Will

Not wishing to get into a pedantic argument but in the UK, as in the rest of Europe, the nominal mains voltage is 230V. This has been the case since 1995, but still the old 'UK 240V, France 220V' myth persists. In order to ease harmonisation, in 2003 the tolerances on the 230V supply were set at +10% -6% for 11 European countries that previously used the higher nominal voltage and at +6% -10% for 13 or so countries that were previously on the lower voltage. As from 2008, all were supposed to standardise on 230V ±10% (originally planned for 2003), but this has been postponed indefinitely. However, there was talk of UK adopting the wider tolerances from this year. So there is a tiny grain of truth behind what the electrician says, but only as far as voltage is concerned, not frequency. And to all intents and purposes the voltage is the same throughout Europe. No, I am not an electrician, but I did spend some time working as editor of a trade magazine in the power generation industry.

RH, if it's any consolation I had exactly the same experience yesterday. In fact I had tried to edit a post but got timed out on each attempt (http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2554119/ShowPost.aspx). However, going via my work server, usually a recipe for slow connections, was OK. All seems good this morning though.

I think you are right - it's probably a case of 'if it's not French then it can't work in France'. Regardless of the fact that, as previously mentioned, consumable items like light bulbs are all made in China anyway. Could this be a pointer to why light bulbs, particularly low-energy ones, are so expensive in France? In all seriousness, if an electrician doesn't know that all of Europe uses the same 230V 50Hz supply, or if he believes his customers may not know this, it doesn't fill one with confidence. And am I alone in having found this site so slow earlier this morning that it was impossible to edit an earlier post that didn't read quite how I wanted it to?  

It is indeed complete and utter couilles. You have to ask yourself whether the electrician you are using is a clown, an ignoramus or a con man.

Yes, and not a very pleasant experience. Demanded proof of everything and anything - the matter being queried was legitimate expenses incurred by Mrs Will in the course of her work, but they required my UK salary slips etc etc. There were a lot of late and sleepless nights worrying about it, and trying to gather the evidence from diary entries, receipts and so on. It was all spread out over several months. It furthermore involved us in the extra expense of using an accountant, without her it would have been difficult to handle despite Mrs W's near-fluent French language skills. Possibly the queries arose because it was the first year our tax returns had been comparatively simple so we had done them ourselves; though the impression given was that Mme Impôts had great difficulty accepting that Mrs W did the job she did for such small reward (particularly as Mrs W still had to meet her own travel, phone etc bills, despite being salaried rather than self-employed) so Mme Impôts was convinced we were on the fiddle. The initial demands for extra tax payments were gradually whittled down, eventually (and very reluctantly) to zero after we had managed to come up with a rather obscure bit of proof demanded by the impôts. Just as well, because our original return was probably far more honest than the majority. It left a very sour taste and was probably a significant factor in our ceasing to be French fiscally resident; most likely having 'got one over' as the tax people saw it, our dossier would be well and truly marked for future years.

Unlike most small businesses, France actively encourages artists, and special rules apply so the normal autoentrepreneur route may not be suitable. We have a good friend who is a painter, living first in Normandy and then in Avignon. He formerly used this forum but his artistic temperament proved too much and he got barred, otherwise he could explain it himself. There are numerous financial incentives available - our friend was able, for example, to claim benefits (legally) and still earn from selling his work, up to a reasonably generous figure. I'm n ot sure if this concession is still available, but if not then there will be other similar schemes. The maison des artistes and/or your local URSSAF office will be able to fill you in on cotisations, taxes, turnover rates etc. I am assuming you are/will be resident in France?

After five full years of ownership, plus-values liability reduces by 10% each year. So after 15 years the liability is zero.

Aren't we getting a bit mixed up between foreign residents and foreign nationals? A French person living overseas is a foreign resident. So is a British person with a second home in France. There is probably a good case for the former to be able to vote, no reason at all in my opinion (but others will probably disagree) for the latter. A British (for example) national living in France is a French resident, and so is entitled to vote, or to stand for election, in French local elections. Only French nationals can vote in French national elections. The very brief story which the link brings up gives no clue as to which of these categories it is referring.

[quote user="Simon-come-lately"]  ...Another Champagne Socialist bites the dust - wonderful! ...[/quote] So I take it you believe that his behaviour would be perfectly acceptable if he was from a right-of-centre party?

Most ferry operators have always asked for a vehicle registration number, Brittany Ferries has only done so within the last year or so. It is indeed to comply with current security/port control regulations, which I understand to be European rather than merely French legislation. You can leave it blank when booking if you are not sure, and you can change it, usually without penalty on Brittany Ferries, up to the time of check-in, at least on the English side of the channel. If things are different when starting the journey in France, then it is most likely part of the particular port's security policy.

Of course language constantly evolves, otherwise we'd be stuck somewhere in the 17th century or earlier and be unable to describe so many aspects of present-day life. Unfortunately that's all-too-often an excuse trotted out for carelessness or ignorance. Grammar evolves too; there are a few pedants who hang on to the old rules they were taught about split infinitives or starting a sentence with a conjunction. In their eyes, to do so is still wrong. But these 'errors' of yesteryear are now widely accepted, because they help with clear, concise sentence contruction. On the other hand, things like misusing collective nouns, or other common errors like writing 'different to' rather than 'different from' contribute nothing to clarity or simplicity. Quite the opposite in fact. When publications go to the trouble of producing their own style guides (such as the Times, and the BBC) then to my mind the writers/sub-editors or presenters are guilty of laziness (if not ignorance) when they fail to follow that style. Edit: RH - I suppose that is an example of how language may evolve. I'm not saying your example is text-book English, but a verb doesn't always need an object, and the meaning in this context is clear and unambiguous without the 'you'. It may sound wrong to present-day ears, but could well be acceptable to the next generation of English speakers. Of course, in some cases the object may be needed to make the meaning clear, so then it should be included.

It's OK, I count Dick as a friend, so it's good to confirm that he would be definitely, categorically and emphatically correct (how's that for tautology?). 'Personnel', although a singular noun, always refers to a body of employees or a body involved in, as in this example, military service. You can't have one personnel. If in doubt try replacing the word 'personnel' in the sentence with 'people'. "One Royal Navy people has..." is obviously nonsense, so the BBC is wrong again. Frankly I despair about current grammar and usage. Not only the BBC, but the Times, the Telegraph, all come out with similar errors. Maybe Britain needs a Loi Toubon to preserve the correct use of the English language...

Try this chap - I've used him to repair Renault key cards and I know he does other makes and types of keys. He gives excellent service. I'm sure he can post to France. http://www.keyrepair.co.uk/index.html When I had a new 306 many years ago I am sure it came with only two keys, only one of which worked remotely. Both types need to be programmed to the car in order to de-activate the immobiliser when starting the engine, but when I needed an extra key a local shoe repair/key cutting shop could cut and program it with no problem.

Woolly - You are being a grumpy old windbag. British TV is still the best in the world. You should try watching Norwegian, Danish, Greek, Turkish - not to mention the mainstream dross peddled by the French TV channels. Jeremy Kyle is one of the best comedy programmes on the box. Or do you think it is real?

Sweets beat me to it. This might help http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2055479/ShowPost.aspx The key is to find a notaire willing to do the deal; many won't.

It would appear that the Normandie is stuck in port at Caen - presumably unable to sail due to industrial action. As a result, the Mont St Michel is being diverted to Cherbourg. It looks as if things should get back to normal tomorrow, but who knows?

I wouldn't get too worried about the 90-day rules as far as tax is concerned, you actually need to average 90 days in UK over each of four (I think) consecutive years, and the rule only tends to be invoked to catch large-scale non-dom tax avoiders. Anyway, there's no problem for most people about qualifying for fiscal residence in both UK and France; the double taxation agreement takes good care of the decision about where any part of your income is taxed. As far as health care/social security is concerned, Coops is right in that the 180-day period isn't set in stone. It depends on where you spend most time. For example, under the EEA reciprocal agreements, if you spent 170 days in UK, 160 days in France, and the remainder of the year somewhere else, you could still claim eligibility for UK health care as that is where you spend most time (as long as that's where you pay your contributions of course). But I agree, best to make it as clear-cut as you can.

I wouldn't worry too much about Sea France. It's part of SNCF, and thus at least nominally state-owned. So the government would be very unlikely to just allow it to fail; the impact on jobs would be too severe (it claims to be the biggest employer in Calais, for example) and the seamen's unions still have considerable clout in France. There have been several restructuring plans, involving job cuts, which the unions have blocked. Sea France could still be privatised, and I am sure the government would jump at the chance. In fact it nearly happened a couple of years ago when LDA (LD Lines' parent) expressed an interest. Brittany Ferries also wanted to buy a majority stake at one point. Both deals fell though though. Unfortunately Speedferries was never a sustainable business. The only way it could succeed would have been if it gained so much business from the other operators that they were forced to pull out, then Speedferries could have set its own pricing at an economic level. But as it couldn't carry freight, which is the bread and butter for the operators of conventional ferries, it stood no real chance.

Thank you for the link, which I have made clickable here. It is clear from the above that a foreign national can start an AE business in France, which I don't think was ever disputed. I'm still a bit uneasy, despite what Albert says, about non-resident status, which thankfully doesn't apply to the OP. It is true that as soon as you start a business of any sort in France then you become fiscally resident (though you can still be fiscally resident elsewhere, and where you actually pay tax is governed by whatever double taxation agreement is in place). It's more the social security aspect that concerned me because I can see that opening the proverbial can of worms, and it could prove very costly to pay charges in more than one country for no benefit. One would most likely get away with it but I can see a possibility of confusion when it comes to things like E forms or retirement benefits. Which is why I suggested taking proper advice, and certainly not relying on either forum speculation or the tax/SS officials in either country, because they only know about their own systems (and don't always give correct advice on those) and do not have the bigger picture.

The cartridges on many 'cheap' laser printers - including most Samsungs and some Brothers - can be refilled with toner, a very simple and inexpensive process involving taking out a plug and/or unscrewing the end cap. The refillable cartridges don't last for ever, but you do get at least two or three refills out of most cartridges. More expensive printers, like HP, can also be refilled, but it's a rather more complicated and messy process involving drilling holes in the toner cartridge casing.

Like this one for example: http://www.pixmania.com/fr/fr/5683427/art/samsung/imprimante-laser-ml-1665.html

In that case, the question of residence is clear-cut. And you are exactly the sort of person that the AE scheme is aimed at. You have little or nothing to lose by registering your new business.

[quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"][quote user="Will"]The only thing that isn't clear is whether the OP's main job is in France or not. I think a French AE business alongside English employment, for example, would be a non-starter, for various reasons. [/quote] Could you expand on that, Will? Assuming that everything is duly declared, that the AE work is actually done in France and that the OP has a French address I can't see any show-stoppers in the rules. [/quote] My understanding is that the AE scheme applies only to French residents. Of course, there are various ways of defining 'residence' - I was thinking more in terms of social security than tax. It's the sort of question you need to ask a properly qualified person rather than relying on forum advice (or, even, HMRC or the French tax office).

The AE scheme was set up just so that enterprising people in full-time employment could legally start a small business on the side, with the hope that it would grow into a full-scale business. Total income is irrelevant, it's the AE income that is limited. The only thing that isn't clear is whether the OP's main job is in France or not. I think a French AE business alongside English employment, for example, would be a non-starter, for various reasons.

I'm afraid I don't entirely understand where the seller is coming from here. The requirement, as I understand it, is for a report to be produced on the drainage system, in the same way that reports are produced for asbestos, lead paint, termites etc. The fact that the septic tank doesn't meet current standards doesn't mean the house can't be sold, just as if asbestos was found, for example. It's merely so that the buyer is aware that work will need to be done to bring the drainage system up to scratch - this can be at the buyer's expense or it may be possible to negotiate a lower price to take this into account. If every house sold in France had to have the latest drainage then it would be impossible to buy and sell the restoration projects beloved by British buyers. The requirement has been in place for some time in certain areas, and since January it has gone nationwide. See http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2388926/ShowPost.aspx and http://www.french-property.com/news/build_renovation_france/septic_tank_surveys_2011/ I'm also a little mystified that you say you gave the seller a deposit cheque; the deposit should always be paid to the notaire, or in some cases the agent will hold the deposit. You should discuss this with the agent (if you bought through one) and/or the notaire handling the transaction. If the seller pulls out at this stage then you should be able to force the sale or there may be an entitlement to compensation in addition to return of the deposit. However being entitled to compensation and actually getting it are rather different things...