Jump to content

Panda

Members
  • Posts

    365
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

Everything posted by Panda

  1. [quote user="Poolguy"] Yes Sid you are obsessed. I said 'whole of life cost', and that includes the lifetime each person has to get service from the installation. Do the arithmatic. I am serious about it. Sadly there very few like me. [/quote] You're serious about it cos your selling it, n'est pas?  The costs are just too much for most unless you DIY and this option is coming closer as the brico's start to gear up for people wanting to become 'self sufficient....
  2. So cute, hope you find a loving home for her!   [IMG]http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz305/QuercyCats/Chats%20Novembre/Etoile.jpg[/IMG]
  3. We have 19cms of the white stuff here in the Cotswolds, I feel like Im back in the alps but sadly as I now do not have snow tyres I dont thin I can risk driving so I need to walk the 3 milers to my horse to feed the poor thing! As has been said above, I could be some time!
  4. It's interesting what you say about non-existent self expression since this is an area in which my son still fails miserably compared to his peers after spending age 3 to 9 in French school and now at a UK primary.  His teacher tells me he struggles tremedously when asked to do creative writing of any kind and finds it hard to think of a theme 'on the spot'.  I explained that I felt he had never really done his in french school and so we are working on this with him.  It's such a big part of working life (well mine anyway) and since noting this lack in my son I've followed this up with my french colleagues, I ask them to come up with some creative writing, and they really panic, so it's not a new item missing in France, some of these guys are in there late 30's and don't seem capable of being creative in this way, such a shame.
  5. I would bet good money that Simon is an estate agent with lots of property going nowhere fast, there is a vested interest somewhere. [:)]
  6. Your UK rental income will be taxed in the UK and declrared on your french tax return as income taxed abroad, nothing needs to be registered as a buinses for that in france. Your gite business can be just additional non professional income under micro-bic, this means you pay tax but no social charges (the big killer as far as paying out goes).  This is dependant on it not being your main source of income, you quote a very high figure for income from this so I'm assuming more than one gite or if one it's huge, where does this number come from, is it from the books of the previous owner? Your OH's business would then be your main income and can be an AE, pretty straight forward. The last bit about maternity is a bit odd in my opinion, you cant live here and just not be declared as resident, that sounds like the main area of potential problems for me... confused.
  7. [quote user="Polly"]Quillan, the DDE do the work but all applications relating to planning permissions & déclarations have to be submitted to the local Mairie, one does not go direct to the DDE. A 'permis de regularisation' is not covered by the governing statute, the Code de l'Urbanisme. It is however accepted as a practical and administrative tool; the OP is by no means the only person in France to have come up against this sort of problem. First step for the OP is to contact her Mairie and and then to submit an application for planning permission. The Notaire isn't needed, she can do it herself, or with professional advice. Just John: please don't tar all English property professionals with the same brush! That was a very unfair comment you made. [/quote] I disagree with Polly above on this, my experience is with Quillan's, straight to the DDE, make an appointment with the architect responsible for your area, depending on the size of your town/village he/she (not very likely) may look at your area once a fortnight, they will tell you straight what the issues are going to be, no need for the mayor to be involved at this stage, if you get to submitting new plans then you will need to go via the mayors office but in my expereince knowing exaclty what you are up against and the best way to get things approved comes from the achitect whose job it is to stamp 'approved'.  The mayor has very little say in this despite folklore quoted around this area.  The mayor can say yes to anything but if the DDE have not offiically approved it it can get overturned. They are also much more likely to go with you if you've met them and explained everything and taken their advice on board, again my opinion. 
  8. Hello My house was built without planning and so when I bought it I made planning for the original building and full planning to double the size suspensive on the compromis.  Notaire had no issue with that and we all had to wait for it to go through.  It did with no issue even though it was built on agricultural landm it took about 6 weeks longer to complete because of this. One thing though it was bizarrley on the cadastre. I'm confused though how, as PD is above, could you have bought it without planning when identifying and signing the cadastre and description of the property etc is a large part of that. Do we have the full story?  Was it misdescribed? EDIT read your other post, so its an extension which has no planning?
  9. Hello I sadly think that your daughters mark is relation to the other students not the year across the country.  My son was top of his class in everything in his village school which did have it's share of less able students shall we say.  When we moved to the Alps I was told he was miles behind in lots of subjects which came as a shock and he had to do extra work after school.  His teacher was staright out of Paris and so she told me her standards were higher than in the sticks! P
  10. I have to agree with the doubters of your stats above Q, these are not reality. 175 childcare 'whether you work or not' is not valid for inclusion as income, vouchers can only be given ot carers so can not be misused (great system), the others are income based so for example 54 tax credit would only be for the very lowest incomes.  I can assure you that the above numbers are not doled out (pun intended) regardless, otherwise lots of working mums would be sitting at home! I work with a number of them and they would laugh at these numbers.
  11. I would say Jan is a busy booking period but this year maybe slow due to the downturn. As for bookings, my best year I had 14 weeks, my first year I had around 6, the only guaranteed dates are the school holidays of course all others are a bonus.  It depends on what you have to let, mine was a family friendly gite with 3 bedrroms, large pool and large fishing lake so I got the family groups with fisherman dads.  My gite was a side line and so marketing was just Chez Nous and one other, cant remember which. Many other still in the biz will come along with the actuals this year shortly no doubt! Good luck.
  12. Ahh yes missed my K otherwise I would also want at least 10!!
  13. Following on from this I see that house prices in Ireland have dropped through the floor, might be worth an investment for retirement. I can get a 5 bed farmhouse with 5 acres and room for my pony for 195 euros hmmm
  14. [quote user="Alan Zoff"]I agree with the sentiment, Judith. Pity though that in reality a lot of kids will not get the chance of either university or a job. In my day (leaving school at the beginning of the 70s), we really did have a choice.[/quote] I left full time education in the mid eighties when the job situation was much bleaker than it is now, there are jobs around today but those leaving Uni seem to have developed an idea that the job they have studied for will be waiting for them, that is sadly just not the case of course and many don't want to do just 'anything' to get some cash, which is what I did and I've never regretted it. 
  15. Wow how fantastic, the breath that catches in the ladies voice reflected my own on watching that....
  16. When I had a gite I declared it as a micro but it was classed as non professional as I had another income (much as A the I is referring to), it was not my main income so I did not pay any cotisations on the income I just paid a tiny tax amount each year and all I needed to do was declare it on my tax return.  Does this option still exist as this would seem the most beneficial to the OP as it sounds like he is in the same position?  My set iup was carried out by an accountant, he was useless for anything else but seemed to get this bit right.
  17. But when you do your tax return in France place of birth is requested isn't it, or have I dreamt that?  I know I was always being asked to fill out my place of birth.
  18. It's interesting that of those who report sucess in French education with their offspring, it appears to me that most have girls.  My son was failed by french education despite starting at the age of 3 and staying  with it until age 9, came out as Idun reports, with very low self esteem and almost apologises his existance at times.  He was an outgoing and frankly cocky toddler but 6 years in France changed him.  He experienced racism from teachers and other boys (note always boys) and generally found the rote learning and silent classes boring. So do girl fair better I wonder, as girls tend to rally around, perhaps even mother those that are different? For the OP  I think 14 is too late to change schools, he's about to make choices at GCSE, do you really think he can be as successful in a foreign language and take serious life changing exams in just a couple of years.
  19.  I cant beleive I missed this entire thread, I knew you were off on your wonderful trip but never connected the thread title to you and it!  It was only luck and boredom stuck in a hotel in Nottignham that made me search around for new material to read and there it all was. I'm disapointed to have missed taking this in as it happened so I've sat here now and read from start to finsih and I'm full of admiration for you both.  How fantastic, I want to do something similar to 'find myself' (for want of a better phrase) and your story is inspriing.   Well done alos to all you folks who wished them well and kept them going, it reads very much like you played a big part in keeping the spirits up. Can't wait for the final installment now.  I hope S17 you are  somewhere warm and comfortable tonight [kiss]
  20. Your emal service provider has likely improved the engine used for spam detection and dropping/blocking, which email service do you use?  Its highly unlikely that they have a 100% accuracy rate so may well be 'depositing' good email (false positives) in with the spam, do you have a junk or spam folder to check?  
  21. I personally found that not being able to increase your income if required very stressful.  I dont think living on less money stressed me out at all but knowing that if the chips were down and some huge bill came in there is very little within your control you can do to gain an income quickly was something that used to stress me out. The what if's are often the things that keep you awake at night!
  22. I agree Wooly, I had a manager in the past who when asked to sign off on something I had done for a very large contract said to me, I want you to know I will sign this but want it recorded that I haven't read it.  I said if you're not reading it, you're not signing it and walked out, cheeky barsteward!  He was always happy to take the glory but was giving himself a get out clause in case things went belly up, hardly in the same league but so much of this exists everywhere! As if he could have traded at that level without a single authorisation from above, it stinks. 
  23. The one local to my last house was run by a jumped up little bloke who went through everything you had and also was very particular about proof of residence.  So as always it varies and you need to check it out for yourself. AS Chancer says, they do get to know you and he even smiled once, it might have been wind though!!
  24. Hello I just got a large tax rebate, I have no idea why and I dont want to ask in case it's not really mine!!  I have had the avis and it all looks fine but why the refund, no idea, maybe due to my return to the UK and only being resident part year, not going to ask just bank it.
  25. This is presuably your second home (otherwise you wouldnt pay CGT). You can offset the things you've mentioned and depending on how long you've owned the house you will get a reduction on CGT after year 5 up to year 15 after which CGT is not paid. You can not offset interest payments on a mortgage.
×
×
  • Create New...