Mersons

Very interesting Will.  The company you've mentioned do have a Laguna practically the same as our's at a very good price.  It's given us food for thought.  We have stuff to take over, so just selling our car and flying back isn't really an option.  However, we can advertise our car in several places, take a trip over with our stuff, then come back here and hopefully sell our car.  Then we could fly back to the UK and buy another almost right away.  At the moment we still don't have the final date for signing the Acte, so that's making planning a bit awkward as it could be 3 weeks away, or 5-6 weeks.  Thanks for the info and suggestions. Sheila

Thanks for all the great advice folks.  We don't do a great deal of driving, but, it looks like our first thought, i.e. selling our car here before we leave, is the best, even if it makes things a bit awkward for us until we buy another one.  An exchange or part-exchange would be ideal, but I don't suppose there's a huge chance of that happening since we don't really live in an ideal world.  Small ads here we come.  I've been doing some digging for Internet classified sites meantime so that's a start.  Thanks again. Sheila 

Thanks for that OVM, I've already looked at that site.  I'd hoped to hear someone's actual experience of doing this, and maybe hear about approx. cost of changing the headlamps, if this is necessary.  Hopefully someone who visits this forum will be able to share that experience.  Its just a comfort thing to help us decide what to do.

Slight change of question here.  Could anyone who has gone back to live in the UK and taken their french LHD car with them, and registered it with the DVLC, share their experience with us.  Were there any big hassles, or was it very straightforward?  Did you have to have the headlights replaced, or adjusted, and how expensive was that?  We do like our car a lot and, if we think it won't be a great hassle and expense, we might just take it with us.  Anyone?? Sheila 

Hi Bones,   The car's a Renault Laguna Expression 1.9 DCi 120, registered May 2004, electric sun roof, radio/cd, sixth gear, air-con, etc. with really low mileage, and in great condition.  We really like it 'cause its a lovely quiet, comfortable car (its even got blinds on the windows in the back), and have thought about keeping it and registering it in the UK, but the hassle and cost of having the headlamps changed to comply before we could register it kind of puts us off.  Also, being LHD in the UK would make it difficult to resell later, especially LHD with changed headlamps.  Ideally, if we could exchange or part exchange it for a decent RHD car - yes, to go back in to answer your question, that would be good.  We're sure there must be people who've either already come to live here, or are about to, who would like to change from RHD to LHD.  However, we're considering different options.  We've done costings on the Argus and another similar website to find the current value, so we know that we'd get more for our car here than in the UK. Sheila 

We're going back to live in the UK towards the end of August and have been thinking about selling our french bought, LHD car, or exchanging, or even part-exchanging it for a RHD one, before we go.  Please can anyone who's done this recommend good web sites and/or other places to advertise this where it'll get good exposure to the right markets, preferably free, or very cheap?  Sheila 

Have PM-ed you on this. Sheila

We set up a thing called TAPS before we left the UK six years ago, I think it means Trans Account Payment System or something like that.  It's a bit like paying a bill, but into the account you specify.  It costs nothing and you get the bank rate.  It was our bank who suggested it and we used to pay £5 per transaction, but they did away with the charge at some point.  We move money into our french account as and when we need it and it takes five or six working days to transfer.  There's a transfer limit of £10,000. Sheila 

Thank you for that recipe Garlic.  I've used it several times now and it's a success every time.  We had a couple of Indian meals recently in restaurants in Paris and my husband said that my naan bread was better than their's.  I used to mess about with yeast, etc. and it was a bit hit and miss, so I'm really happy with this one.  Sheila

Has anyone had experience of redirection from France to the UK?  How efficient is the service in that direction? 

Thanks for the helpful replies folks. Sheila

I've tried a couple of searches with no luck.  Does anyone know how big a van one can hire and drive on an ordinary driving license in France?  We'd be using it for a house move to the UK.  Just wondering if there's a difference between France and the UK with regard to this.  If we can hire a bigger van here in France for our removal, we'll take our stuff over and then come back for our car.  If not, we'll probably drive up, hire a van, and come back for our stuff.  Any info, advice, etc. welcome. Sheila

Age               51 Gender          Female    Nationality     British (Scottish)  Job:               Retired  What is your position about France (Pro, Anti, No opinion)?  Pro Main questions of the quizz: Have you ever been to France?     Yes What’s the first thing coming to your mind when you heard France?       Ricard, wine, farmers' markets, and complicated beaurocracy. Have you ever heard of a specialized magazine about France (France magazine, France, French…..)?    Yes, Living France and French News. When you think about France, do you only think about Paris or the entire country?    The entire country, or at least the parts I've visited. Do you think France is like those Photos? http://dryosia.free.fr/tpe          In some ways, for example, if you've only been a tourist in France, these might be the sort of images that would come to mind.  If you live here, not quite so much. What is your favourite thing about France?     Several things, including quiet countryside walks, café culture, markets, the expressiveness of the french people, the french language, good inexpensive wine. If you have already been, did you find the French welcoming?    Very, and even more so when we showed willing to get involved in local events and to join local organisations. Comments    After having lived in France for five and a half years, we are moving on and will be living in England fairly soon.  However, we have thoroughly enjoyed living in rural France and will always remember our time here with great fondness.  We will continue to come to France as tourists as often as we can. 

Thanks for the comments and information.  Re Sunday Driver's comments, that's how we've always understood the situation.  The UK Inland Revenue know that we live in France and the french Inland Revenu know that all of our income is generated and taxed in the UK.  We've hidden nothing and have never been told that we must apply for exemption to UK tax.  Everyone's situation is different.  We've sent in a tax declaration every year and we've paid our quarterly cotisations for health cover based on our Revenue Fiscal de Reference.  As tax residents in France, with this being our only residence for the past five years, we're not liable for CGT.   Sheila

They've only applied the charge to the interest, not to the pension.   Re the other comment - all our income is generated in the UK and we have our reasons for choosing to continue paying tax in the UK.  Since there's a double taxation treaty, we don't have to pay tax on it here too.  We're just curious about why we've suddenly been billed for social charges for the first time in five years when our income was less last year than it was when we first declared.  Maybe this year they did pay attention to all the backup material I always send.  As it turns out, we'll be moving to the UK to live in the near future, so there's no point in changing now anyway.  As soon as we can sell our house, we'll be off.   Sheila 

We've completed a french tax declaration every year since we came here to live and have never had a demand for Contributions Sociales before, but we did this year.  We've always declared all our interest on UK bank accounts as well as my husband's company pension and accompanied the form with copies of all his payslips and P60, our monthly advice of payments of interest from investments, and tax information sheets from our bank and investment company showing interest and UK tax paid on it.  We've always shown proof that tax has been paid on all of this in the UK. Our income hasn't increased (in fact it's less than the first year we were here due to the drop in interest after the twin towers tragedy) and our Revenue Fiscal de Reference is about the same as the last couple of years.  Have I missed something?  What's changed in the tax regime this year that they've billed us for social contributions?  I have no problem with paying it if we're due it, but I don't understand why this year and not before when our circumstances are still the same.  I thought maybe it was a mistake and was going to try to reclaim it.  Any ideas? Sheila     

Thanks Lee.  However, its not so much tax they're concerned about.  They've been told by an estate agent that they can only sell for a certain percentage over what they paid.  They've also been told that the previous owner may be able to claim some of the profit if it is over a certain percentage.  The agent had heard something about the possibility of claiming back some of their fees if they sell within these limits.  So I thought someone in here might know more about it. Sheila

Trying to find info to help friends who want to sell their house well within two years of buying it.  Does anyone in the forum know what the law is with reference to a limit to how much profit they can make, and the possibility of previous owner claiming some of it.  They probably should consult a lawyer but I don't think they can afford that. Thanks in advance. Sheila

[quote user="FurryKnickers"] I don't know if you had "piss the beds" in England?  They were a grand little daisy like wild flower, I have not heard of them since I was a little lad back in County Kildare.  You dare not pick one or you would do what they are named!   [/quote] In scotland my Mum said the same thing about dandelions - "If you pick dandelions, you'll pee the bed."  Then, when I came to France, I found out that dandelions are called "pis en lit" (pee in the bed) here.  Reading this made me think of Rainbow Drops, Lucky Tatties, Soor Plooms and Frying Pan lollies, the sweeties I used to buy with my sixpence on the way to school.  When I was three, there was a milkman who came round on a horse-drawn cart and my Dad used to go out with a shovel to pick up the dung for the garden.  Playing in the tin bath in the back yard in the summer.  A bit later a friend and I used to work all day during the summer holidays at local riding stables for free, just to be able to ride the horses down to the field at the end of the day.  We used to love sitting up on top of the haybales at lunchtime eating our sandwiches.  Happy memories.  

There's also: http://www.graines-baumaux.fr/

Has anyone in the forum tried the Micronet Satellite Broadband service.  We've seen an ad in an English language newspaper in France and its tempting to try it because our village is not looking like having broadband for a long time, but I'd like to know if anyone else has installed it and if its all it seems from the ad and the web site.  Here's the site for anyone who's interested in taking a look.      http://www.getbroadbandanywhere.com/ Thanks in advance. Sheila

Tried it for a year and found that it didn't make a blind bit of difference.  Didn't renew the subscription. Sheila

Don't rely on Newcastle sending you the letter to say you're no longer covered.  We didn't get one and we ended up over-running the date because we forgot it was due to end.  So we had no cover for a couple of months before we realised the E106 was finished.  Better to phone them and ask for it. When we received our form from CMU we were asked to enclose our Avis D'impôt on the previous year's income, photocopies of birth and marriage certificates, photocopies of our cartes vitale and most recent EDF bill (of course).  After a while you'll receive a letter telling you what your quarterly payments will be.  You may get new cartes vitale but more probably you'll just have to update the ones you have in one of the green machines.  Then you'll receive a bill every quarter from URSSAF for your health cover, based on your previous years income as on your Avis D'impôt.  We've received a form every year since to complete and enclose a copy of our most recent Avis so that they can reassess our payments. Depending on the efficiency of the office in your area, you may find that you'll have to phone and chase them up a few times, and they may lose the odd copy of your documents and ask you to send it again.  I had to send our marriage certificate four times before we got our cartes vitale.  Good luck! Sheila

Even if I had remembered to add the ?, I would still have made that point.  If I was advertising something for personal gain, I could see why it would be unacceptable.   However, I'm passing on useful information in this forum in the hope of maybe saving someone a few hundred euros.  My neighbour will sell the house whatever I do or say and he'd be just as happy to sell privately as via an agent.  I'm sure the forum admin will delete my post if they think its inappropriate.  Thanks for your comment.

If you have any trouble finding spices in your area, you could try this site.  They have a huge variety of spices and mixes as well as herbs, etc.  Slightly pricey perhaps, but its great to try out different blends and stuff.  They don't charge too much for postage either. Sheila http://www.thespiceshop.co.uk/