oberon

Mine seems to be going down each day after a flying start!  One thing I learnt today - Tresco, can you confirm that you are Scilly?

Oh dear, I seem to be getting worse and worse.  But in my defence, I think the questions today were the toughest I've had - don't know about anyone else?  I see Will only got 6 too, so perhaps there's something in that?

[quote user="TWINKLE"][quote user="oberon"] No big secret as to who I am, I just don't post that often - I think I've only posted in driving in France and B&B to date - but I read a lot of postings and couldn't resist the quiz.  Don't know if I dare have a go today - I think yesterday must have been beginner's luck.  Yes, Oberon is king of the fairies (but don't tell my wife[;-)]) [/quote] Oh please do it again ! Don't be such a fairy!!![;-)] [/quote] Who're you calling a fairy??  I was putting more of an emphasis on the KING myself. [;-)] couldn't resist having another go but I couldn't repeat yesterday's performance I'm afraid.  I said it was beginner's luck.

No big secret as to who I am, I just don't post that often - I think I've only posted in driving in France and B&B to date - but I read a lot of postings and couldn't resist the quiz.  Don't know if I dare have a go today - I think yesterday must have been beginner's luck.  Yes, Oberon is king of the fairies (but don't tell my wife[;-)])

It's interesting.  I'm erring in Cerise's direction.  I want my B&B to look cosy, like a home, not an impersonal hotel.  But I do agree with Eslier re saving the bed-linen.  We have a white bedspread in one room and a pink one in the other and I know that people are bound to chuck dirty cases, rucksacks or whatever on them.  However, I'm pleased to see that even the for camp is only for them to save the bed linen.  My dad thinks we should have them for the convenience of somewhere to "store" your suitcase.... under the bed as far as I'm concerned!

I watched a programme about a vet fixing a horse's leg the other day - they were hoping it wasn't broken so that they wouldn't have to put him down and luckily it wasn't/ But the interviewer asked why horses have to be put down for a broken leg and the vet explained that it's the same as with humans, they have to spend several weeks with the leg being non-weight bearing which means it has to be in a sort of body sling thing to take it's weight off the ground and that it's also difficult to make the horse stay in it.  It then occurred to me that you sometimes hear of private owners having horses legs repaired but rarely professional race horses.  I wonder if this is something to do with the fact that often race horses are owned by several people or syndicates who are looking at it as an investment.  Therefore, all that treatment, followed by the fact that the horse is unlikely to win races afterwards, makes it all too expensive for those who are looking at it as a business investment.  Whereas a private owner who loves his horse (and has the money to do so) will be more than happy just to have a healthy, happy horse again. BTW:  What has this thread got to do with France?  And it was started by a moderator [;-)]

I'm emrboiled in a bit of an "argument" with my dad at the moment.  He's been helping us to get our B&B ready and is most put out because I haven't provided "stands" in the bedrooms for people to put their suitcases on.  Quite honestly I think they look a bit too corporate and none of the existing furniture is suitable really. Our first guests arrived on Friday and noone made any comment (don't suppose they would anyway).  But do any of the rest of you B&Bers provide these?  Do you think they are necessary/expected, or just useful if you have the room?

Thanks for the help.  I got my petit licence from the duanes as you advised - although they didn't seem to know what I was talking about at first, til they asked their boss!  I went to the tax office (only spoke to the receptionist) but she told me to come back in May when they will have some advisors there to help.  I thought it was Feb/March that the tax forms are done???? We had our first guests in on Friday for two nights and all seems to have gone very well.  They came from Northern Queensland and were very appreciative of my freshly squeeze orange juice.  They said it was the first they had had since they arrived in Europe [:D]

I insured my car five months ago - shortly after arriving - with a broker in Brittany who speaks English.  A friend we have made locally says that he is insured with Aviva in Cherbourg and we have almost identical cars, the same cover but I am paying 660 euros a year and he's paying 400 (and we have max no claims).  Can I change insurers halfway through the year?  Do I have to give them 3 months notice like my house insureance? Any help appreciated. Oberon

That sounds more like it Quillan.  I want to be legal and I don't mind paying tax on what I earn if I've reached teh appropriate thresshold.  What I was worried about was paying these dreaded cotisations on "potential" earnings that I hadn't got. So did you get a siret number then, like I was told?  Also, this lady told me that I just put my earnings in a certain box on the taxform and she said she'd show me when they come out and that would automatically put me in the micro system.  Or do you actually have to register to go into it and fill out yet more wonderful French forms? Thanks Oberon PS  What about the health contributions?  I've ot my E106 at the moment but when that runs out will just being registered with the tax office as a microbiotic get me the 60% (or whatever it is) health cover and will I have to pay something towards that?

Thanks for the response Gastines - it seems a lot of people have had a look but no one else has been able to give me an answer, even though, perhaps cos I didn't make myself clear, you haven't answered the bit I really want answering. You're sure right about it being different in every bit of France. Here in Calvados I've already been told I only have to register if it's my main income (well one person at CPAM told me that, another at the tax office said I didn't need to!)  And with the kind of cotisations mentioned to me, which you seem to be confirming, I just couldn't pay them and as I have an E106 valid for the time being, I don't think I will register with the CdeC for this year at least.  What I really need to know is whether rent from a house, along with my pension, would be regarded as legitimate income (and whether you have to regiser to rent out houses anyway!)for the purposes of making my B&B income the secondary one. Thanks too for the reminder about public liability.  I already have that arranged on the house insurance.  I was pleasantly surprised at how little it added to the premium!

Hi I've been one of those voyeurs for a long long time now but have finally decided to make a post.  Mainly because I'm so confused by the bureacracy surrounding living in France! We moved over here  permanently six months ago and are just about ready to start our first season of B&B.  I've had lots of help from the threads on this forum, from some other Brits in my area with B&Bs and others with gites but sometimes it conflicts with what the authorities are telling me and sometimes they conflict with each other, but I'm sure that will be no surprise to some of you old-timers! My siuation is this: We have two bedrooms to let as B&B.  I have a SMALL pension from the UK - not enough to live off but enough to pay quite a few of the substantial bills, and I also "own" another house locally, which my dad and his wife are living in.  What I mean is, my dad bought it, but to lower the amount of inheritance tax I will have to pay he put it in my name with a usufruit on it.  Now because of the low threshold and high tax on inheritance if my step-mum outlives my dad, they would rather help me out now than risk my having to lose 60% of my inheritance in tax.  Consequently they want to pay me a monthly rent on the house by way of getting rid of some of the money early. My pension and the rent from the house will end up being more than 50% of my annual income, which I believe is the magic figure for having to register a B&B with the chambre de commerce. So my question is: As I have less than 5 bedrooms for B&B and the income (if you take into account my dad's rent) will be less than 50%, will I be legal by not registering and merely declaring my income on my tax form as a micro-entreprise? One other point, a lady I met recently said that all I have to do is go to my local tax office and tell them I am going to do B&B and they will register me as a microentreprise and send me a siret number within the next couple of weeks.  She says I need to have the siret number to put on bills and things.  However, another lady told me that I will only get a siret number if I register with the chambre de commerce and then I will have to pay something like 4000 euros a year in cotisations, which is probably going to be as much, if not more (!!!) than I'm going to earn through the B&B.  She thinks the first lady may have got her number without registering because she was a teacher in the UK and has a pension which is more than half her income. So now I'm totally confused and a bit worried about doing what she did, in case they tell me that I can't count the income from my dad's house and then I presume I would have to register. Please help - I've tried the archives but I don't think anyone else is in this situation.