Hereford

Many thanks for speedy replies. I willcertainly take the E121 to Cpam next week.  It will certainly simplify the top-up refunds as they often show husband refunded for my claims. Mrs H

Hello I am sure I am not the first wife tio have been taken on by the French health system under her husband's E121.  All has been working well. I have just rerceived from the DWP my own E121 (I get to retirement age next month). My question is:  Do I take this new E121 to CPAM or will they just be confused! Many thanks Mrs H

The sort of annuity you mention should just be put in the ordinary "pension" box on the form surely? H.

Can anyone who has had the same problem please answer this:  If a house you own is lived in, rent free, by an elderly relative who pays the Taxe foncieres? If the elderly relative has a low income, such that if he owned the property he would benefit from a reduction, is this available to the owner as well? Elderly relative is in the tax system here, has been for more than 2 years. He is not counted as part of our "foyer". many thanks if anyone can help. hereford

We got a big refund too (tho no septic tank this year)...... French tax office had left out a big chunk of our income even though we also filed online. Tax office agree that it is wrong and state that we will get an amended notice "at the end of the year - not before" and that we should just hang on the the money until then! I should check that all your income is shown on the notice - even that which will still be taxed in the UK, if any, as the tax rate on the rest is affected by your global income. Hope it is all correct and you get to keep the money.....! Hereford

Thanks for these comments. We will ask the local Maire if there is indeed some bye-law (as it were) about this. The person complaining was, as far as we can ascertain, a holiday maker so he is unlikely to have known the local custom. We shall all be careful of using noisy machinery on Sundays and Holidays now. I have to say though that my Father's house is quite a way from any other house!   Mrs H

My 82 year old father has just had a very unhappy experience.  Someone was strimming his grass and a "person", who said he was on holiday nearby, stormed up his drive and said that it was illegal to work and make a noise on a holiday. He said the noise was disturbing his holiday and he wanted 2000 euros in compensation!!!!! The person strimming (not me) said that of course he would stop but would not pay him anything. Does this man have right on his side? Is there in fact a law that prevents noisy garden work on a public holiday and perhaps a Sunday too? We do know that there is a law like this in Germany. Any info/comments appreciated! Mrs H

If all (most) of your income is interest on savings, don't forget that you pay 11% "social charges" on interest as well as tax.  We assume that this is on top of the 8% for health paid by the under 60/65's. We are pensioners so are not involved with the 8% but still have to pay the 11%. Hereford

Thanks for responses, problem solved. H.

Hi Does anyone know where there is an Internet cafe or other public access to high speed internet access in the St Hilaire /Mortain/Avranches area please? My son-in-law (on holiday here in France) needs to send a large amount of data to a customer in the US who has a problem and my very slow analogue line just will not cope!  He needs it tomorrow (Monday) if possible but Tuesday morning will do if nothing available on Monday. Many thanks Hereford

Don't forget that once your wife is 60 and qualifies for her OAP she can get an E121 which will then give cover for her and you without payment into the French service. You would then need to decide whether to buy a top-up insurance. H.

When I first joined the health service in France the doctor was quite happy to continue prescribing. I had been happily using HRT in the UK for about 8 years. A few months ago I took into the doc an article from a UK newspaper which explained that it was now considered better only to use HRT on a short term basis (increased risk of breast cancer). Doc said "Yes, that is what we are saying in France too". "How long have you been taking it?" (answer by then 10 years). Doc said his advice was to stop immediately. Which I did. I am now nearly 60 so nasty symptoms all stopped. I was given a drug to take for a few days to avoid any unwanted side effects from stopping - in the event there were no effects and I feel fine!  The doc did say that in five years time he might be saying "false alarm - go back on if you wish.........." !!!! You may find the brand is different here to the UK but they can check ingredients. Hope this helps, I should discuss the risks with your doctor. Mrs H

Thanks everyone - problem sorted! H.

Hello Does anyone know an easy (or even not so easy) way to get from Montparnasse (having arived by train from Flers) to Orly airport please? We know and have used bus from Montparnasse to CDG - is there perhaps a bus to Orly too? Many thanks hereford    

Possibly try a phone card and then the Coucoutel access code 0811 65 30 40. You then dial the UK in the same way as above posting. Calls are charged at local French call rate. We have not actually tried it from a phone box but can see no reason why it would not work. We find Coucoutel fantastic, it is the same local rate to phone loads of countries - we use it to Germany and Canada as well as the UK. Look at their website: www.coucoutel.com for other rates and calls to mobiles in the UK etc. Hereford

We don't know the answer to this but surely the first thing to do is check with your bank in France who have given you insurance.  All "house" insurance in France includes third party insurance - and this extends to things that happen away from the house, (in our case a supermarket trolley "escaped" and hit a parked car. Insurance claim form filled in and nothing more was ever heard!). Hereford

Quote (approx)  " if you are a normal person who just has interest etc taxed at source....." In this case, i.e. tax deducted at source, if you live in France you should be filling in a repayment claim form to get the tax back in the UK!  This interest should be declared on your French form, where they will impose both tax and CSG! Don't let the taxman get more than his due, if you do not live in the UK then the tax deducted at source from interest is repayable - you still have personal allowances if you are British. As has been said before on other threads some income (rent and govt. pensions) are still taxed in the UK wherever you live but even then you must put it on the French form too. Hereford  

Ref: comment by Suzyq.  I am pretty sure you cannot use the cheques d'emploi system anyway for "odd jobs". It can only be used for domestic work/baby/old people care and gardening.  You, as employer, don't have to have any "numbers" but the person you employ must be known to the authorites because social charges are taken for every cheque you give your gardener/whatever. We use them (as do other people who post on this forum) to pay our gardener. It is only slightly more expensive than paying "on the black" (at least the charges by some people working illegally seem very high) and you are covered if anything happens. Do not "employ" people unless they can be paid legally. Hereford  

Only just seen this thread. The shop sign is "Expert".  The roadworks along there are nearly finished. Lots of fancy new lampposts. Evidently they were putting the electric cables underground and will remove the horrible concrete posts. Hereford

Our Rosieres oven is just the same.  We have decided to give up and go electric! (Mrs) H

Hi Catalpa! Several recent "Gazette's" have had articles too with vague maps. Will look and see what we still have. Regards (Mrs) H

Thanks Will.  We hope nothing will happen for a bit, and rules change so we will probably wait and see, or ask a Notaire if we see one for any other matter. Regards   H.

Thanks Will.  I'm afraid I was not very clear in my question.  We already own the house my parents live in, we live in our own house (also in France).  We built the house for them but may wish to sell it if/when they die.  There is no question of inheritance therefore. We just wondered whether one's parents counted the same as living in it yourself.  We would not need or want the house - it is 3km from our own house.  We hope we will be too old to be worried by renting it out by the time they die (they are aged 82 but very fit). Thanks   H.  

Anyone know (Will!): what happens if the house you are selling was built for one's parents to live in, then after their death one wishes to sell. Based on oneself being a french resident, taxes paid etc. Parents too permanently in France until death. This is a scenario that will eventually happen to us and we wonder whether the authorities would treat this as a "second home" - which it clearly never was. Any thoughts appreciated, altho we hope we will not need to know for several years yet! Thanks H.

If they do not have a siret number - therefore are not registered you could offer to pay them by the "cheque d'emploi" system. It will cost more but gets over the problem. The thread does not say if these gardeners are English or French. To be paid by cheques d'emploi means you need either a CPAM number from them or (we think) you just put a date of birth on the form and the authorities try to find them! You would probably be asked for an address in this case. H.