Westoncromwell

can anyone tell me, with regard to chimney sweeps etc 1. is the certificate neccessary to make using a chimney 'legal' 2. are those bricks that are meant to clean your chimney worth it     and so how does that leave you if you don't have a cert   kind regards Brian   ps thing in the Times today saying that a French family are being prosecuted as they 'allowed' a drunk guest to drive home. Will these mean that there will be a mega market for legirons in France ?   

Also with your fear of being taxed twice- that won't happen. You will get a 'tax credit' against any tax paid in Jersey or Guernsey on your tax assessment and I think you will find that taxes are less onerous in France e.g. for 50 to 60 year old retired you only pay tax on 50% of the actual pension amount less your personal tax allowance etc   Brian

   I found my property in the Corbieres by trawling through the internet and looking at all the local French estate agents. You soon get a 'feel' for prices and what you can afford in whichever area. The internet is such a cheap and efficient tool to enable you to get a short-list and nearly all the sites have lots of photos of the properties. Also with regard to finance I believe that you only pay the 'mutuelle contributions' once you have received the state retirement age as the national insurance contributions (French equivalent) no longer apply.   best of luck   Brian  

I think that the current oil crisis underlines the need to seek out alternative supplies of energy. However, I too feel that they do tend to be a 'blot' on the landscape and especially to site them in areas of outstanding beauty such as Corbieres or Cotswolds is indeed folly. They need to be situated in secondary sites. Whenever we visit Cyprus there seem to be alot there but where they are situated in groups near industrial zones seems to be a good compromise.

When I first became intimately entwined with La France about 30 years ago I stumbled upon M. Halliday, who was the described as an international 'Rock Star' with a huge following in the USA. I had never heard of him in England, I like his voice but still, I believe he has no presence here, only Charles Aznavour and 'Slasher' Distel ever made it 'big', so if Johnny still, at the ripe old age of 60+? needs to wrap himself in this internationally recognised blanket then who am I to argue? rock on Sherrif Johnny....

To get this sort of house for this sort of price, you will have to buy alittle bit away from the coast, in the Corbieres for example. We bought from the following agence who were very helpful throughout: cledescorbieres.com

I visited Quillan and thought the place was charming. The only criticism was the amount of dog pooh on the pavements. I fail to understand why the owners, in France, can never bother to clean up especially as it is not only very unsightly but a major health hazard. For 20 seconds work using an old carrier bag, Quillan, in fact the whole of France would be a much prettier place. Perhaps we should start a new thread entitled 'The impact of dogowners'

I have researched this and it appears that uk rental income is still taxed in uk, you will not pay tax in France as there is a 'double tax' treaty. You still divulge the amount you earn to the French authorities and this is so they can have a base figure should you have any further income in France- so they can charge you at the correct income tax band, and also I believe so they can calculate the Couverture maladie Universelle which is at 8%.

We have just returned from Laroque de fa and the weather was atocious, mind you I think it was poor all over France, but back in Blighty the sun was shining!! There is no justice

I think Quillan has become a buzz word for where to move to in the Aude area. There is a similar situation in Dordogne in a town called Eymet, I beleive they have a newspaper called 'The Dordogne Telegraph'. They have there own cricket team, possibly Quillan could form a team to play them ?

Am I correct in assuming that if you are a uk citizen residing in France and receiving rental income from the uk, then this income is taxed solely by the Inland Revenue (because of the double tax agreement) and the reason that it has to be declared to the French Tax Authorities is so that an assessment can be made on this uk income (after deduction of the uk tax already paid) as to what your cpam/national insurance contributions should be and this is levied at 8%. Am I also correct in assuming that there is no furthersocial charge of 10% levied on this income as it is treated as being 'tax paid' in the uk? Would appreciate any input, thanks in advance

I note that under the 'double-tax agreement' with France that tax is paid for property held by a uk citizen in the Uk to the Inland Revenue. However I understand that this income still has to be declared to the French Authorities. What is the reason for this declaration? Do you have to pay social charges or 'national insurance' to the French Tax authorities on top of the UK tax that has been paid in the UK ? In the UK there is no levy of National Insurance on Rented Income but must this be paid in France and if so at what rate ? Anybody know ? Thanks in advance

Can anyone recommend a good village/town school for a six year old English speaking child either public or private in 11 or 66 ? thanks in advance

try www.maporama.com- they will give you the shortest route for any itinerary in France with detailed maps and roads

Corbieres normally comes under the South-east section. Where did you here of this possibility and do you have any idea of the intended route ? Kind regards BW

ask Lucas at '[email protected]' he is based near Lezignan and can help with this sort of thing and has been a great help to us. regards B.Weston

try agence immobiliere 'La Cle des Corbieres' at Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse, not too far away, e-mail: [email protected] They have been very helpful with us. kind regards

We found the further you go from the sea/cities tends to decide the price. You can find a house in the Corbieres with garden and possibly land outside the village for about 100-150,000 euros. In the Corbieres you are under 1 hour from the sea and about 1.5 hours from the skiing.Try www.cledescorbieres.com they are very helpful. BW

We have bought a house in a village in the Corbieres called Laroque de Fa. As the village is built on a hill side and is of medieval origin, the roads are very narrow and difficult to negotiate. As the house is empty we need to buy most things from scratch. We will be going to buy the stuff to fill up the house in April and we need to source a new cooker,new washer dryer and new fridge freezer. Does anyone know where we can buy such things that would deliver in a village with narrow winding roads. Also we need furniture... Would appreciate any information to help me prepare the house for my family. Thanks in advance BW

Could anybody fill me in where the high winds and flooding occurred did it affect the Corbieres ?

We visited Frejus and its environs in 2002 with the intention to buy. We thought it was beautiful but just to check, we then visited Languedoc in 2003. We found it just as wonderful but half the price so we ended up buying the house there instead... might be worth a look.

Does anyone know how many Brits live in or around Quillan as it seems to be a popular place B.Weston