NormanH

I think some people are confusing the difficulty getting a skilled builder to renovate their house with the rather different problem here. There are a lot of dirty dangerous jobs needing to be done (such as demolishing buildings with asbestos in, emptying dustbins, working very long hours). French people feel that they have been educated above this level, and expect, quite rightly in my opinion, proper Health and Safety conditions, and normal working hours, so they won't take these jobs. Unscrupulous employers take on desparate illegal workers, because they don't ask the same rates or conditions, but of course after a while those people become quite skilled. If they then want to move up the ladder they are threatened with expulsion. These men were striking to show what an important contribution they make to tasks that nobody else will do. Of course there is also a shortage of builders but it's not the same thing.  

[quote user="Fleur"]  Good Lord! It's enough to put one off owning anything here! All we wanted was to be able to buy a house that we may have fallen in love with, before selling this one. [/quote] I think you have answered your own question! You have fallen in love with a house... The head says it might not be a good idea, but the heart... I have always bought with my heart and always lost out financially, but don't regret it because I  was happy.

Like you I am not an expert, but I have seen references, and heard it said, that there is no law against Trespass. Perhaps it goes back to the Revolution?

Just to further my point, this is a link to the EDF prices which shows how much more you pay as a standing charge if you have highet power (kwh) http://www.edf.fr/index.php4?coe_i_id=141626

Buying a second house could get you into the capital gains trap, but only if you sell it before you have had it for 15 years. When I suggested renting it was of something like a winter let of a furnished property, so you wouldn't really need to move in to it, just take your personal things and clothes.

Why go into the Bank? it's for the tax people, to be used when you fill in your declaration.

My experience with Credit in France ( and I have had two mortgages and several loans/store cards etc) is that they want to see something they can understand and is familiar to them as evidence of income. It was much easier for me once I could show copies of 3 years French  tax with the 'Revenu fiscale de référence' on them ( this is roughly stating what your taxeable income is, and can be used as proof of income.) What they weren't very interested in is documents in English. My bank is also the source of my major loans, but I had been with them for some years and they could also see regular payments going in. They will also apply strictly a 30% rule.  Your payments out musn't be over 30% of your income for all credit.

[quote user="Cat"]Here's a thought. maybe it's a faxing service for people who don't have fax machines [:-))] What do the faxes they send you actualy say, are they adverts?  Are you certain it's a French number, as the only numbers I could find anywhere that start 0170 557 were in Berlin. [/quote] The problem is that I can't open them as I haven't got a fax machine; but I know it's a fax from the characteristic noise it makes on my answerphone ( it cuts in after the call has woken me!) beeped on for over 84 seconds on Tuesday night..

Could you face renting for a period? For yourselves I mean after you have sold. Then spend time finding the right place. You can put your things into storage. It would avoid any problems with  tax,  ( you don't have to pay on the sale of the place you are living in, but once you have a 'résidence secondaire' you become liable for capital gains tax if it increases in value, and you have the two property taxes to pay) and in the current situation where houses are very slow and prices are falling it might help to avoid worry to know that you have sold and are in a strong position to buy. Renting out to other people is fraught with problems in France. You have to pay tax and social security contributions on the income, and there is the winter period when you can't get people out even if they don't pay. I am sure you can find a separate thread on here about that.

As I stated before my taxes foncieres will go up considerably next year, can I expect a similar increase in taxe d'habitation, i.e. are they linked? I believe that they are loosely linked, but the th is quite complicated to calculate without knowing personal circumstances. In each place I have lived the th has been a little less than the tf but not much. Of course there are exemptions for some people for the th, mainly on grounds such as low income and age,  or the number of people in the family. There is a 'Valeur locative' which is calculated ( supposedly the value if the property were let) , and then the various allowances are taken off, so for example a single person may pay more th than a previous occupant with a large family, or an elderly person.

Curiouser and curiouser. I tried calling the number during the night, and got 'all lines busy', so the number exists all right.

[quote user="Stuart"]Not a typo Norman....145 for tax habitation... I believe that well over 100 E of that relates to a TV licence... Win some, lose some I think.. [/quote] I don't believe such a small Taxe d'Habitation. Even  I in one of the cheapest places in France pay 120 for 76 sq m And there is never such disparity between the two taxes. ( No TV because that is paid with the town house)

In the last few years I have spent a lot of time in Romania. I can swear that if I was younger and not so ill I would go and live there and forget France. The energy, intellctual level and spped of growth are extraordinary. Forget the media clichés. Romania could do to France what I expect China to do the the USA.

As you may know you can have messages sent to your email by free. Here is the copy of the fax ( recived as phone message)  I received at 05:35 on the 11th April: Nouveau Message : Pour : xx xx xx xx xx De : 0170557505 Le : 2008-04-11 05:35:08 Duree : 48.123 sec

No I haven't . I'll look out for it. Thanks for the tip

Thanks everybody. I am not with FT I am with free, but the problem is I still have my old FT number which belonged to a business before I was allocated it. I thought the timing was to do with automatic calls at cheap periods. The number is 0170557505 so it is from Paris..

Thanks everybody. I am not with FT I am with free, but the problem is I still have my old FT number which belonged to a business before I was allocated it. I thought the timing was to do with automatic calls at cheap periods.

[quote user="Stuart"]I'm starting to get realy confused with the replies covering such a wide area of France. We live in dept 16 (Charante)...Have 60 acres and 2 houses contained within... We pay 145 tax habitation and 1700 Tax fonciere... We are addressed as Confolens, although 1 km outside the town.... Just goes to show the large differences between communes. Regards   [/quote] I imagine that was a typo and the figures are 1450 and 1700

[quote user="Cat"]Did you read the Windows one?  Makes it sound a lot easier.[/quote] But it says " Although you don't need a fax machine, you'll need a phone line, a modem, and a scanner to send and receive faxes from your computer" I haven't got a modem..

Are coming into season here are some suggestion: http://www.artichokes.org/recipes.html

Thanks. It looks rather complicated just to send one fax! I will probably have to try the internet fax service provider option

[quote user="Cathy"][quote user="NormanH"][quote user="freddy"].[/quote] In the Hérault  [/quote] Where's Herault? [/quote] It's the Départment 34 with Montpellier as Préfecture.

Do any of you 'techies' know if it possible to send a fax direct from my computer without a fax machine or fax modem? I get irritating faxes at times like 4:30 in the morning, but as I have no fax machine they arrive as if they were phone calls, and wake me up. It's always the same number, (I think some business or other ) but when I try to phone back to get them to stop sending them I just get the fax machine at the other end... I'd like to send a fax telling them to stop.

Some of those who are working, and so contributing to the Social Security system may get free Health care. In my town there are many people, even those from 'new' European countries who don't get any cover at all..

La Grande Vadrouille  a sort of French 'Allo' 'Allo' or carry on...it even has Terry Thomas in it! http://www.videorigolo.com/v-d3210d27c La petite Voleuse http://pserve.club.fr/La_petite_voleuse.html  with Charlotte Gainsburgh ( the daughter of Serge and Jane Birkin)  http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=18781759&cfilm=4358.html L'Auberge Espagnole http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283900/