Arkon

[quote]I believe that a lot of people will want you to go into details on such an important point! Please let us know what you are not telling us.[/quote] Dave&Olive, I am still awaiting an answer to my query - do you not have the details I asked for?

[quote]Piss off! I never said that. If you have nothing useful to say, say nothing.[/quote] You should read your own posting again. I'm sure that you know you were saying that because you have descended to the level of swearing and insults which means that you have no real argument to put forward.

[quote]I don't think that "the French" or "the English" are more likely to do the job wrong or badly than each other or any other section of society. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that electrical wir...[/quote] There you go all you UK electricians, you can't work on the French system, Nick Trollope says so!

[quote]hi just a word of caution do not belive in 4 above ,will not go into details but the french will use any colour wire they want even green/yellow for live so be carefull . dave[/quote] I believe that a lot of people will want you to go into details on such an important point! Please let us know what you are not telling us.

[quote]See Chapter 2 article10 (Page 5 of 16) http://www.60millions-mag.com/images_publications/Loi%20de%2089.pdf#search='Loi%20n%C2%B089462%20du%206%20juillet%201989'[/quote] Thanks!

[quote]Well, I think that is expensive even for Paris if it is small. Then again, if it is in the 16th, for example, it isn't. So I suppose my answer would be, if you think it is expensive for the area you...[/quote] Could you (or anyone) please point me in the right direction for the french law regarding the 3 years minimum renting for unfurnished property? Thanks!

[quote]The problem as ever will be enforcing the courts judgement, I know plenty of instances in the UK where people have gained judgements but have never been able to collect. Court takes fees makes judgeme...[/quote] The courts in the UK don't just forget it. If you take a complaint back to them they will always follow it up.

[quote]ah - but then will the farmer they borrowed the sheep from have rights to graze his animals in their field??[/quote] No he won't!

Try the definitive site, Notaires de France: http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TC_PUB/GBACC You should find answers to most of your questions on there - click on "Realized gains on real property" on the first page. Incidentally, I was trying to find out about the time limit you mentioned (3 years) - I thought that it was 10 years (having recently been reduced from 30) - where did your friends find out about this? Best wishes to your friends!

[quote]we have an account with lloyds and britline banks, we just send a cheque from our lloyds account into britline bank they convert it at the commercial rate into euros.[/quote] Me too! This is a very simple and cost effective way of doing it.

[quote]Arkon, surely the bit you pasted into your post can agree with both yours and Will's versions, re the time the contract starts, and the only thing that differs is in who signs first? This explains wh...[/quote] Yes, I agree, I think that between the 2 of us we got it all right! I actually find the wording from the Notaires site a little ambiguous to be honest. As for who signs first, I am still not convinced, especially as my Notaire friend was so incredulous that anyone could think that the vendor signing first was right or of any benefit to anyone. As to whether it is illegal or not, I will do a bit more digging and see what I can find out!

[quote]but if there is no laid down procedure as far as you know, why do you say that the 7 days starts from when the buyer signs for the copy, is there somewhere that says that? No, it is just common pra...[/quote] No, it is not just common practice. I have found what I have been looking for on the Notaires de France web site, and I quote: "Since 1st June 2001 the non professional purchaser of a dwelling house, benefits of an option of retraction if the preliminary contract is concluded under private signature, or of a cooling-off period if the preliminary contract is concluded by an authentic instrument. During this period, any down payment is forbidden. Right of retraction The non professional purchaser can retract within seven days from the following day of the first presentation of the letter signifying the contract. This rule provision applies to the instruments under private signature which the matter is the construction or purchase of a building used for accommodation. The contract is signified by a recorded-delivery letter or by any other kind of method with the same guarantees for the determination of the date of receipt or delivery." Secondly, as regards Mrs Conqs Agency I assume that all the Clauses that the Buyer wants put in are put into the Compromis before it is presented to the Vendor for the first signature?

[quote]Normally, if a compromis de vente is sent by post, it will be sent by a method that requires signature as proof of delivery. The seven-day period will start from when the buyer's copy is signed for....[/quote] Sorry to be pedantic, but if there is no laid down procedure as far as you know, why do you say that the 7 days starts from when the buyer signs for the copy, is there somewhere that says that? And our Notaire said that he had never heard of Vendors  signing first, is it common where you live? I can then put him right!

[quote]Although it may be preferable to get the buyer to sign the compromis first, this is not the norm and many vendors will refuse to do this. They have no "7-day cooling off" so when they sign, they are ...[/quote] Our Notaire laughed his head off yesterday when we asked about Vendors signing first! Apart from the 7 day cooling-off period not being applicable for the vendor, this means the vendor would have to say when he signs that he would not accept any clauses suspensives, in order to protect himself, a situation which a lot of buyers would probably then find restrictive!!! In answer to another poster's question, the 7 day period starts not from when the vendor signs, it starts from the day after the day that the Notaire sends out the copy of the Compromis signed by both parties by special post. I'm not sure if any more time is allowed for posting to addresses abroad, maybe someone else knows definitively