BJSLIV

As I said Eurostar spell it out, if you want to change a ticket you pay a higher price, if you know exactly when you will travel they offer specially low fares which cannot be changed. Thats why I said if you have one of the cheapest tickets with no changes allowed if you rang up early today and explained that it was a genuine mistake they might exceptionally change it for you. Otherwise they have the technology to charge you the equivalent of the single fare that you have used. They have to threaten to do this otherwise nobody would ever pay the full fare. Eurostar still operate an old-fashioned pricing model which charges more for flexibility and duration. Budget airlines, and Speedferries, have moved towards a model that penalises late booking but is independent of duration. Either way the aim is to maximise their revenues.

The english website sets out their fare conditions http://www.eurostar.com/dctm/jsp/services/detail_fares.jsp?page=fares&id=09001a59800b3af8 If you have booked one of the cheapest tickets its probably worth a phone call early tomorrow to play the stupidity game. Otherwise if you are as unlucky as I am it would probably be cheaper to rebook another returm, otherwise you risk paying the full single fare, plus whatever you have to pay to get back. Others will probably say that they get away with it every other week

You will be liable to income tax, and possibly social charges, on any interest earned. The amount and where you will pay it will  depend on where you are living at the time.

A few people have already commented on their experiences. The only people who can tell you the actual size will be the officials who carry out the inspection. Their decision on the size of the tank will be determined by the size and declared use of the property. Don't forget that the nature of the soil, and hence the size and type of drainage system can have a significant effect on the cost.

Have you ticked the box for it to remember the password (Servers, Properties)?

The occasional (four/five yearly) inspections are all part of the new regulations. When the inspection takes place any repairs or improvements required to meet the norms will be notified, and a time limit imposed in which to do them. If a fosse has not been emptied frequently enough and as a result it has overflowed via the drainage field then this will be picked up, and remedial action will have to be taken. Certainly invoices to prove that the tanks have been emptied will be useful, but as its all very new, nobody really knows whether they will insist that tanks be emptied every N months where there is infrequent usage. There will be a new annual  redevance for each private fosse ,  to cover the cost of these inspections.

P&O have confirmed that IF the transfer goes through, Brittany will offer free homeowner membership for two years. I would expect that Homeowners would have some sort of deal IF the deal goes through. The problem is whether or when it will go through. With the deal currently in limbo I'm afraid you are stuck with P&O.

Its illegal because the low rate TVA is only applicable to a maintenance job done by registered artisan. The supply of goods alone, or non-maintenance work is always at the higher rate. Your friend risks a significant penalty if detected, which could also apply if he has been hiding your goods in other low rated jobs. It may also provoke a more detailed investigation if they suspect that he is in someway linked the black economy. On that note Happy New Year.

I think the main opportunities to terminate such agreements arise when the tennant reaches retirment age, unless their sons/daughters wish to continue. Otherwise the only chance is if they want to give up the land, or do not pay the rent.

Under French law, unlike the UK, insurance contracts are self-renewing. Unless you give the notice specified in the contract, 30 days or even three months, the contract is automatically renewed. They will then pursue collection of the amounts outstanding. The only ways you can avoid renewal if you don't give the notice are if you have sold the property or if the premium increases by significantly more than is justified by inflation. French people know the rules and often give precautionary notice, even if they eventually stay with their existing insurer. You are not the first person to fall into this trap. Your main grievance is probably with the AXA agent, who could have warned you of the risk.  Unless you are very lucky you will have to pay what the original company are demanding.

I think the French are catching UK habits and making a week of it. After all the New Year has always been the biggger fete in France. I suppose they are making a big Pont, like Millau , and cashing in all their hours credit from the 35 heures, while they still can.

I agree that she was better than Greg, but in the actual final I think that Greg was probably the best of the two. They must be so relieved that they have finally got themselves a Male winner. It was becoming a little repetitive.   PS Whatever happened to Elodie? or whatever number three was called.

Seems as though people like it, a couple of randomly selected reviews. http://www.ciao.fr/www_phonexpat_com__313690   http://riviera.angloinfo.com/forum/topic.asp?whichpage=2&topic_ID=19662&forum_ID=6&cat_ID=2&topic_Title=PHONEXPAT+feedback+please

You need to check with the authorities for the whole system, drainage field , the lot. Otherwise if your new system is not compliant they will make you replace it all. If you are planning extensions at a later date, you will need to mention this too, as the drains are part of the planning process, and once again, if your fosse is not big enough, its back to square one.

Looks as though they make ordering from C*iscount or MisterGd**l  downright boring http://www.ciao.fr/Multepass_com__318049/TabId/2    

OR PERHAPS.... Prefer the French system to the UK one, at least you know where you are with them, good or bad,....but my French is not that good to work it out.     

Negotiations have been taking place between Hoverspeed and the Regional Authority in Normandy with a view to the French taking over the line. They  are after all the owners of the Transmanche ferry route, and have already announced plans for their own Fastcrafts in the coming years. However there have been some speculations about the future of Transmanche itself given their poor results to date, and the change of political control in France. I would guess that there may been some advantage to the French side if they could end the existing arrangement with Sardinia Ferries,who currently operate the route, and use Hoverspeeds capacity, to continue the route until the new Superfast crafts become available. If this is the case it will be useful to have some bookings, however few, in place, rather than coming back onto the scene in February with no bookings at all.  

But of course if all the cars take the bridge there won't be any long delays The norm will be for lorrries to eventually be banned from transiting the town, unless they have deliceries to make.In which case they will have to use the bridge.

I've been a bit concerned lately at signs of safety awareness in France: hazard warnings, ear protectors etc. Its not what we came to France for! Whatever next! soon they will be banning the trailing cables at markets , and who knows the next  thing will be hand rails at ancient monuments.

I don't think you need to assume that this is another example of the Maire's vindictiveness. The bill sounds like the Taxe Locale D'equipement / Espaces Vertes which is a levy imposed on any new construction. It is paid 18 and 36 months after permission is granted. Though it varies locally a typical house will cost at least £1000. It is based on the area of habitable space created. Its one of the things that you find out about after you have started the project!

I agree with Anton's comments, the efficiency of electricity is high because you don't , in simple terms, loose some of it up the chimney, because that loss took place at the generating station. On the other hand the cost per unit reflects all these overheads, so each unit of energy is more expensive. What does alter with electric heating is the quality of the heat in particular with convector heaters which tend to dry the air too much for my liking. We have been very satisfied with our Accova oil filled panels, and they do give a heat very similar  to water filled radiators.

The fact the tank is insulated won't stop a C-E freezing, it will just take longer to do so! Admittedly it is unlikely if the C-E is located in the centre of a building. But if we have the severe winter we are promised then in exposed areas, with a chauffe-eau located on an outside wall of a poorly insulated house, they can freeze. Draining it down isn't complicated, just slow, and the expansion valve is designed to facilitate the process. From a manufacturer's website http://www.chauffe-eau.fr/chauffe-eau/electrique/guide_elec_03.php Que faire en cas d’absence? En cas d’absence prolongée l’hiver, couper l’alimentation électrique de l’appareil et vidanger le chauffe-eau afin d’éviter tout risque de gel.

Will an E111 work for Portage? Two problems strike me. Firstly if you are working then an e111 doesn't really cover you, and secondly from a purely practical point of view they will be deducting your social contributions, and need to know where to send the money. No you can't have it for yourself!

Whichever method you use to move the money from France to the UK you will need to have it sent to your Flexaccount rather than Esaver, once it is safely Chez Nationwide you will be able to transfer it yourself, from the one account to the other.

Bethune's main risk regarding the fosse is that when permission is sought for the building work, this will provoke an inspection of the drains. If the new fosse is not deemed to be up to  standard it will all have to be done again.