Punch
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Posts posted by Punch
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>Another health question - are children
>covered automatically in France for
>health care or do you
>need to take out a
>policy to cover them.
>
>Or are they covered under a
>family policy.
>
>Thanks
If you live in France you are oblidged to join the French state healthcare system by law. When you join you are asked about all family members including children, who will be included on your health care documents. The applicant will be given a social security number which covers all apllicants. this covers you for about 70% of your costs. You then have the choice to take out a top up policy (mutuelle) with any company of your choice, (in any country) to cover the 30% shortfall.
Paul
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>We are hoping to finish work
>soon and move permanently to
>our house in the Aude.
>
>How much private health cover would
>we require and what is
>it likely to cost?
>Neither my wife or myself are
>of retirement age.
As a general guide you will be required to contribute around 8% of your net annual income over a threshold of 42000FF (6,402.86 ),to the health system. A married couple will have a higher threshold. You will also need to buy a "mutuelle" top up policy to cover you for the 30% shortfall the CMU gives you. It does depend on your status and wether you intend to work. If your income level is below this, then you may not be required to contribute but you will have to state your case at your local CPAM office, who will give you an interview and let you know your entitlements. You may be eligible for up to two years free cover on an E106. The DHSS have lots of info and will provide you with a booklet explaining your rights.
Paul -
LAST EDITED ON 14-Dec-01 AT 09:03 PM (GMT)
Hi,
I could.... but I haven't got an hour to spare! Have a look here;
http://www.edf.fr/htm/en/et_vous/individuals/tarifs/Tariffs
or here;
http://www.mamaison.edf.fr/index.jsp?fs=consommez
or even here!
http://www.tempo.tm.fr/tempo.asp
Hope this helps,
Paul
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LAST EDITED ON 07-Dec-01 AT 10:26 AM (GMT)
>It is now the 7th Dec
>and we still have not
>received the December issue of
>Living France.
I live in France and mine arrived in this morning's post. There was a thread recently on this subject. It does seem that all UK subscriptions will arrive well before European ones. I assume that all subscriptions are sent at the same time, and Living France are in the hands of the postal service with respect to actual delivery.
>It would be
>quicker to get a friend
>to buy in UK and
>post it to us than
>to get from subscribing so
>what is the point?
If you try this next month, and you do receive a copy before your subscription copy, then maybe you have a valid point, but personally one or two days difference makes no odds to me. Remember your subscription saves you money, over the yearly cost of buying the mag from a shop.
Paul
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>Hi, I'm a newcomer to the
>LF forum
Welcome!
The main guidelines for the positioning of a fosse septique recommended by the CSTB are as follows;
The actual tank should be within 10M of the house if possible, and remain accessible to vehicles for emptying. The access traps should be set at ground level .(Often they are completely buried by the French)
The epandage or drainage pipework has to be a minimum of 35m away from any well or drinking water supply, and at least 5m away from the house it serves.
This pipework should also be at least 3m away from main trees and neighbours boundary fences, or properties.
Having said all this, each commune has control over installation and will have their own regulations regarding the installation of a fosse. The regulations are tightening in some areas. In my area, the DDE used to have full control over installation, but now it is overlooked by the Conseille General of the department. A soil test is usually asked for now also.
Good luck with the neighbours! Remember to hold your ground.
Paul
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Sounds like a right Bloody cheek to me Stan. |I can only guess that they have seen the prices that some English are willing to pay, or have seen the prices of similar properties offered by immobiliers in areas where many English buy, and have gone green with envy!
I know my local notaire quite well, and during a dinner party on friday evening he told me he has just sold a small plot of land with a small lake, to an English guy for twice what it is worth,(he offered full asking price) who plans to do carp fishing holidays.
As long as there is a demand like this, prices will remain volatile.
Paul
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>We are redoing the bath rooms
>and I asked the plummer
>if there should be a
>pipe from the toilet through
>the roof for fumes.
>He said no.
He's wrong. A properly installed fosse septique should have a primary ventilation pipe that extends up from the toilet to above the roof line to expel the natural gases produced. A "ventilation secondaire" should also be installed. This is a pipe from the outlet side of the fosse septique vented to free air.
Paul
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>Does anyone know the website for
>buying houses thru a notaire.
>We wish to purchase a
>house and have been told
>the best way is thru
>this site, so any info
>would be gratefully received.
>Jeanie
Have a look at these sites, although be warned that quite often advertised properties have already been sold, and are often left on sites to attract potential buyers. This seems to be more the norm with many of the English agents operating in France rather than with french agents or going direct to Notaires.
http://www.fnaim.fr or
http://www.successimmobilier.com .
Good luck in your search.
Paul
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I would suggest you make an enquiry at your local Mairie who will be able to point you in the right direction. Every dept,in France has their "Archives Departemental" which is another good place to find out some history.
Good Luck,
Paul
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LAST EDITED ON 27-Nov-01 AT 10:18 PM (GMT)
>Is anyone aware of the 150
>square metre limit? Apparently
>one does not need an
>architect if the floor space
>is smaller than 150sm?
You only need the services of an architect if the total NET habitable floor area of the finished project is over 170m2 (not 150m2). There are certain areas that you don't include in your calculation, such as basements or lofts that have a headroom less than 1M80, terrases,& balcons.
Paul
>
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Mammograms
in Health
>Does anyone know how you arrange
>to have a mammogram done
>in France? Do you
>have to go to your
>GP first for a referral
>or are the clinics you
>can go to? We
>are paying social security in
>France but haven't had to
>visit a doctor yet!
In our experience from living in France, all initial consultations and referrals, first come from your GP in France, so this should be your first port of call.
Paul
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>We would prefer to buy
>them in France!
A good idea is to buy from your local dealer if possible as you will benefit from the SAV if anything goes wrong with the appliance.
There is a good selection of electrical goods in the "Espace U" shop next door to the large Hyper U in Mayenne. This is only about 35 minutes from Brec. Alternatively you have a very well equipped LECLERC in Mayenne too. If you want a larger choice then Careffour at LAVAl is about 50 mins away from you. They have a large white and brown goods section.
regards,
Paul
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>If not
>what is the procedure if
>you are ill (not an
>emergency) do you simply turn
>up at the surgery with
>your E111? What do
>you do in the case
>of a minor medical problem
>where you perhaps require a
>prescription?
You don't have to register with a GP. If you are ill or need a doctor, you just need to make an appointment as you would do in the Uk. You will have to pay the doctor for a consultation which is around 115FF normally. The doctor will give you a form called a "feuille de soins" which is your receipt.
If a prescription is needed you go to the chemist and buy the items. The chemist will stick labels from the prescription containers onto your feuille de soins.
You then claim back a proportion of the total costs (generally 70%)with your E111 and feuille de soins.
Carry your E111 with you at all times, in case of emergency admission to hospital.
Paul
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I don't know much about postal costs from the UK, but I would assume there is a surchage from the Royal Mail for post to Europe which I assume LF just pass on to us.
I must say I was slightly jealous that everyone had received their subscription copy of LF way before us French residents receive ours.;-(
Paul
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>Has anyone experienced the dreaded termite
>in normandy or brittany?
>we have been looking around la
>rochelle,but the houses we have
>looked at have had, or
>are at present infested with
>termites.
>we are so worried about them
>that we are looking north.
>
>has anyone had experience of them
>in northern france?
Although I have had no direct experience with them or have heard of any cases here in Mayenne, our local Mairies all have very large posters up warning about the risks and the need to delare them if found. When I see our Maire next, I will ask what the extent of the risk is here. Recent weather changes over the last year or so would certainly favour their development.
Paul
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>Can anyone recommend a cheap internet
>provider in France? I installed
>the wanadoo software into my
>mac, but it created all
>sorts of old files that
>messed the system up.
And you certainly aren't the first person this has happened to. There are several free ISP's in France, where you can sign up on line without the need to load any CD software. Libertysurf and free are two examples.
Have a look at this site which gives up to date comparisons of currently available deals. http://www.lesproviders.com/
Free telecom are currently offering 50 hours of inclusive internet access for 98FF a month, a pretty good deal for France.
>Also - the best place to
>buy a modem to telephone
>socket cable,
These are freely availbale from DIY stores and large supermarket chains such as Hyper U or Carrefour, around 35FF.
Paul
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>Does anyone possess a Minitel or
>has access to one?
>I need some information only available
>from it and i am
>currently in the UK.
>It is posssible to load
>the minitel into the PC
>but it takes time and
>i would need to subscribe
>and open an account.
>It would be silly to
>do such a thing as
>i only need to use
>the minitel once. Could
>someone with access to the
>Minitel be nice enough to
>retreive the information that i
>need?
>I will pay the communication AND
>your time. Just tell
>me your price.
I'll be glad to help, just either email me or post me your query via here or my inbox. It's way past my bedtime now here in France so if you haven't been sorted out by this evening I will look it up first thing tomorrow morning (friday).
Paul
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The roofer, if properly installed and registered here, is legally oblidged to carry Responsabilit Civil insurance and Decenelle insurance. The latter is a ten year guarantee on his work. I assume you have a copy of his facture with his registration no. and details and the amount including TVA you paid, together with a desription of the works carried out?
I would phone him to explain the problem, and perhaps send him a letter outlining the problems inviting his response. Send the letter "recommand avec accus de reception", this will insure you have proof he has received it.
If he plays ball, his insurance company should send out an independant assessor to inspect the works to see if you have a valid claim, ie; is the problem due to faulty workmanship or materials.
I hope this is of help to you.
Paul
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LAST EDITED ON 19-Oct-01 AT 06:54 AM (GMT)
>LAST EDITED ON 18-Oct-01
>AT 09:33PM (GMT)
>But how do I arrange to
>take over the elecricity from
>that date, and who goes
>in to check the meters,(the
>house is empty), do EDF
>go in on completion day,
>I have run out of
>holiday for this year and
>cannot stay for days and
>it is so near Christmas.
>I did read somewhere that
>one can get account details
>through the Notaire write to
>EDF and take over the
>same account, I also understand
>that there are different levels
>of entry for electricity supply
>and we have to inform
>EDF which level we require,
>the houe was previusly a
>holiday home so presumeably we
>can "take over" the exisitng
>account on the same basis.
Either make contact with the EDf yourself or get your notaire to give them a call. They will do the rest.Do take a meter reading if you can.
Depending on your installation, many meters can now be read from outside, by the EDF. You may even find that your meter is placed outside.
There are three basic tariffs - 1. Tariff Base in which you pay a flat rate all year round for the electricity.
2.Tariff heures creuse - which gives you 8 hrs in a 24 hr period of cheaper electricity. (You can even opt have some of these hours in daytime beween midday and 2pm)
3. And tariff Tempo which has three bands of charges, Red, white and blue. The most significant thing about this tariff is there are 22 days of the year - in winter when you pay 10 times the normal price.
Then, you have the "puissance" or the power requiremnt for your house. It usually goes up in bands of 3KW the lowest being 3KW up to 18KW for domestic users. The standard house will normally have a 6 or 9KW supply. You can have this upgraded fairly easily.
Bear in mind that you will pay a higher abbonement or standing charge, the higher power requirement you request.
This is only a brief summary, as it can be complicated. Have a look here for further info http://www.edf.fr/htm/en/et_vous/individuals/tarifs/Tariffs
>Also I have tried to go
>back to read old messages
>regarding the cheap electricity and
>these little boxes with today
>tomorrow and flasing lights, can
>someone explain that again to
>me, and would my sort
>of contract qualify.
This is mainly for the tempo tariff where you can have a device which will give you a day's warning of the following days charge band. Have a look in the archives.
>
>My husband also wants to know
>about the boxes to pick
>up english TV and do
>you have to pay a
>subscription
No, as long as you have a Uk address to use you can purchase a digital satellite receiver and obtain a "free to air" card which will give you the basic channels, as well as radio.
Using a Sky satellite system abroad is against the terms and conditions of SKy, so you must never disclose you are using the system abroad.
Have a look at this thread which explains everything in more detail
http://www.livingfrance.com/dcforum/DCForumID28/179.html
Paul
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>Does anyone know if it's possible
>to get ADSL in the
>Herault region. We're moving there
>next year, but I have
>a computer company and will
>be opening another branch there,
>so our choice of exact
>town will be governed by
>available technology.
ISDN is slowly arriving in larger towns in France (40,000 inhabitants and over), so it depends whether you are in a main town or not. Otherwise the best you can get will be France Telecom's Numeris Itoo service which is ISDN at 64Kbps.
Paul
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>hello ,if i move to france
>what happens about child benefit
>? is it stopped as
>soon as i leave ?,
>do they have same in
>france?
If you become resident in France and enter the state system you will receive child benefit, although you will have to provide an attestation from the UK DHSS stating that you are no longer claiming in the UK.
This is easy to obtain, and you will need to write to or phone the DHSS in the UK for the correct form to fill in.
The more children you have the better the renumeration in France.
Paul
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There is an article in the new edition of Living France all about renting a property in France.
Paul
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>Hoping to move to France in
>the future... what if we
>need to bring an elderly
>relative to live with us?
> Has anyone experienced this
>and able to recommend suitable
>health insurance, + any other
>advice for this situation?
Your relative if over the retirement age would be entitled to the same health care rights as in the UK any other French retired national.
Private health insurance in France is now illegal and all residents whether retired or not have to join the state healthcare system, the CMU which covers up to 70% of the costs. The remainder is made up by paying into a top up insurance policy, which you have free choice of which company you choose.
Paul
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>We wish to take an electric
>cooker from the UK to
>a new property in France.
>Are we likely to encounter
>any electrical or wiring problems.
>
>Can anyone help?
If it is a free standing all electric cooker then you may well find that your french electricity supply will not be man enough to cope with the power requirement.
Like Electric showers, UK Cookers are not really suitable for French supplies, especially if you have other appliances such as a dishwasher, washing machine or Chauffe eau. It will need to be fed with a fairly large cable depending on it's total power requirement, but 6mm cable is usual.
You can easily have your French electricity supply upgraded to the next KVA band up, but you will be penalised with a higher standing charge from the EDF.
Hope this helps,
Paul
Prescription for glasses
in Health
Posted
>We are leaving in a few
>days time to live in
>France. I have not
>got time now to get
>an eye test AND get
>the prescription made up. If
>I manage to get the
>eye test done and obtain
>the prescription, will there be
>any problem getting the glasses
>made up in France -
>i.e. do opticians use a
>universal prescription?
I beleive the prescription process is the same, although I am still waiting for my first eye appointment......perhaps other forum members may be able to expand on this?
I would say save your self the hassle and go to one of the 1 hr labs such as Vision Express before you leave. I have been waiting over 4 weeks for an eye test here in France which seems to be the norm. I used to be able to walk in to Vision Express, have an eye test and get a prescription made up the same day in the UK.
Just one example of the complexities of life here, that you have to put up with. Just as well I left my rose tinted specs in Blighty!
Paul