peterw

"Car drivers that do not make room for motorcycles should not be allowed on the roads." Dog what do you mean by "making room"? Do you mean that we should allow motorcyclists to travel at whatever speed that they like without deference to the other users on the road? Or do you mean that we should be aware of motorcyclists and their safety? The problem as I see it and I suspect that many other motorists do as well, is that motorcyclists demand that there be kept open a virtual express way just for their use. This as I explained in my original post can be extremely dangerous under certain busy road conditions. Why should motorists who have to travel at 60km on the B.P , be expected to make way for a motorcyclist who wants to travel at 150km in the same traffic conditions? Surely a motorbike  can put up with a little inconvenience like the rest of us?

So they have a name for it do they! "Filtering" is one of my pet hates. I have lost track of the number of times I have been abused by a biker whilst I am driving in the left most lane, for not being far enough over( read scraping the left side of my car on the concrete barriers in Paris) I am all for road ettiquette and letting other drivers through etc but the fact is that most of the bike riders expect to be able to travel at ridiculous speeds through buchons and when  it is clearly not safe to do it for example in heavy traffic when there is a tendency for drivers to be ducking and weaving between lanes it is ludicrous for bikers to expect to be able to travel at 130k; plus when the body of traffic might be travelling at say 90 km. Not being entirely familiar with the french traffic laws covering such subtleties, I had assumed that the \French had decided to promote bike riding by passing laws that promoted filtering. Now I know better!

Quillan, I too want to thank you for such a comprehensive reply. It is constructive posts like yours that make these forums so worthwhile. I was interested to see that you separated CSG etc from cotisations/NI. is there any reason for this? Why not just call them all Cotisations? The reason I ask is that I get the impression from your post and others, that CSG applies to all world wide income whereas cotisations apply to just income generated in France. Is this correct? If so I can understand why you have separated the 2 charges into different groups. Having said that, it seems to me that this could not be correct, otherwise people living in France with just overseas income would be exempt from the cotisations which include health care cover. I cannot imagine that this is the case. Correct me if i am wrong.

Sorry to hear about your run in with these people. What do you expect people to do with them once identified? Handcuff them to the reception desk? Put them in irons?

Hello to all, I am trying to find out what are the big cost items if we were to go down the Hotel route. I am assuming from other posts that the Hotel regs are the most onerous in terms of cost. Therefore I am assumimg that the Hotel regs are the worste case scenario. Assuming then that we base our assumptions on getting registration for an Hotel, what areas do I need to be concerned about? We have bought an existing property with extensive fire alarms throughout, including the kitchen which has some sort of heavy fire door that is released when smoke is detected within the kitchen. There are however no sprinkler systems installed. Are these a requirement or are the alarms enough? What about fire doors and stair wells? These can be very ugly but I have noted them in some Hotels. Any other major things to think about? I noted that on another post, that someone was charged 4000 euro just for an inspection! Is this correct? It sounds very expensive to be charged this amount just to have an inspection done!

Lead accumulates in the body. It can be ingested inhaled, drunk whatever. The bottom line is that if you get too much of it ABSORBED into your body it can have deleterious effects. Adults absorb about 10% of lead whereas children absorb much more therefore they are more at risk. Leads affects cell division (mitosis) its most serious effects are on the central nervous system. Because childrens brains are much more active ie growing and therefore undergoing mitosis, the effect on children is much more severe. They get a double whammy if you like- they absorb more of the stuff in the first place and then are much more sensitive to it. The biggest risk is degrading paint which breaks down into lead paint dust. If children run around a house with lead dust everywhere it gets on their fingers and we all know where childrens hands inevitably end up- in their mouths. Of course sanding old lead paint creates a lot of lead dust which gets onto- well everything, so it is best not to do this- stripping of the shutters would be best. This is less of a concern if the shutters are outside.

An annuity being earned income (thanks Les) will incure  the same social charges as a pension then? According to Ron this is just CRDS. Is this correct?

is an annuity considered earned or unearned income?

Bevvy are you sure they are going to run the cooker and lights? I though geoTHERMAL was only heat generating? Not electricity generating.

"Don't forget that buying a derelict property to do up is only approx 18% of the true overall costs of the renovation project " With all due respect Val how can you make such a statement. Surely the cost of renovation varies enourmously as does purchase prices, as does peoples ideas about renovations etc etc. Such a pat answer may give an inexperienced owner the wrong idea...... For example how about the Chateau that was recently sold for 20,000 euro. Totally derelict due to a fire. Cost of renovations over 2 million euro. According to your formula it would only cost roughly 100k to restore - oh and dont forget the changes to TVA which might add extra!

Like a lot of things there is the theory and the practice. IMO if the police are involved then  your hand is forced - pay up or be arrested. Not all restauranteurs will tear up the bill. The idea that you are going to waste time energy and resources going through the court system  over a small amount is a joke, unless you are the most vindictive of people, you will never bother. Trouble is you will find that most restaurant owners intuitively know this, so if they are unscrupulous they wil play this to their advantage. In practice, if the meal was not as described or worst, just dont pay. Pay what you think is fair and leave without fuss, then the tables are turned on the restauranteur- he then has to chase you... through the courts.. The reality is that he is probably too busy to bother as well. If going this route, dont wait for phone calls to be made to police. Above all make sure that you are clear why you are not paying and leave with a clear concience.

Thanks everyone for the advice, and Sue for the contact. I think Judy will be able to help out with a name for us.

Thanks for the replies. We suspected that it could be our Australian international notaire (who referred us to the french notaire), trying to generate business for himself by having an arrangement with the Notaire that everything must be translated.He of course was standing by willing to provide this service at a "reasonable" 4000 euro!(written translation). We have since sacked the Australian solicitor. But now we have the situation where the Notaires are asking us for a translator again and the family member is not available this time. Is it usual to rely on the Notaire/agent for translation? I have asked them if this is possible but have not had a response.  

Thanks for the replies. We suspected that it could be our Australian international notaire (who referred us to the french notaire), trying to generate business for himself by having an arrangement with the Notaire that everything must be translated.He of course was standing by willing to provide this service at a "reasonable" 4000 euro!(written translation). We have since sacked the Australian solicitor. But now we have the situation where the Notaires are asking us for a translator again and the family member is not available this time. Is it usual to rely on the Notaire/agent for translation? I have asked them if this is possible but have not had a response.  

Hi all, Just wondering if any of you have been forced (at great expense) by your notaire to have an official translator at the signing of the promesse and the Acte. We have an english speaking Notaire and Agent, and cannot see why we would be reguired to do this. Is this a legal requirement in France?  

Dear Val Thankyou for your reply- your point about the difference between being Australian vs UK is well taken and may very well be the big issue here. I will follow up- thanks again. TeamedUp, you seem to have a problem with me asking an innocent question. Silly me for thinking that this was a forum where people try to help each other. In fact I asked only one question not "questions" and the French Embassy in Australia seems to be as helpful as you are. Your comments about your friends parents in law are ignoring the fact that mine are disabled and are dependant on us (they currently live with us in Australia). Does your friends parents in law currently live with them?

Good Morning I am soon moving over permanently from Australia with my family of 6. My wifes parents are accompanying us. The Mother in Law is in a wheel chair due to diabetes. Will she be able to be covered under my health cover (as a dependant) or will they have to apply for a carte de sejour to get their own health coverage. They are both retired and on an Australian pension.  

I am sure that if your father is the owner of the property but does not live in France, then the only thing that is assessed is his assets in France. Given that the threshold is 720,000 euro and the first band is .55% then the issue presumably will not be a problem. For example if you have an 800,000 euro property you only pay .55% on 800,000- 720,000 which is 440 euro per year. There would be no wealth tax if there was an 80,000 euro mortgage attached to the property. If you were considering a purchase this size, then perhaps the 440 euro should not be an issue? Take a look at this link it should explain most aspects. Good luck. http://www.sykesanderson.com/articles/french_wealth_tax.asp

The last two posts are correct and incorrect. True if the currency moves against you you can end up paying more for your payments(euro goes up against pound) but then so has your asset in pound terms- what is better/ worst? an increased cost of servicing versus increased asset . If financially the purchase stretches you, then the risk is high and you need to hedge by borrowing in pounds. If this is not the case and you are able to say afford a 10% swing in interest payments(and given the strict lending criteria that French banks apply to the 30% rulle you should be able to afford this) then my advice is borrow in France- cheaper interest by a mile.

Thanks for the info! I had figured on around .50 euro so that is a relief. I guess it is safe to assume that the old owner will run the tank dry so I will have to look forward to writing out the cheque for nearly 3000 euro upon arrival.

We will soon be taking possession of our property just outside Rouen. I have been told it has a 6000 litre oil tank! Can anyone advise what the current going rate is to fill such a tank?

What a strange mix you are Weedon.  The general public comes in all shapes and sizes and with all likes and fears (here you profess tolerance and take the high moral ground) and if you make a living out of them you would do well to remember(very condescending) that its one thing to make jokes of them within the confines of your family circle but quite another to all and sundry.  Perhaps when your bookings dry up you may wonder whether it was in fact you that left your brains behind(here you descend into an intolerant, boorish comment). Weedon

You have got a piece of spyware/adware or similar on your computer. My kids are constantly picking these nuisances up. You need to run Spybot or pest patrol which will likely get rid of this software from your computer http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10289035.html

Now I am confused. I thought the Taxe Fonciere was the "council rates" for want of a better term! Also the Taxe Professionelle is a local government tax isnt it? Which is levied by commune, department at levels up to 30%+ It is based on area occupied by the business and also some formula related to salaries and business equipment. Which leads to my question- if you are renting out a large area unfurnished do you have to pay it- because if you do the Taxe might be quite substantial on a large building- even if the actual return is minimal- ie totaly unrelated to your net income/ Sorry if I am asking stupid questions but i want to try to cut through the confusion!  

Hi All I have just "discovered" this tax may apply to our Residence secondaire. Can anyone advise. We aim to cover our expenses by letting the property on an ad hoc basis(hopefully 5-6 weeks per year). I understand that I will need to file  a french tax return , which will not incurr a tax liability due to finance costs etc being greater than any rental. I also understand  that as a non resident(live in France approx 3 months PA) I do  not have to pay any cotisations. But I am confused as to whether we would be considered to be running a letting business and as such would have to pay Taxe Professionelle.   Can anyone advise ? I am sure there must be many who operate on a similar basis.   Thanks in advance   Peter