 100mm vertical vent must be teed-in? Thanks in advance.

Can I just ask another quick question regarding toilet vents? I only have one toilet and I know that it will effectively be the primary vent. But how long can the horizontal waste run from the toilet be, - before I have to put the t-section in to make the vertical vent? Is there a min/max requirement for this? Also, can the vent outlet be one of those flush vents that blends in with the roof-tiles? Thanks again, - in advance. Howard.

[quote user="DaveandOlive"]hi ok   put it in picture format here a few years ago it may help ....page 5   http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/daveolive/?start=80                     Dave              [/quote] Hi again Dave. Thanks for that. It's really starting to look as though it's going to be simpler getting someone else to do the entire job. By the time I've spent my own time travelling from the UK and bringing or hiring a digger, it looks like it might make more sense. I'll do a search for installers in my area (56). Thanks for all your advice. Howard.

[quote user="DaveandOlive"]hi ok              just to put a spanner in the works ..... unless it`s a new build  .. the primary vent is not a part of the " new fosse inspection " only the secondary  vent is ..                                 Dave [/quote] Oh, well that's not too bad then. This is a renovation, so I could possibly attach the primary vent into a flush-fitted roof tile outlet on the roof at window-level then? Thanks again for your help. Howard. PS: Why, when I click 'quote' do I get the message "Non matching quote blocks in post" ???

[quote user="DaveandOlive"]hi ok                the systems are both the same ,the one that you show is the way it`s done with concrete tanks  this is taken from the S.V.L web site <snipped vents quote>   but they will let you fit a durgo valve to the primary               Dave [/quote] Thanks for the info Dave. It's a damn nuisance really, but I'm not shooting the messenger! My longere has 6 velux windows and they effectively make up the top floor of the house. So I'm guessing that both vents will have to be higher than those. Routing two 100mm pipes through the floors and then through a slate roof is not just awkward, - it's downright unsightly. (This is only a small house). I know there's no point in arguing, but the vent system regulations are totally over the top. However, what I am reluctantly coming to understand, is that I have absolutely no choice but to stick two 100mm pipes through the highest point of the roof of the house, with no way to avoid that process?