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Stan Streason

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Everything posted by Stan Streason

  1. ...after owning our property for a couple of years we managed to attend our first village Bastille Day party this year where I was informed by several women (including the wife of the Maire, so it must be true) that we are a 3 "greeting kisses" village. Is this decided village by village or is it regional?
  2. How is North Wales? Do you miss Humphrey?
  3. You seem to be prepared to go through all kinds of hoops just to avoid pulling a few bits of paper together for Britline.  My bank (Lloyds) certified everything thast was needed in one quick visit.  We included a copy of the compromise in our pack but it says they also accept credit card statements with French transactions not just boarding passes. As I say, a bit of pulling together paperwork, a trip to my bank, a few phonecalls from Britline to confirm stuff and I had the account within a couple of weeks.  Easy and painless and I certainly have not regretted the choice - having someone to phone in English when a french petrol pump chews up your card on a deserted forecourt on a sunday was worth the admin alone.
  4. Thanks but I am still confused.  At the moment I dont rent out my property, guests do their own cleaning and laundry, cut the grass and leave me a few bottles of wine or make sure there is plenty of beer in the fridge.  If someone gets unlucky and something runs out (gas bottle, petrol for mower, washing poweder etc) they replenish it, otherwise they use whatever is already there. What is my obligation in the following scenario? Occupied by me or by direct family -  I pay everything - say 10 weeks a year Occupied by friends say 4 weeks a year at €250 a week so €1,000 in total. My current property taxes are about €2,000, my insurance, water and electric standing orders are about another €1,000.  I pay about €500 a year for someone to open, close my pool, supply me with chemicals and look in every now and again to make sure everything is running smoothly. Generally (unless someone is unlucky) I pay for all household cleaning and maintenance materials (oh and logs for winter).  I even have a french prepay mobile for local calls that people use. Do I have a declarable and taxable income?
  5. [quote user="Christine Animal"] I just got Nadine.  It seems Vick was on trial with someone with other dogs and they soon brought him back as they say he doesn't like to be left on his own, wants to be close to people.  Nothing drastic, the poor thing wasn't even given the chance to adapt and settle! So he is still hoping for that right person to love him.   [:)]   [/quote] That sounds about par for the course for a weimeraner.  We have never had such a "needy" dog.  He loves to be with you and will lean against you just to touch.  When we go away he mopes even though he is with 2 other dogs and our housesitters are always family he has known his whole life. Wouldnt be without him though
  6. At what point does a friend getting my place for free but paying me for the electric they use; to paying me a small nightly sum once again only to cover direct useage; to paying me a bigger sum to go towards some of my standing costs, become taxable rental income? I am certainly considering not giving the property away any more and at least trying to recoup enough for the additional 2nd home owner tax.  I am talking less than €1,000 a year here.  I would like to at least know the strict legal position please. Thanks
  7. Its been relatively easy for me to tot up. The throughput on my french bank account in the just over 2 years I have had the property is just over €40k (including building works and pool renovations).  If I add the notaire and agent fees of another €25k (the house was purchased from an Englishman so I dont count that) plus my Nationwide French credit card purchases over 27months of €8k, I have put well over €70k into the French economy.  What have I used - a bit of their tarmac (peage tolls of €1,000 inc within the €40k). Is it fair? - well obviously not. Will it happen? - without question Will I sell because of this? - no but I may cut down a bit on other discretionary expenditure Would I buy again knowing this? - probably not - I hate being taken for a mug - there is no rational long term economic justification for this.  It is purely political and I wouldnt want to give the polititians the satisfaction even if I put myself out in the process.  I would rather go where I was wanted.
  8. I have only ever asked friends for about €15 a night (not per person) to cover electricity use plus they do the linen and towel washing of the previous visitors and make up the beds for the next visitors and cut the grass.  I guess for a "sleeps 12" plus pool thats not very much.  If this new tax comes in I can see that contribution to costs (not rent) having to go up quite a bit.
  9. The picture is correct but this is a drop off area and not a pick up area.  You will need to be there before your lift as any appearance of waiting or picking up will lead to being moved on or a fine.  You get there - car gets there - get in ASAP.  No greetings - no cheek kissing - fast getaway required.  The wardens can spot someone waiting for a pickup and can hover quite close. I think the pick up area is about £2 for 20 mins which cuts it very fine.  Best bet is to get your lift to wait at the BP garage by the mid term parking entrance.  You phone them as you get into the terminal after clearing customs.  You follow signs to pick up area (the "arrivals" end of the terminal) by the time you get thare your lift should have arrived.  20 mins to load £2 cost.  Done it many times both arriving and picking up - is about the easiest proven option.
  10. [quote user="Purple Crazy"]Have seen it in our local SuperU in the English section, quite expensive at €4 for small bottle mind. [/quote] I am down in a fortnight and will bring a crate.  €3.50 to you son!
  11. I found the "English" insurers very expensive. I had the help of a very good estate agent but he arranged for a couple of local agents of French insurers to come around and give me a quote.  Both agents spoke english, both saw what I had, the pool area, the size and number of rooms, the quality (or otherwise) of my locks etc and both quotes were significantly cheaper than the english equivalent. Fortunately I havent had to claim.
  12. Must be a French thing.  I have my ride-on specifically listed as a high value item on my UK policy.
  13. Wow!  Some of your other halves must have access to the comments you are making about them on this site right? Or should I just rename myself as Mr Cynical?
  14. Throughout our 35 years of marriage we have probably only been "together" on holidays.  Now that most of these holidays are at our place in France we have developed a shared interest to pass the time. She points out the jobs that need doing around the house and I do them.
  15. I have done it and it workd fine.  Seeing where you are I can give you details of my notaire (based in Ruffec) who was happy to do the deal in sterling.
  16. Sorry only just got to this thread and have to comment. Firstly speeding in restricted areas is dangerous and should be strictly punished - I have no doubt done it - not intentionally but driving 30k miles a year for 35 years I must have done. Secondly motorway speed limits are nothing to do with safety.  Certainly not a blanket catch all limit.  Evidently driving at 80mph is dangerous in England but not in France.  Driving down to the South in July / August amid millions of other cars, 130km/h is hugely unsafe.  Clear conditions, empty road, good car 150mph is not intrinsicly unsafe (it may be but it doesnt have to be).  My Porsche (when I had it) could stop in a dead straight line from 150mph, with my hands not even on the wheel, in less distance than my dad's Anglia from its maximum speed of about 68mph when the speed limit was first imposed. (Tested, courtesy of the Porsche Driving Experience at Millbrook).  Tyres dont necessarily explode (thats why they cost £400 each). I have driven at 150mph and have been more awake and aware of surroundings than I know I have been driving home late at night mile after boring mile at 70/80mph. I have been done for speeding 4 times in the past 35 years (well spread out so never more that 3 points at a time).  Each time I have received the points and the fine.  Each time I asked why I was not given the choice to go on a safety driving course instead of the points. Each time I was told I was speeding not driving unsafely. There should be a place to legally go and try out your car for speed.  I have always said they should open up the M6 tollroad in good conditions to say 10 miles of unlimited speed - you go on it knowing this and can try out your car. 
  17. Thanks for everyones prior advice on this.  I knew what the form was and what it was trying to do but I couldnt work my way around the seemingly endless supply of double negatives. I have a TV - I paid the tax - my waste bin is now not less-full by one sheet of paper..
  18. Any I think.  Mine was bought over the counter at a phones4you shop.
  19. Something doesnt ring true.  Firstly plugging something into a charger socket supplied for the purpose can in no way shape or form be called a modification and be declarable.  What about if you run it on its own battery, or my phone plugged in recharging?  Some options are factory fitted and some dealer fitted.  Should you declare those as mods?  Does it make a difference with dealer fitted pre or post first registration?  Is every aftermarket stereo a reportable event as a modification?  If putting a new stereo in is voiding your insurance, why arent there bl**dy great notices all over Halfords? Secondly as about 50% of cars on the road seem to have these devices on their windscreens about 50% of crashes and claims must involve cars with them.  If claims were being refused on this basis the internet would be awash with comment (which it is not). Thirdly, Google "car insurance - sat nav" and Santander, Tesco and others are offering discounts or vouchers towards sat-navs.  NFU mutual has a note on them discussing that you cannot forget comon sense and just follow a sat-nav but does not say vehicles are not covered.
  20. You really do have to read Michael Connelly books in order as Harry Bosch does progress throughout the series. Lee Child can be read pretty much in any order.  At the end of one he has been left a house but it is gone by the middle of the next. I thought the Elvis cole books pretty formuleic and slightly annoying for some reason (probably to do with the cartoon figure of Joe Pike and their willingness to kill a couple of dozen baddies in each book) but the last half dozen or so have really picked up both in plot and writing style. No one has mentioned him on this thread but John Sandford's "Prey" series with Lucus Davenport are decent holiday reads.  You can read them a couple of places out of sequence but the character gradually does develop so not too far out of order.  His recent 4 books about Virgil Flowers are also worth a read - they are Lucus Davenport back to his roots, back without the trappings of power and responsibility. Definitely not for the faint hearted and completely different from the series above, but I am working my way through Christopher Brookmyer at the moment.  Very Scottish - very gritty and down to earth (bad language abounds) - but great plots, extremely cynical and laugh out loud funny.  I have never wanted to shut my eyes whilst reading to avoid whats coming next but just last night a passage of someone "becoming a man" for the first time who's only experience of what to do has come from watching under the counter 1980's porn films had me saying out loud "oh no please don't - please don't....." whilst still reading on through tears of laughter.  (He did). 
  21. It depends upon the size of the group, how much you trust them, your financial resources (and if you need euros or not) Last year we had some Australians visit as part of a cricket tour.  Ordered in advance in varying amounts we purchased prepaid mastercards for them all plus £200 each in cash to cover pretty much the length of their tour.  They settled the entire cost in one currency transaction into our club bank account.  This worked out well and in the end we had the dregs of a few unused balances to spend.  (In practical terms a couple of cards were topped up to the max and those were used for the majority of tour expenses, players settling up between themselves later). Not sure how much it actually saved each individual but the whole process worked really well.  If I were to do a similar thing with French friends I would probably sub them and have the euros at the mid market rate.
  22. As I see it you have 2 options.  Reduce the price to one it will sell at and pay off the loan.  Putting it bluntly, you owe money, it is your obligation to settle what you owe and not getting maximum price for liquidating your assets is not a viable excuse for doing nothing. As you have a loan which is not a mortgage I presume that the loan is unsecured.  In UK terms the bank is in a fairly vulnerable position.  If it were me in UK (apologies if this is not possible somehow in France) I would speak to the bank, offer them the property as security, extend the loan period to reduce repayments (or even go interest only), show them how the property is being marketed to convince them its a finite arrangement.  In theory the bank are in a better, more secured position and should agree to this.  Alternatively try another mortgage lender.  This assumes you could afford the reduced payments and are creditworthy in the first place.  If not then I'm afraid its option 1.
  23. Windows Movie Maker does not burn onto DVD only CD's.  You need a bit of extra software I'm afraid.  There should be some free DVD burning programmes about.
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