Dordogne Granny

Hi Roger, i leave in Siorac where i run a property management services company. I send you a PM to give you the name and details of a reliable company to treat capricorne. Regards Sabine www.en-toute-saisons.com

If you want the point of view of a French native, it's more fun to be in a village where who have Brits who love the place and has choose to relocate here, that to stay only with rural french people who are just thinking of living that same place !!! But as i'm working with second-home owners, i guess i don't have an unbiased opinion... Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com         

Hi there, The most famous French shops to buy white goods are DARTY, BOULANGER and WELDOM. They are all over France, so i guess you should have one near your house. The others (Leclerc, carrefour, etc...) are supermaket so they are not specialized in and their after sale service is ... so so. you can also trust the website www.marcopoly.com (or.fr i don't remember) wich is the DARTY website. They often propose special discounts. Hope it will help Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com      

Have a look on the local newspaper "Sud Ouest". Here is the website : http://www.sudouest-immo.com/index.php?page=Default Click on the map+location+select flat (=appartement) or house (=maison/villa) Hope it will be helpfull! Feel free to ask me if you want me to phone the owner or go to have a look for the houses Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com

Dear Jo, in France, the jobs for the executive people are managed by the "APEC" (Association pour l'Emploi des Cadres). Here is their website : http://www.apec.fr/cadres/offres/jsp/CadresFinderOffre.jsp You can make a free search with kind of employments who are looking for, the region, etc, etc... Hope it will be helpfull! Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com

Dear All, I feel a bit responsible for the argument you have so i would like just to say how sorry i am about that!! Tony and Bob, many many thanks for supporting legal businesses as you did!!! Quillian, Miki and Gay, i think your moderator job is essential to allow us to use this forum in the best conditions, and you are doing great job really. Perharps that to end this discussion, we can all agree on the fact that it's important the remind to all the people who want to settle down in France that when you work with legal businesses (so businesses which are paying taxes to finance the health system, the unemployment system, the public schools, the infrastructures, etc...) you act to preserve maybe a better "quality of life" you are probably also looking for when making the move. After that, as we use to say here: "chacun prend ses propres responsabilités" With kind regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com    

Sure Quillian, I've posted a PM to Tony. Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com

Yes Mikki, you're perfectly right !!! and i confirm that it is not easy at all to run a profesional care-taking company with all these French rules!!!! But because it's so different between France and England, i think it's important to explain to the person who want to make the move than the law is quite different here and that they might have problem to employ someone "au noir". We said in France that "no-one has to ignore the law" ("Nul n'est sensé ignorer la loi"). It's also important to know you can have grants from the french governement to employ someone legaly. For instance the vat is only 5,5% on maintenance services ; and you have different systems as the "cheque emploi service" (for independant people) or the "agrement services à la personne" (for registered companies as mine) which allow you to benefit from a 50% tax deduction. So it's often no more expensive to employ someone legaly.... and to keep good relationship with your neigbhoor   With kind regards Sabine ---------------------------------------------------- www.en-toutes-saisons.com house hunting and care-taking services in the Dordogne    

The Cheque Emploi is the best way to employ your friend legaly indeed. And that's right your friend needs to have a profesional insurance. But i'm really surprised about the amount of the insurance!! We are a profesional keyholder and we don't pay that amount to cover all our services and our employees!! So i don't understand why they ask him such a big amount!! I will advice your friend to ask another insurance company (try MMA, they have offices all around France) and to be carefull with the words he uses when he will ask a quotation. I will say that to have an insurance just for light-gardening tasks it should be around 400E max. Do not hesitate to send me a PM if i can help you Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com

That's thrue but it depends on the status of the person who offer the Relocation service! For our part, we offer a property hunting service but we are a french regsiter company and we are not an agent commercial at all. That means we don't take any comission from the agent or the owner when the purchase is made. We only charge our service on a flat-fee basis, directly paid by the owner. And as we are not linked with any agent, we offer a exhaustive and independent view of the market and provide this service without inherent conflicts of interest. Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com  

You should considering the "SCI" system. The French word is "Societe Civile Immobiliere". It's often use when several persons by a house together. That means you have to register a company, a SCI, and the status of the company show exactly how much you have bring in it. And there is no anymore problem for inherence or if, for a reason or another, someone want to sell his part to the other. But as Richard said, it's essential to get into contact with an expert. Hope it will help you a bit Sabine   www.en-toute-saisons.com

Unfortunately i'm afraid that it happens quite often when the owner are not on the spot and that no-one follow-up the works... Another main point you should tell him that it will be a pitty you will do him a VERY VERY VERY BAD PUBLICITY to all the other english people on the spot! Believe me that the English audience represents a lot of business for the artisans and they are quite worry to lose them!! May i ask you where is your house located? Regards Sabine    

Hi there, Finding a long term rental in the Dordogne is not as easy as it seems because in fact, you don't have many agencies involve on the renting. Neither the Notaires, i'm afraid because they prefer to deal with houses to sold (they earn more money)! You should have a look on the local newspapers but it's really difficult indeed to find a place to rent when you aren't in the place and don't know about the local network... And if you manage to find a place, it will be a big mistake to tell the agent or the owner you want only stay here for a year! Because that means than in one year they will have again nobody in the house!! So, sign a 3 years contract, and then, send them a formal letter when you want to go after just several months.  With kind regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com        

Hi there, It's a good thinks to have kind and reliable neighboors, but be carefull about the law!! You can't just ask someone to care about your house just paying him with a bottle of wine of giving him some money like that. It's not allowed neither in England nore in France!! Of course, i will speak for myself because we are a profesional caretaker, but you have to know that you can have a inspection of the "Direction du Travail" with a big amend to pay for doing so. And we have today a client who has much more trouble because the man he hasked him before, without any contract, broke his leg while slipping on the terrace. And they have been on trial!! Of course i know lot of second home owners are doing like that, but you have to keep in mind that is not allowed and that it's risky! What will happen if the person you thought you can rely on it, steals all what you have in your house? Because you had left him your keys, you don't have any contract that confirm he was working for you, and there is no any effraction, your insurance will not refund you a penny! So i will advice you to ask a professional keyholder to do it (ask your Mairie, they no about) and accept to pay him just few euros more (because the profesional caretakers have to pay a profesional insurance!) to free you from any worries and problems... regards Sabine    

Hi Dick, It's better to be prudent in fact and i encourage you to have the permission before starting any works. Regarding the letter, i might help you as i am a french native speaker. Hope it will be hepfull. Sabine   Madams Name and address on top Je soussignée ...(Madams nom et prenom), demeurant ...(her address), Déclare n'avoir aucune objection à ce que Monsieur et Madame Richard Smith, demeurant (your adddress following), fassent perser une nouvelle fenêtre dans leur (bedroom?livingroom?? precise for which room the new window will be done), donnant sur ma propre maison.    Pour valoir ce que de droit. Fait à ..............le.................. Signature...............................

Hi there, In fact, as Nicky said, it's essential to see the Mayor when you have bought the house. But before to buy, you have to make sure that you will have the right to do some renovation works to convert your house or barn into a pretty gite. For that, ask the owner of the house you are interested to buy to ask for you a "Certificat d'Urbanisme" to the Mairie. It's a document in which you precise the main renovation works you plan to do later on, if you want to extend a part of the house, create news openings such has windows and doors, etc. The Certificat d'Urbaniste has to be first validated by the Mayor, and then, to be validated by the DDE (Direction Départementale de l'Equipement). If you don't have a positiv answer to the CU, you won't have a Planning Permission later one. Hope it will be hepfull. Do not hesitate to contact me if i can help to find the "house of your dream" in the Dordogne and to help you to settle here. Kind Regards Sabine www.en-toutes-saisons.com