redmike

Thanks Loiseau - we will have to do our sums. Will it be better to pay 10% of the current value or pay the inheritance tax etc? I suppose as we are doing work on the property it would make sense for it to be ours now and pay the conveyancing now. Obviously the property will increase in value as we 'do it up' - well hopefully anyway!!! I hadnt gone down this route as I didnt think it was allowed. Perhaps the law changed a while back. In any case the Notaire seems to be the popular starting point. I have identified who he is and where he resides so will visit him when I am next out there.        

Thanks Val. I am going to be at the property quite a bit from about August/September onwards so will take your advice and see a Notaire. My French is pretty good as my mother is French and I spent many holidays with my Grandparents (at this house!) and they spoke no English. I love the property and see it as my retirement home eventually. Ironically the more money we spend on the property now the more it increases in value and therefore the more we have to spend on inheritance tax.    

My mother owns a property in France. She was born in France but gave up her dual nationality a number of years ago and now lives in England as a British citizen. As she is in her 80s and so is my father the subject of inheritance has arisen. She has not made a French will although I believe she has made one in England. She says that because of the inheritance laws which apply to the surviving spouse and children (I have one sister) she has been told there is no need to make a French will as the property will automatically be inherited by my father and then the children. She cannot 'bequeath' the house to any of us. Is she correct? For a number of years I have used the property and I pay all the bills and would like to start major building work on the property but would like the legal side clarified before investing a lot of money in it. My mother regards the property as that of mine and my sister's now and rarely goes back.      

Sorry if this has been posted before but I have looked through posts and cant find what I am looking for. My son lives and works in France for an English company. He wants to open a French bank account. He 'lives in' and therefore has no utility bills, which are a normal requirement along with passport or id card. Anyone know how you get round this? Is it simply to ask your employer (and in his case landlord) to provide you with a document stating who you are, where you live and work etc?    

[quote user="Bannon"] Summer sat at a cafe in Dordogne is like being in London with the sun shining, and everybody is reading English language newspapers - they say every village has at least one French family!    [/quote] One of my golden rules is never buy an English paper. I get the local rag for news and gossip and L'Equipe to read on the cafe terrace. Bliss!!    

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"] This has come up a couple of times recently.  Basically, with a few exceptions, it's OK. Have a look at this thread Which contains a further link from Cassis the Sausage (see what I did there?  'Link'....'Sausage'     Oh never mind) [/quote] Thanks Pierre - yes that is what I found - thanks for taking the trouble (dont give up your day job!!)  

I have found the answer on an earlier post where someone kindly provided a link to the DEFRA site (sorry cant remember who it was now to thank you) The first search I did didnt provide me with what I wanted hence my post.  

Is it legal to take potted plants into France from the UK? I remember years ago that my Mum had some strawberry plants confiscated but that was pre-EU.

Hi Dimples I have a house in Cher (18) at Aubigny Sur Nere although I dont live there full time at the moment. I have recently had work done - new roof, bathroom, bedrooms (phase 1) and am looking towards phase 2 at end of 2007 and beginning of 2008. This involves some internal reconstruction of rooms so a builder will be needed. Phase 3 is redoing outhouses into separate living accomodation. Whether or not there is a lot of work around in the Cher I dont know. There are not many English around here and it is not really touristy. Perhaps thats why I like it! The bigger towns like Bourges, Vierzon, Chateauroux might have work but you always have to compete with the local firms obviously. Personally I love the region. It is quiet, friendly and there are some picturesque spots, beautiful Sologne forests, quaint villages, wine areas like Sancerre and Menetou-Salon, good shopping in Bourges, not far from the Loire valley Chateaux and 2 hours from Paris. I am looking forward to retiring there next year but will still keep a home going in England as well. Which part are you looking at? Is this a permanent move?          

or even cement!!!!!!!!!

if its cement stains try  lemon juce   dave     Thanks Dave - Yes some are stained with cemenet so will try your suggestion.

Thanks Twinkle - looks exactly what I need. I have 2 floors inside the actual house which could do with a clean up as well so this should prove very useful. One floor is in good condition but the other one was left marked by an old lino which had a floor leveller/sealant underneath. When the lino was lifted the 'leveller' was solid and although some chips off with a pallet knife the rest is proving hard work.

oops - unfortunately I dont know a Marie so will have to stick with Mairie - well spotted! I suppose any alterations to structure need a DDT.

I have about 100 Terracotta tiles from a demolished out building. A number were buried under earth and are heavily stained and others are marked by concrete and plaster. Is there a good way of cleaning them up or am I basically looking at hardcore?  

In England I know there is quite a substantial charge for getting the pavement lowered outside your house. Is there a similar charge in France and is this another trip to the Marie? I am intending to move a wall and entrance gates back into my property to allow a car to get off the road and allow me to open the gates in safety , hence the lowering of the pavement. In actual fact it will just be widening the existing lowered part. Would I need permission to move the wall and gates bearing in mind they will fall within the existing boundary?

Something I really enjoy about speaking French is that often you dont need to know a particular word you can just explain your way round what you mean with lots of neat little sentences. Nobody seems to mind that you have gone all round the houses. That sort of contradicts why I was asking my original question I suppose. I thought there might have been a word like 'refilage'. Perhaps I will start using it and see if it catches on!!!

[quote user="cooperlola"]"refaire l'installation electrique"[/quote] Yes thats what I would have said but wondered if there was one word but I should have known!

Can someone tell me if the French have a word for rewiring? I cant find it anywhere. Obviously I can explain in French what I want to happen but if there is a proper word or phrase then I would rather use that!

Cassis - perhaps we are lucky in our village as the rules seem to be adhered to. My experience around France makes me think they are better at it than us. I expect there will always be be some exceptions though.

Thanks for the info Val. Yes I had read some earlier posts about 'permit' and 'declaration' differences. I want it to go the full width of the house so it will be more than 20sqm. I have a friend at the Marie which means that I have been there before and am sort of used to the way they operate. We had a new roof put on 2 years ago with Velux windows. I actually like the way they are so keen to match buildings, renovations etc with existing ones and the rules and regs regarding what you can do in respect of how far you are from the town centre (or indeed monuments as you said). I have spotted a house with a nice porch about 15k from us that I like. Perhaps I should stop off and pay them a visit, take a photo or two, if I get the nerve.   

I am looking to build a porch/veranda on the back of my house. I am thinking large oak type pillars holding up a gently sloping roof, possibly tiled or maybe glass with blinds in. Anyone know of some websites that would give me some inspiration? I sort of know in my head what I want but need to look at some pics but havent had much luck so far. I would prefer French websites as want to maintain the French look. My house is in Cher (18).

I thought I would just say that my wife has Gaucher's disease (some years ago people with this condition were diagnosed as Leukaemia sufferers). There is no cure as yet but all sorts of medication help her out. She had her spleen removed 25 years ago and is still going strong. She has to be careful about infections and obviously some parts of the world are out of bounds. She has also produced a healthy girl during that 25 year period. Dont know if this helps allay some fears. I wish you all the best for a long and healthy life.    

Jay Jay - top site. I am half French and there was still a few in there I didnt know. My son lives and works in Paris so I have sent him the link (he is 26 so probably knows them already but its good info - to understand what others are saying not necessarily to use - honest!).      

Finally received my TH bill in Cher (18). Bit more than last year but not too bad. Best news for me is it is due on Dec 15th and I will be there from the 4th and can therefore pop into the Tresorerie and avoid all those transfer fees or drawing money out of the hole in the wall and then going in and paying it into my account just so that I can write a cheque. This time next year I will be a permanent resident so no problems and cant wait!  

I can never understand why so many people refer to the area they live in by the Department number rather than its name. Is people's Geography that bad that they wouldnt know where a Dept was? Mike (18) Look it up! [6]