Benjamin

Hello Blade I don't know the answers to your specific questions but I would guess that it's unlikely that you will be able to relocate to France and then plug into their social security equivalent without ever having put anything in unless there are reciprocal agreements between our two countries. It would be far better for your partner to try to establish a right to a pension or a benefit in the UK before your move. Bear in mind however that more and more of the benefits payable in the UK are no longer claimable ( winter fuel allowance, disability living allowance ) if you have already moved abroad before you try to make the claim. Normally the staff in Newcastle are very helpful and you should maybe use them as your first port of call. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me might pick up this thread and offer better advice. Hope this helps.   Benjamin  

Hello Candide Try somewhere like Castorama (www.castorama.fr) or any of the other brico sheds. There are Castoramas at La Rochelle, Poitiers, Niort and Limoges. Hope that helps.   Benjamin

Contact WWC using the information given by Celine (above). The security checks consist of a photocopy of your passport and a recent copy of a bank statement or utility bill. This was cleared for me by return post. Hope this helps.   Benjamin

Celine Thanks for the info. I've just spoken with Dave Foster (nice guy) and he tells me that because I quoted Living France as my source for finding out about WWC I automatically get, and so will other people, a preferential rate. At least that's what he told me! M3GS I didn't post just because I wanted to say I'd got a better rate than someone else but it's not very often that you get to hear of another rate on exactly the same day that you trade. Maybe the next time it could swing in the other direction but it's nice to know that you're there or there abouts rather than having to ring around half a dozen companies to save tuppence.   Benjamin

I have used Worldwide Currencies today for the first time. No charges from them and a rate of 1.47 for 2,000 pounds. I'll let you know on Thursday what, if anything, CA charge me to receive it.   Benjamin

Thanks for that Baz and Gay   Benjamin

I can't seam two find the spill shecker when I'm replaying or posting.   Bunjamin

This is our first winter in our newish (4 yrs old) bungalow and we are trying to work out the most efficient way of utilising our electric underfloor heating. The system has a modern two zone timer control. We normally leave it running all the time and use the room thermostasts to turn the heating down or off at night but we have found a timing pattern left by the previous owners where they ran both zones for about five hours during the night (cheaper electricity). Given that the house is insulated to modern standards could it be that by running the system at night you get a similar effect to night storage radiators? When the house is warm (20C) it feels very comfortable (large living room of 50 sq mtrs) but it takes several hours to raise the room temperature by 5C. I've experience of using both wet and blown air systems before but I suspect a different approach is needed here. We want to be comfortable but also cost efficient so any tips/comments will be appreciated.   Benjamin    

You seem to have a problem with bridge, or is it bridge players or is it that you like to go the long way round?   Benjamin

Sorry Ron, but I'm one of those poor people that can only afford one P C. I've mentioned on other postings that I use a Livebox purely because it gives me the freedom to site the P C anywhere in the house without being tied to a telephone socket. It might be worth mentioning that when I purchased my P C from a local systems builder I got them to instal the Livebox and establish the ADSL connection because I didn't feel technically competent to deal with any unknown problems that could have occured during the installation. This is always a bit difficult to admit when you know a seven year old could do it with their eyes closed and we adults seem to hit so many snags. It took about 15 minutes for them to do it for me. I can't identify a cost because it was included as part of the "deal" when I purchased the computer, but sometimes I find it worthwhile to get professional help if only to avoid this type of frustration. Benjamin ps where's the spell checker gone on this extremely sexy new system?

You could do the same job using a Livebox if you're with Wanadoo or whatever the equivalent is with another supplier without any cables. The downside is you either have to pay about 100 euros to purchase one outright or rent it for 3 euros per month. I'm using one for exactly that reason, albeit in a modern house without any thick stone walls.   Benjamin

If you play with it too much you'll just flatten the batteries. Seriously............... The Livebox lets you access the Internet from more than one computer at the same time, it will also allow you to pay an additional subscription to access certain French TV channels and the reason I am using one; it lets you access the Internet without being connected to a phone socket. A bit of care is required here if you live in an old house with thick stone walls you may find that you cannot "talk" to the Livebox from all over the house. Benjamin 

If your friend has copies of the reports their French doctor has completed then these may be worthwhile taking with them when an appointment is eventually set. If they have any other written medical records, even in English, then take these to the appointment also. Benjamin 

So long as your friend has some French this should not be a problem as there is always a different way for the doctor to ask the same question. Presumably your friend has an incapacity which may deteriorate or improve over a period of time, hence why they have been asked to have a medical. Since 1995 if you have an "incurable" disability i e it will never get better only worse, you have not been asked to have these periodic appraisals. Our only recent experience is when my wife was asked to attend for a medical at COTOREP when applying for a blue parking permit. After asking what her disability was the examination took approximately five minutes and consisted of the standard tests for her disability so it is highly likely that your friend will already have undergone the same examination previously. Hope this helps. Benjamin 

I'm sorry adrian but I cannot definitively answer your question but is there not a case where you could argue that only that proportion of the interest/terminal bonus accrued after you became fiscally resident in France should be of concern to the French tax man. As far as the terminal bonus is concerned could this not be apportioned over the life of the bond? Taking a simpler example, say that you had a deposit account in the UK paying interest annually in September and you became fiscally resident in April. Out of the interest that you receive in September surely the only part that the French taxman should be interested in is that which can be apportioned to the April to September period and you should account to the UK tax man for the proportion of interest received before then? Or have I started too many other hares running here?   Benjamin     

He could fly Southampton to Rennes 12 December for about 66 quid with Flybe.   Benjamin

I was only trying to save you being beaten up by the ladies on this forum when I now realise you don't need my assistance as you've qualified your remarks as referring only to "french" women.   Benjamin

Whoever said women were the only secret tipplers?   Benjamin

So where did that snide question come from? Explain please.   Benjamin

Ron We are paying FT 27.99 TTC every two months. Why the difference I wonder?   Benjamin

Sorry didn't answer the question fully. The R.I.B. gives details about your bank account, bank, branch account number, which you then give to anyone e g EDF that you are authorising to take payments from your account. Bit like Direct Debit in the UK.   Benjamin

Given that you know what R.I.B. stands for you can either go to your account page if you have internet banking and print one or more off. If you don't but you have a carte bancaire you can go to your own bank's hole in the wall network and print one off. Failing all these go into your branch and ask for one or use one of the ones that is normally printed within your chequebook. Can't think of any more ways to do it at the moment but no doubt someone else will.   Benjamin

I sent an email to a UK government department earlier this week and about 15 hours later I got an automated message from the Hotmail postmaster saying that my message had been delayed but not to send the message again. As this particular department normally send an automated acknowledgement of receipt, I waited another day, got no receipt, so sent the message again. Next day, this morning actually, I got the same message from the Hotmail postmaster and no acknowledgement for either message. Also I received a couple of private emails this morning and these were dated 29 November. I know they could have been typed then and saved as drafts and only sent today but is anyone else out there getting these weird messages or is it just me, something to do with this government department or are Hotmail having some transmission probs?   Benjamin

Thanks for your guidance Teamedup. As you say, it sure is a minefield.   Benjamin

Will the C isn't responding. Can anyone else help please?   Benjamin