Anyone for Cricket?

I think the previous poster means french registered rather than 'french artisan', the nationality of your artisan is not important!  We also got the cost of replacement double glazed windows taken into account even though there were not fitted, just supplied, by an artisan so I think the rules can be a little flexible in this regard, either that or we were just lucky!  Ours is a slightly different situation as we had the news windows fitted to a long-term let property and that may be why we got the allowance even though the work was not carried out by an artisan.

Hi We bought, sold and bought again through www.frenchpropertylinks.com this site has both agency and private sales and is reasonably priced, we had a lot of enquiries and the site is well managed, by that I mean if you request updates they happen quickly and someone calls you to confirm, quite a novelty!  I think that offering good regional choice to the viewer, down to town if required helps too.  Lots of agencies seem to use it which suggests they are getting good enquiry levels from it.  

Hi We have had a bad experience with a french accountant .  Our moan is around very late and incorrect submission of accounts, despite our seeking advice in Feb accounts weren't submitted until September (and only then when I called and said why am I being chased for a return) which led us to having to pay more to some bodies due to them making assumptions about our earnings.  He then chraged us twice the amount for doing the work that he charged the year before even though the year before he set up our business for us as well as the return, all very bizarre.  I have simply repeated my request for him to justify the increase partucularly in light of the poor service.  I have not paid him and have told him that when he does get around to answering my letters (now 4 without reply) I will review his reasons for the increase and if I am not happy I will seek an audience with L'ordre des Experts Comptables.   I have spoken to other brits in the area and he works for a number of them (he speaks fluent english), all of whom have had late returns, I have told him I will seek support from these other 'clients' in support of my complaint to L'ordre if necessary. Not holding my breath for a reponse though.. seems they think issues will go away if they don't respond.

Hi We are in the same boat and have found two places advertising mobile homes for sale, they are ex site homes and start at around 3k euro (plus delivery 400 ish): 05 53 51 64 83 02 96 30 49 27 We have been told that it is 'polite' to go and speak with the Mairie before the van turns up, this is not an out and out legal requirement but to avoid any possible issues always a good move.    

Not Robots [:)], but... Bot nets, Specialised Bots or Command Bots.... Never heard that there are teams of Robots out there collecting email addresses and organising world domination by controlling pc's globally... I guess you never know though.[;-)] Other than the above I agree totally, never ever respond to a spam email as you are confirming yourself as a target.  It's not just the above automated methods that get your email address on mailing lists, I have a wanadoo email address which I have never used, i.e. never said anywhere that it is my email address as I don't use it, I went on to my account to check my usage yesterday and see that I have 800 emails in the mailbox.  The only real way my address could be on these lists is by wanadoo in some way making it visible to the outside world, nice!  With help like that no wonder the level of spam crossing the internet is doubling weekly.

Hi When we first made the move I was (and still am) working for a UK company remotely.  I contacted Newcastle and told them that I was going to be working for a UK company but from France.  They sent me an E106 for 8 years, no one then or since could tell me why they did this, it seems that this is not usual, I did ask the question why of Newcastle and was told not to mention it to anyone, as in, 'you've got it, it's good for you now go away'.  This meant that whilst I continued to pay tax and NI in the UK and declared this on my french tax return as income earned abroad, I did not pay any cotisations in this country as I was employed still by the company in the UK.  Eventually the UK tax office for reasons unknown decided to return all of my NI and tax paid during the time I had lived in France, about 18 months had passed by this time.  I was now in a position where I had not paid anything for 18 months, this was a little concerning so I set up my micro quickly and now pay cotisations, still doing the same job but am on a contract basis with the UK company who now pay me the same salary but with no deductions.  All a bit odd really.. but seemed to work in my favour, I'm glad it's all straightforward now though and also that I am contributing to the french system on which I now depend. I think in your case you should not pay into both systems, your NI contributions will cover your health care in France but how you decide to set yourself for tax domicile purposes will have an affect.   

This could be a daft question but.... ....why are you all going when you already live here, what is it about the show that makes you all so keen???  What am I missing out on, I've never been to one?  

I think the situation varies by region, we have been told that as about 90% of all fosses countrywide do not comply with the new regs even those put in only two years ago the government is going to have to help people to become compliant or accept that some will continue to be non-compliant if the person does not have the money.  There is an example of such a scheme here where a small hamlet is getting help as none of them are compliant and who has thousands to spend on such an undertaking, certainly not your average french owner.  It would seem it's just the Brits who are steaming ahead with updating , interesting to note also it seems to be only a specialist industry amongst the Brits, I've yet to see an advert by a french company that justs installs new fosses, these seem all to be english in our area and a growing number at that. Your fosse may well be fine for now in which case it may be prudent to find out what the situation is close by, have any of your neighbours been inspected and if so what are they going to do about becoming compliant. The local immobiliers have said the government are targeting houses that have clearly no fosse at all, i.e. all goes in a ditch as per the previous posters experience, after that they will go after the others but it is very much dependent on local legislation as I understand it.  

It's the same in the Vienne, been checked twice in 3 years (entry to school and visiting school doctor) and my son could not attend the summer school equivalent without the full check on all the vaccinations.

It's not just the mossies, it would seem that we have fleas again and these really do not usually show themselves in the depths of winter.  We have no carpets so they are not hiding in those and anyway we 'bombed' the house a couple of months ago with that awful hit and run stuff that is very nasty and kills all insect life.  My poor cat, who suffers terribly with an allergy to fleas, has never had problems with them in the winter before here or in the UK.  So it's back to all the anti-flea measures depsite the vet telling me to leave it off for Jan as it shouldn't be needed and to give her a break, without these she gets ulcers so there is no choice, perhaps that predicted cold snap will sort them out!  

Yes, fine, I was lucky and no one hit me or me them!  It just goes to show that when you let your mind wander you can get in to all sorts of trouble!

My worst blonde moment ever, sitting at the traffic lights listening to music at high volume, track finishes, I drive into the oncoming traffic...................

Hi Language is key to getting on in this country whatever you want to do and I can't recommend enough enrolling at a University to study french as a foreign language.  I've posted on the subject before, it's tough, 20+ hours per week plus homework but after just one term (you sign up on a term by term basis) you move on  hugely.  I had no french when I came to france and can now speak freely, I have to admit that my written french isn't  great as I only did one and half terms, I can get by though.  A term is 13 weeks, not long to put you on the right path, to think that doing it this way you study 260 hours per term, I did 400 hours and to compare that to the one hour or so a week you could do in a local class and it's easy to see why you move on so quickly. I did intend to try to get work here after the course and would feel ready to do that, luckly for me I was able to work remotely for my old UK employers and so have not yet had to, knowing that I could try is a safety net I prefer to have.

From our very recent experience when selling we had to provide tax papers and other supporting documents even though we have been resident for 3.5 years so had kids in school etc.  We have also been told that we must pay CGT on the part of our property used as a gite as of course we can't state both as our principal residence (it is a detached separate house).  The notaire is assisting us to value the gite at a price which allows us to pay  minimal CGT, there is also a general abattement against CGT for residents which will mean we end up paying a fairly small amount.    Interestingly it would seem that the previous owners did not pay CGT on the second house even thought it is clearly listed as two houses on the deeds etc.. It is probably obvious to everyone else but did not occur to us that this would be the case. 

Hi We have been in France for 3.5 years with our 7 year old son who is of course very settled at school now but I remember those days of tears at the gate, hard to take.  I'm not sure where you are, I will need to check a map but would love to meet up sometime, our son misses his english friends and it's important to keep up his english as he already forgets the odd word.  We will be moving soon to the Charente border, I will pm you later when we are settled and maybe we could get together.