groslard

This is what you have to provide (in French) http://www.immonot.com/diagnostic-immobilier-avant-achat.html That is for everything. For your specific question, see: http://www.immonot.com/raccordement-tout-a-l-egout.html

I recently read of a hornet that attacks bees and has found its way to France. There is also this: http://sussu.gobages.net/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=1291&blogId=85

[quote user="Benjamin"]A couple of questions from this report groslard. As they are the National Union of House Builders are they only talking of new properties? If so, then are they talking from the prices that their new properties are now as opposed to the prices they achieved for them in the previous year? The other point to make is that in general terms the average French family does not buy and sell with the same frequency as the UK market. Thus prices go up and prices go down and over time they level themselves out. Of course if you're a Brit and you want to get out of the French market completely then perhaps now is not a good time to be doing so. [/quote] I think they are talking of volume of sales of new houses, as opposed to prices..

From a link on Claire's newspaper site: "Les ventes de maisons individuelles ont baissé de 5,2% en France en 2007, avec 196.143 unités vendues, a indiqué mardi l'Union nationale des constructeurs de maisons individuelles (UNCMI). L’année dernière, seul le marché de la région du Centre Est est resté en croissance, à +4%. Tous les autres ont baissé, parfois sérieusement comme l'Ile-de-France (-11%), l'Ouest (-8%) et le Nord (-7%). La baisse est en revanche plus limitée dans d’autres régions comme la Méditerranée (-3%), l'Est (-2%) ou le Sud-Ouest (-1%)." (L'Expansion.com) This says that house sales have fallen 5,2% in France en 2007, and quotes regional variations

Excellent site. Very useful thanks.

You might like to consult http://www.propertysnake.co.uk/ which seems to confirm what dexter says. I also agree with gluestick, but would add another factor. Old properties are not much sought after by the French, and prices are in decline but as he says the new-build market is firmer. What makes a difference as always is location. There is a 'baby-boom' in France too, and many of these people who have worked in the Ile de France are now looking to retire to the South, so even if  British buyers are fewer, the French are keeping the market active' especially for new 'villas'.

They may be billed separately, even directly to the tenant, but the responsibility for paying them is the owner's. So if your tenants don't pay it comes back to you, because even if they were separated from the taxe foncière, they form part of it, not part of the taxe d'habitation.

Even in the tiny village where I have my résidence secondaire it is 160 euros a year per household, so 100 for 9 months isn't too bad.

I use free.fr instead of France Telecom Calls to UK fixed phones are free. There are also such firms as Onetel and Expat

Contrôle technique Every 2 years

I don't think that anybody really sees what you are getting at, but as a general principle, forget all prior experiences, don't try to bring them with you, and accept the way things are done in France. I doubt you will make precedent under the code Napoléon..

[quote user="Panda"]Hi In my part of the Vienne the dustbin charge is separate to the tax fonciere and goes to the tenant not the owner. Panda [/quote] "Cette taxe porte sur toutes les propriétés assujetties à la taxe foncière sur les propriétés bâties ou temporairement exemptées de celle-ci. Si le bien soumis à la taxe est loué, le propriétaire peut en récupérer le montant dans les charges locatives." So the owner can get it back from a tenant as part of the charges, but it is charged to the owner as part of the taxe foncière, not the taxe d'habitation. Normally it is the owner who pays the foncière. Direction générale des Impôts – Instruction fiscale 6 F-2-06 n° 128 du 31 Juillet 2006 – taxe d’enlèvement des ordures ménagères – Mesures diverses

[quote user="artsole"]ahhhh! groslard...............you 'killjoy'[:D] [/quote] Not all fat people are jolly [:D] Perhaps I'm more Boba than Bob.. http://music.msn.com/artist/?artist=43624882&menu=credits&ipp=10

To get back to living in the Languedoc.. I recommend: http://www.languedoc-france.info/06_life.htm particularly http://www.languedoc-france.info/060206_moving.htm and general reading for moving to anywhere in France: http://www.dontmovetofrance.co.uk/

[quote user="allanb"]Grosland wrote: "Don't forget that this applies specifically to cheques, so I have become very wary of using them, and rely on using my carte bleue, unless I am sure the funds will be there." That's a good point, but a cheque is sometimes the only practical way - e.g. to pay an invoice received by mail from a distant supplier. Yet another reason for hoping that the virement system finds its way to France soon![/quote] I don't quite understand this point. You can pay by virement: http://www.clesdelabanque.com/Web/Cles/Content.nsf/DocumentsByIDWeb/6WEHER?OpenDocument and note: 'Le virement est harmonisé au niveau européen à partir de janvier 2008'