Stan Streason

Whew! Thanks - at least I can give her a decent funeral when her time comes.

I have never been poor in the true sense of the word. About 35 years ago I was down to my last 5p put it in a slot machine and won £5. That lasted me a week, but my rent and food were already paid for, so I was not really poor. But I have worked, at first for qualifications and subsequently for nearly 40 years at over 50 hours plus a week, doing my best to provide the good things for myself and my family. The aged and infirmed can be poor if they have inadequate state assistance - no one else needs to be. Where my second house is in France the farmers seem to work hard, the local English full time residents work hard but no one else seems to. Short hours, long lunchbreaks, no ambition. Its not PC and there will obviously be the odd exceptions but in general the harder you work the less poor you get.

Whoa whoa whoa here and lets back up a minute. My wife and I buy our house en tontine out of (my earned but) joint savings, she dies and I have to pay 60% to the tax authorities (presumably 30% of the value) to get my own house back? Sounds like a quiet under patio burial to me.

I know you are a long way away and may need to do this at a distance. I was in the same position (just not quite so many miles away). I got a couple of online quotes to give me a guide but then asked my estate agent for a recomendation. He then took his local insurance contact around my house. As it happens the quote was significantly cheaper but the biggest point was that I was comfortable that I had enough cover, everything had been taken into account, number of rooms, void space, contents, quality of locks, pool etc. I have always been happy to be over insured if necessary and the comfort that the quote covered absolutely everything even if it was a bit over the top (but still cheaper than the online quotes) was reassuring to me.

I have used Europcar on a couple of occasions. Their websites are confusing with lots of different rates. Ring your local branch and ask them how to get the best rates. I did this and got it for 15% cheaper than I had found by asking for the "special" discount I was told to.

I suppose the only difference is that in each of my cases the individuals would have considered they were on holiday plus everyone who has been (probably about 7 different families or groups) was already either family, friend or colleague.

[quote user="NickP"] I don't understand your reasoning as how ever you transfer money you are open to exchange rate fluctuations.[/quote] What I meant by this is that I recently took advantage of the rate movement and secured next years "cash" by buying a chunk at a fraction under 1.22. (This was a first because I seem to have caught it at a mini peak). This is now my minimum cost for the next year. If the rate were to get significantly better I can use the card, charges and all, but if worse I just use my french account. My first period of French house ownership early last year coincided with getting cash out pretty much at par. It may get better but 1.22 is certainly acceptable.

I apologise if I am about to make myself unpopular here, it is not my intention. In life generally you have to pay for convenience - if price is the most important factor to you then you have to put some effort into it.. I am a touch of half and half - I can afford to pay for convenience at times but I am also happy to do a bit of work to beat the system. In the same way that I put myself out to ensure I pay no extras wirh Ryanair its not difficult to put some cash into a french account when the rate looks attractive. A lot of the posts here talk about "substantial deposits" with Nationwide so we are not talking breadline in the majority of cases. A bit of active rate management and you should easily cover the extra costs of having a French bank account. Some of you seem so careful yet you seem happy to leave yourselves open to whatever the exchange rate happens to be on the day you need the cash.

I've obviously missed the problems here entirely. I can just see a great big woooosh coming at me but these charges are only for debit cards not the Nationwide credit card. Why not just get a credit card? I have a French bank account which I top up when the rate looks atttractive. If when buying things in France the current rate is better than my last "bought" rate I use my Nationwidwe credit card, if the current rate is unnatractive I use the CB card. Even if I didnt have the CB card I get a good rate on the Nationwide transactions. Is it getting cash thats the problem?

I think the answer to the question of the original post must be who knows? I would rather have my place lived in than empty so this year a number of people, some family others not, have visited. The only payment I ask is €15 a night to cover electricity water wear and tear etc (not from direct family) but I do expect the place to be kept clean, grass cut, pool maintained etc etc. One visitor was happy to do a day of free labouring for a builder who was doing some work on one of the outbuildings, another stacked 10 stehr of logs for me which were delivered whilst they were there. I would be astounded if anyone said I was doing anything illegal.

I bought in late Feb 2009 and on completion paid the vendor about 10/12ths of the previous years bill. The 2009 bill at this time last year went to him. I have just received my first bill in my own name and am expecting Tax H any time soon.

I am coming over on Friday 24th. As I read it it is only coming into UK as a problem. Going out may be customs staff but not the immigration service - am I correct? Will the French strike affect their immigration staff?

I bought in sterling. The UK solicitor holding the funds paid them immediately. The vendor was able to confirm receipt with his bank in UK whilst we were still in the notaires office in France. (Cost me the TT fee of about £20).

I'm not really sure why Simon thinks that the subject is ‘contentious’ As a pool owner who knows nothing and would never post here on the subject, making a comment about pool chemicals is the Forum equivalent of "light blue touchpaper and stand well back"

I think this is quite a nicely balanced thread.  None of the England is so terrible posts nor the idylic France ones. I love my second home in France - I love being there and I want to spend more time there.  Everyone here seems to assume I will move there full time on retirement.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Assuming I have plenty of time on my hands in retirement, I want the best of both worlds. Just because I love cafe society does not mean I can do without my local pub, decent beer and roast potatoes on the bar on a sunday lunchtime in winter.  Sitting reading by my pool is wonderful in summer but where can I see proper cricket in France?  The food court behind the nursery end at Lords before start of play on the first day of a test match is the best place to be in the world for me. I am lucky enough to have the money to be able to eat magnificently in France - my heart and my knee joints probably needs a break every now and again. I couldnt do without my season tickets to premiership football and I like having a variety of excellent golf courses within easy driving distance. I love the quiet roads and slower pace of life in France but I also like the bustle and busyness of the UK. There is however one thing about France that would get me down if I lived there full time, even in retirement.  The complete seeming lack of ambition of the French and the lack of an entrepreneurial spirit in France.  I am not sure the French even have a word for it. I want to use French businesses, I really do but unless it is the local baker every small business local to me seems to be run by very hard working english.  Be it a pool man, plumber, builder, taxi driver or even the man who collected our bee swarm - all brits - all properly registered - no French (yet my village is mostly French residents - what do they do all day).   PS the bit about no french word for entrepreneur was a joke!

this may be totally unhelpful but there is a website http://www.boilerjuice.com/heatingOilPrices.php which keeps a running chart of heating oil prices around the UK. There may be one in France doing something similar but this shows how the price can change even over quite short periods.  We now tend to buy when the price is acceptable rather than fill up when we are nearly empty.

We brits just get to hear about the wonderful TGV etc and get envious. Recently we had a friend come to visit us in France.  Travelling TGV from Brussels to Poitiers the train arrived 90 mins late.  On the return journey we were flying back to Stansted at similar times. Dropped him off at the station with 15 mins to wait for his train and went off to the airport.  Phoned him when we landed - he was still at Poitiers station his train picking him up 2 hours late (granted we cut it fine at the airport plus our flight had a tailwind and was just 62 mins in the air.).

I had a survey done, finding someone off one of the links given earlier.  It cost less than €750 plus €75 of travel expenses (all agreed in advance) and I got a 40 page detailed report with photos.  I was able to use the report (with estimates of costs to repair certain items), to get quotes from some builders to fix identified problems.  2 years down the line and with quite a bit of additional building work later nothing missing from the report has come to light.  I am very happy that I had not left myself open to huge extra costs. B****r what the French do - I am English and I would never buy a house without a survey. Just a bit of support for my local "English" builder.  He came recommended, is fully French registered and insured and has been working in France for 12 years.  He has been available to accept deliveries for me when I have not been there and has been happy to order materials and get them delivered with his loads for projects I am doing myself.  He has lent me cement mixers and other large tools.  Every job he has done has been quoted for and once when I changed the spec of a job downwards he fully detailed the extra work he could do for me within the original price.  Plumbers/electricians etc have subsequently been employed following a recommendation from him.  In turn he uses my Screwfix account and I bring stuff over for him at times. The upshot of this is that there are good reputable people out there you just need to put a bit of effort into finding them, getting recommendations, seeing their work etc.

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] The handful of us who live near Niort, or who know Niort will already be aware of the ongoing town centre disruption.  The rest of the forum probably don't give a toss, so I wonder just what is the point of this thread..........[8-)]   [/quote] As someone who has a place about 50 miles from Niort, has visited a couple of times and quite likes the town, but who has plenty of other options for places to visit, it has been very useful indeed.  See you in 2012.

We used Britline as recommended by a friend.  My French is not up to detailed financial discussions (not that they have been required yet) but I like the comfort of guaranteed English speaking if it ever came to that. I have nothing but good to say about them (other than the home insurance they quoted me for was very pricey). It is easy to set up from abroad, everything has been very clear and worked well.  I use their internet banking service.  The only drawback I could foresee is in having your bank in a different part of France to where you live.  You are limited to how to pay in cheques (by post) and how much cash you can withdraw per month from other banks machines. As an infrequent visitor to my second home this has not concerned me in the slightest and I have never got close to the limits.  If a full time resident a "local" bank may be better though.

Just go to the Bosch website.  Their DIY section powertools are all green, their trade section all blue.

I used someone who trades as surveyor-expert.com.  2 years down the road and quite a bit of building later we have found nothing that was not in the survey so we are happy.  I dont think this individual necessarily covers your area himself but he is linked into Surveyorsinfrance.com.  Have a look there.

Must say I agree with what the OP is trying to say.  When we were looking a couple of years ago it turned out that we preferred the houses already owned by English even if not fully renovated and we therefore assume if and when we come to sell it will probably be to other English. As I struck a good deal and bought in sterling at a staggeringly low Euro price (translated at 1.06), my French capital gains tax base is very low.  If I were to sell when the English buyers come back (because among other things, presumably the pound is stronger) my French CGT is going to be enormous therefore I always assumed I was holding for the long term (what is it 17 years to avoid French CGT?). As with investments, properties only get to be a problem when you HAVE to sell.

A couple of elastic ties attaching my solar cover to my reel are beginning to get a bit stretched.  Does anyone know where I can find replacements (preferably online).  I can see webbing and buckle universal kits but I only want a few bits of elastic and a whole new kit just it seems a bit over the top. Thanks in advance

Great link thanks pachapapa. I was a bit worried being in 79 and seeing this as the whole village knows I have just had my pool refurbished and refilled.  (Now known as "new pool man", even by the Fench locals). Looking at your link I happily find my commune as a sea of green "no restrictions" surrounded by a whole lot of red. Will keep it topped up whilst still green.