Bartbag

Thanks to all who replied - we'll be in touch with you all if we haven't done so already.

Dear All, I've put this question in the Pools section as well as I'm not sure where it would be best placed - hope that's allowed!  Sorry if it isn't.  My husband and I are preparing to start a swimming pool maintenance company and visited the Chambre de Metiers yesterday for some advice.  We won't be installing pools, merely cleaning them, wintering them etc., dealing with any pump problems etc.  The chap at the C. de M. says that we need the decennial (apologies if misspelt!) insurance even though we're not installing the pools.  I thought the decennial insurance was like a 10 year guarantee on building work etc. but he reckons that you need it for anything to do with water.  I can't see what we're guaranteeing for 10 years if we're doing cleaning, maintenance etc. - how can we guarantee that for 10 years? Has anybody else come across the same advice?  Is it accurate? We're going to go and see our insurance broker and see what she says but would welcome any feedback.  Thanks!

Dear All, Thought I'd try asking a question in this section but I might put it in the Earning a Living section as well.  My husband and I are preparing to start a swimming pool maintenance company and visited the Chambre de Metiers yesterday for some advice.  We won't be installing pools, merely cleaning them, wintering them etc., dealing with any pump problems etc.  The chap at the C. de M. says that we need the decennial (apologies if misspelt!) insurance even though we're not installing the pools.  I thought the decennial insurance was like a 10 year guarantee on building work etc. but he reckons that you need it for anything to do with water.  I can't see what we're guaranteeing for 10 years if we're doing cleaning, maintenance etc. - how can we guarantee that for 10 years? Has anybody else come across the same advice?  Is it accurate? We're going to go and see our insurance broker and see what she says but would welcome any feedback.  Thanks!

Receiving payments - if only!  Thought I'd reply to this as we visited URSSAF today for the first time (doubtless the first of many visits...) and the lady assured us that whichever month we started our business, the ACCRE relief from cotisations would be for a 12 month period after that and not for the rest of 2008!  She also gave us a leaflet which said the same thing.  So I don't know if that's something that's been changed since you started your business. Anyway, thanks for the good wishes, Mandycats, and although I'm sure the paperwork will get me down, will try not to let it drag me down! 

Thanks, Mandycats.  I'm  a bit confused by your first paragraph as we aren't receiving any benefits. As far as your second para. goes, thanks very much for that.  We had actually been told something different from that, i.e. that it did apply for the first 12 months of your business operating!  This makes a huge difference, obviously.  It wasn't anyone official that told us that - but it was someone who is supposed to be a reliable authority on all things official!  Will check that out asap. Thanks for your advice and I hope your business is going well now.

Dear All, I wonder whether anyone has personal experience of this and can advise accordingly.  My husband and I are currently registered unemployed and intend to start a business; we hope to benefit from the ACCRE scheme (no cotisations for first 12 months in business after being registered unemployed for 6 months).  Our ANPE lady assures us that we can do casual jobs (e.g. gardening etc.) on Cheque Emploi scheme without endangering our unemployed registration; she says that we just need to state that we are still looking for work when registering online with ASSEDIC each month.  We would hate to find out, when it's too late, that for the sake of a couple of days' work, we have to register as unemployed and start the 6 months' count all over again, and have found in the past that different people often tell you different things!  Does anyone have a definite answer?  Thanks.

Hello, all, Thinking of taking husband for a few nights away at the beginning of June (big birthday) and currently looking at the Ile de Re.  It sounds delightful, I must say.  The hotels are a bit pricey though.  Has anyone stayed somewhere they can recommend?  Have also been looking at guest houses and there are some gorgeous looking places.  Anyone got any suggestions?  Thanks.

That's really helpful, thanks!  Will have a good look at their website.

Thanks, Les.  Anyone got any thoughts on that?  Does it come highly recommended?  We both have a basic level of French, by the way. 

My husband's going to be 40 at the beginning of June and I want to take him away for a couple of nights.  We live in the Limousin (Correze) and I want it to be a surprise - I am thinking of driving so I don't want it to be more than 3 hours away, although we could take the train from Tulle or Brive, which would give us more scope.  I was thinking of a couple of nights in a hotel somewhere we've never been, maybe Bordeaux or Toulouse or somewhere on the coast (Arcachon, maybe?) but then I suddenly thought 'What about a theme park?'  I've looked at the sites for Puy du Fou but there are no rides there, from what I can tell, and he's very partial to a rollercoaster.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  It doesn't have to be a theme park - that just came to me in a flash as we loved Disneyworld and Universal Studios.  I want something that will completely take his mind off our current concerns (moles and earning a living, not necessarily in that order...) and have a few months to research and get something organised.  We could go up to Paris for a couple of nights but we always end up walking miles and miles when we go there and being totally knackered!  All ideas welcome!  Thanks.

Hi there, Would love to join you but too far away (near Lapleau in Haute-Correze); I don't suppose there's a branch near me, is there?

Hello, all, I'm sure I've read something about this somewhere but have gone through our pile of reference material and have had a look through the Forum - can't find it but wonder if anyone knows the answer.  My husband and I will be buying a house in France very soon and want to arrange it so as to avoid inheritance tax if one of us dies first (or rather when, probably...); I believe you can arrange to have a community marriage contract so as to do this. But... I'm sure I've read somewhere that this only applies if the original marriage took place within the EU.  We're both UK citizens but got married in Florida - does this mean we have to undergo some kind of civil ceremony in France before we can get the community marriage thingy sorted out?  I'm all for it if it means a new hat...  Will go and practise our excruciating French on the notaire (or would it be the mairie) but I wonder if anyone on here knows the answer first.   Many thanks.

Thank you for all your responses, especially Sunday Driver.  Yes, we do have our quittus fiscale VAT certificate - I must confess I hadn't read the small print.....  It's just these b***** headlights holding everything up - we tried every breaker's yard within a 50 mile radius but nobody had them.  Hopefully, they will arrive any day now and we can get them fitted and then arrange for the CT.  In the meantime, we will sort out a French car insurance policy.  Thanks again!

Thanks for all your suggestions and comments.  Bartbag

I wonder if anyone can advise on this one?  We're in the process of registering our UK imported car in France but are waiting for the headlights to arrive (and if anyone knows why it's half the price to order the headlights for a Peugeot from Germany rather than buy them in France, I'd love to know...).  I've told the DVLA we're exporting the car and the tax runs out at the end of August.  Someone's told me that traffic police can pull you over if your UK tax has expired and that our insurance won't be valid - is this correct, does anyone know?  The insurance is specifically for driving in Europe rather than at home.  All replies gratefully received. 

Dear All,  Apologies if this has been asked & answered already - I have had a look but couldn't find very much.  My husband and I moved out to France 7 weeks ago and plan to start a business sometime next year once we've bought a house and got it habitable.  We read in 'Living France' recently that it helps from a tax/social charge point of view if you have registered as unemployed for six months prior to starting up the business inasmuch you won't have to pay as much for the first 12 months.  We know we're not eligible for any unemployment benefit but the breathing space would be very welcome when the time comes.  Has anyone had any experience of this?  Could they provide any pointers at all?  Would appreciate any advice at all.  We spent five years thinking about coming and finally took the plunge this summer - am falling in love with the Correze countryside.  Glad we went to French classes for so long though!  And thanks to all the contributors on the forum - it really is an enormous help to us; hope we can start providing useful advice one day too. Bartbag[:D]

Thanks to all who have replied to my query about teaching English in France.  Certainly some food for thought there. I know - I'll think of a story about a young boy with big glasses who has exciting adventures involving wizards and then I'll write a bestseller! A bientot, Wendy

Hello, all, Just sorting out the freehold on our flat in England before we start seriously thinking about moving to France.  Planning to move to the Limousin and thinking about ways to earn money.  Is TEFL a feasible proposition there?  Are there enough people??  Has anyone done a course in UK that they could recommend?  Thinking about letting out properties to French or British people but will probably need some money apart from that. Thanks for any useful thoughts!  Wendy

Thanks to everyone for your replies and helpful advice.  Yes, that's what concerns us about gites, chambres d'hotes etc. - whether supply is going to start outweighing demand.  That's why we're wondering whether a better bet would be to let apartments out long-term to French people.  We've heard that it's still the case that a lot of French people rent apartments in (or near to) town and buy their houses out in the country for when they retire - does anyone know if this is still the case?  The advantage of long-term lets is a year-round income, of course (that's if you can let them out!).  Unfortunately, we don't qualify for any pensions yet so need to earn enough to live on. 

Dear All,  What a great site this is!  This is my first time on it.  My husband & I are flying out to Limoges on 19th April for our first visit to the area.  We are hoping to move to the Limousin and start a business and are deliberating as to whether it would be best to buy a building that we could use as a chambre d'hotes out in the country or buy somewhere closer to Limoges that could be divided up into apartments and let out long-term to French people.   We're coming out mainly for a holiday and to explore the area but might spend an afternoon or two looking at some properties as well.  Does anyone have any experiences of either of the above?  All advice welcome!  We're very cautious people & would hate to make a disastrous decision!  We've been studying French for a couple of years & are improving but it seems very slow-going at times.  Thanks.  Wendy Barton