Le petit pet

I would be prepared to consider equity release based on repayment of interest only.  What rates are currently available and over what period? Please send me details.

As I understand it the government authorised French banks to offer equity release facilities primarily to senior citizens; there would be no repayment, the banks would simply put a charge on the house and collect when the owner died.  This came into law Dec 2005 but I have not yet found a single bank willing to do this?

as a "human behaviourist" I would have expected a lightly more erudite response with a little more attention paid to the spelling[geek]

[:D] Dream on sunshine!!  Gynacologist in Le Touquet???? Methinks your in the fules paradise. Whilst the fat cats (Villepin, Trichet, Elf, Mitterand ad nauseam) screw the system & get off scot free the dim plebs religiously pay their dues which prompts me to avoid giving these crooks a brass farthing.  Same in the UK/Worldwide. One law for them - another for the "unterklasse".

don't register for tax - just stay maison secondaire. once you get locked into the french tax system you will never escape. no one can prove how long you are in the country anyway so the 183 days is an anachronism

Last year the French Govt. passed a law permitting equity release - it is called pret viager hypotheque.  Essentially this is designed to allow hard up pensioners with paid up houses, to release some of the value of the property in cash to bolster their measly pension (aka UK).  No repayments are necessary - the bank puts a charge on the property, which of course you are at liberty to sell anytime, and when you die the bank recovers the loan plus a "prescribed" rate of interest.  Does anyone know of any bank yet offering this scheme?[8-)]