Val_2

Easy, just ask your house insurers for a seperate Accident Scolaire policy for your child, costs about €20 from what I can remember. You then take a photocopy of the policy and give to the school although most schools send home paperwork to take out a policy with a school insurer but its more expensive.

Here is an example of strict things have become here. Since OH died and who was the sole breadwinner, I am an accepted allocataire of the RSA and other benefits through his heavy cotisations for 18years, in fact the pension de reversion I also get cannot be granted to people who have not paid in for less than 15 years minimum first! I received a letter from the Conseil Generale last week who always have the final say in awarding benefits here to applicants via the CAF etc to say I must attend a rdv with my assistante sociale (which was yesterday) to go through my dossier and re-apply for the next 12months otherwise my benefits will be stopped from September if I DO NOT attend. I did go and again a new dossier which applies to all applicants was drawn up and again questions about looking for work and attending interviews although they accept at my age with no recognised french qualifications it will not be possible (I already have a seasonal job for the past 12 years so they accept that) but the AS said now the authorities are getting stricter and stricter on paying benefits and people are now being made to help themselves where possible,to find work etc. Now I may be wrong not having lived in the UK for many many years but it seems over there, you get money paid toyou for just about anything you can claim for without having to be under the scrutiny of the authorities and a lot of money too,whereas here only the very least they have to pay out is what you receive. As with everything,your history is looked at,your family circumstances and whether you own your property or rent is taken into account and logged so they can see you havn't just crossed the channel and are looking for handouts. My own circumstances may be different to others who get benefits and their allocation rules but this is my experience to show the OP as an example because for her and her husband they will be OK depending on their financial income but it's the two daughters who worry me because they maybe rejected for any assistance at all for their health issues due to their ages and not having any history here. As said plenty of investigation before you make definate moving plans especially for the daughters and they,if not already have started, will need plenty of french language tuition to fit in and deal with business matters like their tax returns as when they reach 25 they have to submit their own.

Well I believe you, we were never so poor as from being self employed in France compared to being self employed for the same business in the UK. In France its the self employed who pay through the nose to give the foncs a good pension and salary and they do not exactly exert themselves to work,hence why being a fonc is a desired profession. People say why did you not go back then, well nearly 20years ago it wasn't that easy and still isn't just to stop here and return especially with children in school then, the house paid for and all our money invested in our business - we would have gone back with literally nothing and even now those selling here are less well off with prices falling all the time and most will never recoup the comfortable life they had previously either. Pension cotisations here for the self employed will not yield much at all and if you have less than 40years of paying in, even less. France is a country obsessed with insurance too for just about everything you can think of and the cost of health treatment without any form of insurance will run into thousands of euros in just a few days should you need it and are not covered in any way. However we love France,have a good home and friends and neighbours and I would never go back to the UK now but then we have had to find our way without help or the internet and without the language,could not have run a sucessful business.

No, french benefits etc are not anything near the same as UK handouts I am afraid. The french government takes the view that to benefit from them, you must have first paid into the social security scheme for pensions,health and unemployment etc- everyone who works whether employed or self employed has to pay mandatory charges either taken direct from their salary at source or paid direct to the body that covers their particular trade and its expensive. You don't sign on here and get unemployment benefit just like that, it can take months and months and you must attend interviews even to be eligible, the government RSA payment is tightly regulated and only awarded after a decision on your circumstances by the local CAF from a directive by the Conseil Generale and then it is reviewed yearly as is CMU-C healthcover, nothing is given without months of form filling and decisions from a higher level.  Therefore you do need either a regular steady income or a pot of savings for a few years until you are solvent,there is just no handouts here and they are tightening up all the time with the high unemployment the country is currently undergoing. People are not given socialhousing without helping themselves at the same time either.  For the type of property you specify in the countryside, regardless of where it may be at the moment, you will find the rent probably well over €650/month for a basic house without any other bills. Best have a look on the Leboncoin.fr website which will give you ideas.

Don't take anything you read in that as gospel. The authorities themselves know better.

Please do not take this the wrong way but I feel you are little misguided about moving to France as you say you do not know it at all. Its not a step to take lightly and for your daughters to find work,they will get rather a shock and to be self employed in France is one of the worst places to be because of the high social charges even if you are not earning,you still have to pay. Renting yes to find your feet but please do not be under the presumption that the grass is greener on this side of the channel, indeed you may find yourselves in for rather a nasty culture shock especially if you do not speak the language well before you come here which you need to do to survive basically. There are many things to address before you come here and for your children, the question of them paying for private health care as they are not retired and the french state will not fund their expenses after their equivalent E form expires from Newcastle, hence why they need to find work and become part of the paying system. For yourselves, a top up mutuelle will be needed to cover care that your pension rights do not. Please do some very thorough investigation into moving here, there are so many brits here now trying desperately to sell up and return to the UK because they have found their lives are not what they expected, their pensions don't go as far these days or the family left behind is too much of a pull for them. Whatever you decide, I wish you luck but take note of information on forums such as this because you will be entering a very bureaucratic culture where paperwork comes at you from all directions.

Basically within the legal contract, there is a large paragraph that outlines all the legalities etc and there is then a large empty space whereby the prospective tennant copies out that paragraph again as proof they have read and understood the terms and conditions under which they are renting. We have done this as guarantors on all four private lets for our children and its the same for people without guarantors. It protects both parties and we even had to write out a similar paragraph on a garage rental contract with an agent immobilier for our son to again make sure we understood the legalities of the contract to be signed. End of the day, would you let some stranger take over your property without all the protection for you that you can get in place first? I sure wouldn't and neither do clued-up french landlords. English people should be aware that practices are different in France and not assume anything is the same here regardless of what it might be. A lot of them also never do an "Etat des lieux" which is a must have so it can be used as proof at the end of the rental if the place is left in a state.

You can get a reduced insurance for a vehicle that is not on the road as theoretically it must be insured at least against a third party.The insurers take the view that should for example some kids decide to play near or on the vehicle and there is an accident, you are the owner are responsible and your insurance would deal with it or the same goes if a thief decides to take the tyres and it falls on him, you again as the owner. As AnOther has pointed out, only by selling or scrapping the vehicle can you get the written proof it is no longer your vehicle although they may check on a ficticious cert de cession if they wished and then you would be in trouble. There are plenty of autocaisses out there or even your local garagiste might take it for parts as a freebie if it really is a pain and you don't need the money. Put it on le bon coin for parts, my neighbour did this with a car that failed its CT and was going to cost money to put on the road, a bloke bought it and did it up and now it has been re-registered and is back on the road!

I would have thought all taxes and outstanding charges on this sale will be deducted at source before the vendors get the residue and considering its only a couple of months until taxes Hab and Fonc are due again, it may well be done then via the T.Public.

I think the horror stories on these forums by brits are because they are very naiive in the first place. Most have no idea about french laws on rental, how to vet a prospective tennant and the importance of having a legal contract with the paragraphs written out in french by the prospective tennant as part of that contract so they understand what they are liable for etc. My children have rented properties here for the past eight years from french owners privately for their studies and we have never had any problems with the landlords, in fact the opposite as they have bent over backwards when things went wrong at the building/the aftermath of a fire and leaking windows etc. People come over here and rent out their holiday homes or a property to give them extra income without realising this is not the UK and tennants are highly protected in France against eviction between October and March. Many people also do not realise that if their tennants are on benefits, they as the landlords can have the CAF pay them direct for the rent or part of it and also they can take out landlord insurance. For you to rent longterm here the rule is usually a minimum of three years unfurnished and you usually supply the previous year's Avis d'Imposition for the landlord as well as a month's rent as a caution payment.The utilities are usually in the name of the tennant and the tennant also pays the Taxe d'habitation as well, Foncières is the owner's tax to pay. Again, many brits do not insist on putting the utilities into the name of their tennants and then moan when huge bills arrive for them to pay as they are liable,not the tennants as the holders of the accounts. Rental in France is with less stigma than in the UK and many people rent to start whilst saving to build or just rent so they can move around easy with work. On the whole, rental charges are a lot less than the UK for a lot more space but as with all rental, its dead money at the end of the day because you do not own anything but that is a personal choice. As a foreigner in France you maybe asked to provide a letter from your bank and proof of income along with a hefty deposit as you would not be a tax resident until you have made returns.

Under the Loi Chatel you can cancel within 20 WORKING days of the expiry date. Your new insurer will do this by AR for you provided you sort out the new one in time. The two month notice does NOT apply any longer for some time now and I have done this several times.

It was down near there when BIL had lightening strike his Magnum rendering the whole unit incapable of moving. The cost ran into thousands of euros before he could drive it back to the UK.

Here you can only charge TVA if you are registered to do so and most building firms will be as their turnover far exceeds that of the lower registered Auto Entrepreneur or Micro Bic systems which have a yearly limit before they must change their régime and go fully TVA registered. The AE scheme was designed for people to start a small business not a fully fledged building concern and a lot of people have taken advantage of this but insurance is their biggest problem. Trades bodies like CAPEB have always been against people using the AE system for building trades and related such as fosse installations because they undermine the fully registered artisans and only charge for labour whilst their clients buy the materials etc. All TVA reg artisans MUST BY LAW show their registration number on their official paperwork to clients and make returns to the fisc with a main return at the 31st December.The lower rate applies to all domestic properties that have been built for more than two years.Commercial properties/other businesses are charged the full rate.

To the OP, in the name of all that matters, make sure the artisan you do use is properly covered with Décenelle and Civile insurance and ask for a copy when you have signed and returned a copy of the official devis - it is your right to demand this. There are many cowboys out there and you need to make sure your man knows the system regarding the official paperwork and the french normes of installation.

I know we ceased trading 18months ago but non-residents were always allowed the TVA at the lower rate on building/renovation works and especially so on fosse installations, crikey we did enough and over 18years never had any fiscal queries. Only a TVA registered artisan/buisiness can charge the lower rate, an attestation has to be given and signed by the client at the end anyway for the fisc, and anyone else doing this work under another regime would not be involved in TVA anyway and could not quote it on any devis. If you are unsure, contact the local TVA office and they will confirm but as far as I know,it makes no difference as to whether you fiscally reside in France or not!

Spain v healthcare = be very very very careful and possibly afraid! Not the same boat as France, OK for the wealthy but for the ordinary family can be a nightmare. My brother's inlaws moved back from Murcia two years ago after nearly 15years out there,mainly for the warmth as his FIL suffers from debilitating arthritis but as time wore on, even with two very good pensions coming in monthly, they could no longer afford the cost of their healthcare and keeping up with the cost of living plus 40+°C in summer used to drive them back to the UK for two or three months.

Exactly as I live less than 7mins by car from the beach but when I walk the dog down, it takes upto 35 mins on foot. We timed it over the years and depending on which local beach you go to as well depends on the access by road and some are winding and slow. I love the "5 minutes" to Super U locally, yes if you go by Concorde!

€200,000 is not a lot of money for what you are wishing these days although there are many desperate brits trying to sell for years already to return to the UK so you may find a bargain. Remember that the south of France in winter is actually much much colder than the north west and the south also suffers terrible storms and flooding during the summer too as recently seen on TV yet again. I would suggest you rent for at least a year to find your feet because should you sell up and move lock,stock and barrell and find you cannot adjust to the language and culture difference,you will be stuck if you cannot sell for several years as people are already finding with the property market all but stagnant in many many areas of France. Have you considered what would happen if you should change your work or be made redundant etc, no one is safe these days, as unemployment is fair higher in France and jobs would be hard to come by without the relevent qualifications and fluent french language? After nearly 24years of France I have seen a lot of people throw in the towel and return because of many reasons, mostly because they miss their families and have elderly parents who need caring for or they simply run out of money and cannot get work nor benefits until they pay into the french system for several years first. The grass is not greener here, simply different so be aware of all responses to your posting however negative to you they may sound because remember people like me and many others on this forum have been here a very long time and raised families and worked here too and know the pitfalls you are likely to encounter than you cannot find out until you actually live here.

We would never touch Citroen again after three vehicles here in France, two of them were no problems but the newest C4 has been a nightmare due to all the electronic gadgets going wrong and then they quoted over €800 to have a simple tow bar fitted and the excuse was that the electrics had to all be reset. Had to bring a friend's 406 estate home from the hospital when he could not drive, we could not get it off the pavement because it sat so low on the ground and eventually had to scrape it off but did not tell him; ridiculous design!

If they made REASONABLY priced vehicles then they would not be in financial trouble. Their new car prices are a joke when you can buy better made vehicles elsewhere at lower prices, I know because I did that last year and my son's girlfriend just brought a brand new car after rejecting both Citroen and Peugeot on costs.

We used to get Allocation de Rentrée scolaire which was from the CAF and via your Allocation Familiale but if you only have one child, you won't receive that benefit here.The payment for the rentrée was also via your Declaration to the CAF made earlier in the year and is usually paid direct to your bank account mid August.

Quite a lot of drownings and cliff falls here in Bretagne, one serious fall in my own commune last week by a stupid tourist ignoring warning signs the coastal path is not for those who are not seasoned walkers as it is very steep in many places and with nothing to stop a fall over the edge onto the rocks and beach below. Incoming tides in estauries are another danger whilst so many go pêche à piéd too!

A brit was doing that on the AI forum several years ago. Someone who knew her said she was a very large lady so as you can imagine the comments came thick and fast on that one including sails for yachts and yurts. Some perv also asked if they were used or not!

From being in business here 18years, any artisan worth his salt would provide a double devis which the client signs with lui et accepté etc stated on and dated. It is not obligatory to have a start and finish date in a contract but if you do and BOTH PARTIES MUST SIGN for this, it is legally binding unless there is a clear reason for late finishing that cannot be avoided. If there is no devis either forwarded by the artisan in french and nothing signed by the client then there are no obligations and for a litigation case, the original french devis would be required by both the avocat and the judge. All items must be listed on the devis and prices stated plus TVA where applicable and details of payments, insurance and siret number etc also must appear. End of the day, if the job is not finished by the artisan there is no insurance in place and if the client does not pay in full for works completed, the insurance is also null and void. I have been there and done that with 6years of misery so I know what is acceptable here. If an artisan has a signed contract and walks off the job he can be taken to court and be held responsable but end of the day, no contract usually means it is black work and the courts would also want to see details of payments made and received.

Ideal for us from Lannion to Perpignon for my son to visit his girlfriend who starts her teaching career down there in September and its only a 20min drive either end,many hours less travelling and cheaper than the TGV and crossing Paris.It isn't a direct flight as it stops at CGD but still very handy.