ChrisnJules

We have just finished our arrangements for rental starting in March.We have used cottages4you( I think they are also part of welcome cottages.)They check out the property and advise on price bands.They will sort out all the bookings and they have a service team for people to contact.They seem very professionl so we will see how we get on. They do not arrange change overs,however we contacted a group called 'Les bons voisins' and they have a local agent in our area so we have arranged the change overs with them.They are English people. This will be our first attempt so we'll just see how it all goes. Chris n Julie

Hello, We have a house in the Vendee which has a Gite attached. Renovation of the Gite is nearing completion and we are looking to rent this out next year.As we are living and working in UK we were thinking that it would be easier to let a company advertises and manage bookings/change overs for us. Does anyone have any experience /knowledge of this kind of enterprise,and if so have you any feedback or observations? Many Thanks ChrisnJulie

Thanks for the advice.    I have been trying to get a French plumber for almost two years. Everyone I find turns down the work as they prefer to work on new properties.  I did get one quote, but he was outrageously expensive and wanted to charge 1,000 euros for supplying a 200L heater I could get from Brico Depot for closer to 300.  He also wanted to charge me 1,500 for supplying and installing a shower - same argument.  His total devis for plumbing in a complete bathroom was circa 7,500 e.  I want a bathroom not a palace ! I considered bringing a plumber over from the UK then found a French plumber willing to do the work. He has suggested that he supplies and fits all of the plumbing pipes (hot cold, waste etc.) but has suggested that I just buy the fittings I need from the Brico and either just connect them up myself when I am next out there or pay him to do that. Either way, it works out at half the cost of the above quote - tax or no tax. Thanks to everyone for the help and advice - needs must when you are running on a budget that is already blown out of the water :-)

I am rennovating a house and will soon be installing a new bathroom (have to there isn't one at present).  I have a plumber who is gong to install all the pipes, but to save money I have agreed to purchase all of the fittings.  I need an electric water heater (200L) and I understand that there are two types:   Steatite and Thermoplonges.  Does anyone know what the difference is please?  and is there a preferrence as both seem to be sold at similar prices at the local Brico.

We popped into the H Des I recently with a French speaking friend (Yes, I admit it, I am one of those boring types who have not yet picked up enough of the lingo to get past ordering a beer).  We submitted a hand written note that simply said that we didn't have a TV.  A document appeared in the post today that basically cancels out the 116 Euro bill for the TV license. Simple as that.  No argument, the authorities simply accepted our statement that we didn't have a TV in the house.

To be fair, my understanding was exactly that:  In the UK the license covers you for receiving broadcasted signals.  Static information or pictures displayed via digital or video media shown on a TV screen does not require a license. It is treated the same as watching a DVD on your PC or one of these large Plasma screens used for advertising.  In this respect, your telly just becomes a monitor. A previous comment was how would the authoriteis know?  Well, TV detector vans pick up the Radio Frequency transmissions that your TV gives off when you are tuned in to a broadcasted signal. By virtue of this they can actually tell you what channel you are watching and when. They can't for instance, pick up data transmitted from a DVD to a PC or Plasma monitor. They can also pick up a Video or DVD played on your telly as this has to be 'tuned' into a channel, but this would obviously not be on the frequencies know to be used by the Beeb and ITV for instance. So you will be OK. Also, as with the UK now, when you buy a telly in France they take your name and address and check - devious little ploy!! Obviously if you bring one in to France in the back of your car, that's quite another story. So - 'Common Sense' would be a clear statement from the French authorities that was similar to that provided by the British Broadcasting authorities - thing is, I can't find one, hence the reason for this debate. The basic assumption seems to be then that if you have a TV in France you MUST be receiving broadcasted signals by deffinition of being capable of so doing. Dare I say, if that's the case, its not very British !!  

Thanks everyone.  Guessed that this was a common question, but too lazy to go searching through the forum :-( Pretty much as I thought and no different to the UK - just living in some kind of wacky hope that more common sense prevailed.........Now all I need to locate is a Plasma screen that does not have a receiver just an Audio Video capability...Mmmm... just like the one on my PC, now there's a thought... Ta for now !!  

Hi all, We recently received our first notification for habitation tax along with a bill for a television license. Quite apart from the fact that the house is not yet occupied (renovations slowly underway - very slowly) we are not expecting to watch any French TV. Anyway, to cut a long story short, along with the help of a very good french speaking friend we discovered that if you write a note to the local tax office that states that you haven't got a telly then you don't pay the bill and they reissue the payment notice. So far so good. The question is (we forgot to ask), if you have a TV but only use this to watch English Video's and CD's do you still need a license ?  Also, if you rent the property out and someone brings a portable with them, what is the law with regard to a license (same argument with a caravan I suppose)?  Can anyone help please ? Thanks Chris and Jules.  

Hi,  We have used Worldwide Currencies and found them to be safe and honest, though I must admit comitting several ten's of thousands of pounds to them was a bit traumatic. The transfer was completed efficiently and was extremely cost affective with their exchange rates being far better than the bank and no charge for transfers over £12k.  

Thanks Paul, I feel somewhat reassured that others have had similar problems and found a solution. Several people have told me to just leave it for the time being and see if it shrinks back again in the summer. My problem is that the house is unoccupied a vast majority of the time, and will be until such times as we finish (yet to start !) on the main building renovations. So perhaps I will have several seasons of expand and shrink until we get finally sorted. Should make for interesting visits every winter !!  I will follow up on all the excellent advice, salt, ventilation and a great deal of hope :-) Thanks everyone. Chris and Julia.

Thanks everyone, I'm getting a pretty clear picture here - unfortunately at the detriment of my bank balance So, let me sum up: 1) No casual labour as such, people have to be properly employed or not at all. 2) I could even be in trouble because my brother and son have been helping me, despite the fact that this has been unpaid. 3) Can't employ british based builders unless they have previously been authorised to work in France. 4)Artisans and fully accredited builders cost (for obvious reasons), but the only alternative choice you have is DIY. 5) If you do pay someone via the back door, anyone associated with the 'project' could be implicated and fall foul of the law. 7) Can't use Cheques d'emploi  6) And finally (I suspect) almost everyone does it in some small way or another, including the French, but get caught slipping someone a few tenners for slapping some plaster on the walls and you may as well take your place in the queue for Madam Guillotine. All jokes apart, Julie and I are grateful for the advice and guidance.

Thanks Val 2 ! Seems that you are helping me out left right and centre at the moment Appreciate the advice once again.  It is comforting to know that it wasn't entirely my fault and I will try your suggestions as soon as I get back to France later this spring - aint life fun I suppose the fact that the lambris on the downstairs ceiling is Ok gives me some comfort that we can sort this out in time. Hopefully  when I get the partition walls in place and can get the upstairs in use and the house is less damp...... Regards Chris and Julie  

Thanks for this advice, it is appreciated. I do not want to do any valid and professional builder out of work, but at the same time I don't really want to pay 30E an hour for someone to just help me out with some DIY. I do want to employ someone who is acting legally though and paying the appropriate tax etc. like any bona fida 'legit' person should do. One question if I may please, is there anything that should insist upon if I do employ anyone on a casul basis ?  You mentioned having a proper contract, which is fair enough and also paying charges. What charges are these ? I can probably guess at national Insurance, tax and VAT type things, so are we saying that as long as the appropriate charges appear on their invoice, I am OK? kind regards Chris and Julie.  

Thanks Gay - that's exactly what I wanted to hear. I have no wish to end up in a French prison. Julie would nerver forgive me and anyway, she would probably sell my golf clubs........ 

Hi everyone. Last autumn I spent many happy (?) hours installing circa 50 Sq metres of lambris (pine tongue and groove) on the ceiling of the upper floor of my house. The ceiling on the ground floor already has lambris installed. The bedroom partition walls have all been removed to get at the floor boards that require replacing, so it was an opportune moment to put a new lambris ceiling in place.  The lambris looked spectacular when I had finished. We returned this holiday to spend our first New Year in our house (virtual camping as we do not yet have beds, cooker etc.) and horror of horrors found that the lambris had warped badly in several places. The lambris panels had pushed away from the ceiling to form what I can only describe as a 'V' shape, which seemed to indicate that the panels had expanded widthways considerably. Short of stripping it all down and doing it all again, has anyone any idea's please ?? Before anyone asks, yes I did take it more or less straight out of the packet and perhaps didn't give the wood sufficient time to absorb residual moisture. The panels are also nailed to the ceiling joists through the joint using a power tacker because I didn't know about the special lambris fixtures. In any case, these look like they simply hide any visible signs of fixing and don't appear to alow sideways expansion either - unless I am entirely wrong (which will come as no surprise ).  Any advice greatly appreciated. Regards Chris and Julie.

Happy New year to all I need some advice please on the legality of giving work to none French registered tradesmen. During the later part of last year Julie and I purchased a property in the Vendee that requires renovation. The property comprises a main house, an attached cottage and some out buildings that we also intend to convert into a second cottage. So several years worth of work required and a budget the size of the planet no doubt Whilst the main house is reasonably sound it does require a new wooden floor installing on the first floor as many of the floor boards have deteriorated. There is also a bunch of other stuff to do, most of which given the time I would DIY. We have mains sewer and main water (fortunately down different pipes). However, the Cottage requires a new roof and substantial renovation. Ok. My question is:  I intend to employ a French accredited builder for the major work on the cottage, but had planned to get some casual labour to help me with the DIY type work. I have been introduced to an english labourer who wants payment in cash, so I assume he is working in the 'black'. I have been told that not only is he operating illegally, but that I could be prosecuted for employing him. My English (and fully legal in France) architect also tells me that even he could be implicated if I fall foul of the law and would prefer not to do any work for me if I employ this individual. Now my view (from my simple english perspective) is that what this chap does with the money I pay him is no concern of mine, he either declares it or he doesn't. Clearly doing everything through accredited French builders will prove very expensive, so the financial benefits of using casual labour for the less complicated work is obvious. Can anyone tell me what the real legal situation is please ?

nick,   Many thanks for the speedy reply - very comprehensive and useful.  my first time trying out the forum and a winner straight away

Hi everyone. My wife Julia and I have recently purchased a property in the Vendee and have started the task of rennovating.  Fortunately we have electricity already on tap.  I have a couple of questions though:  Firstly, I understand that we are rated at 15A , which seems very low.  We don't expect to be using an electric cooker (bottled gas) and will only use electricity for water heating and the odd free standing heater, plus normal domestics. What is the 'normal' house supply that we should request if its not 15A ? Also, the house is already partialy wired and all cables return to a small fuse box with just 4 breakers.  I wired my own house in England and although I am not an electrician (I am however an Electronics engineer) I did intend to wire up the French house myself using the hub and spur techniques rather than ring mains (which I belive are banned ?). two questions then :  1) Can I just swap out the fuse\breaker box with a DIY one from the local Brico Depot ? 2) as I already have a connection, will I need to get all of my wiring inspected when I have finished or does this only apply to totally new installations ?