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advice please


Frank
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Hi, looking for some advice regarding some work we are wanting to do on our house. We are wanting to put a door in an outside wall that faces onto the garden and doesn't overlook neighbours. I thought I would need to get permission, but the mairie say I don't. (I had already had a look on the internet and can only find where it say permission is needed.) Confused is an understatement, any advice much appreciated

cheers
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The Marie is basically saying that he doesnt care if you go ahead as far as he is concerned. If he was unsure then he would have asked you to send in plans.

If you do go the legal route, it will cost you and they will prpbably find a way of increasing your rates.

French regulations are a kind of catch all and are frequently bypassed. Strict application would lead to gridlock. Maries know this and are just realists.

What the eys does not see......!
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I did exactly the same except it was a window that I changed into a French window.  I went and asked and was told the same as you.  In fact he was a little surprised I was even asking.  I explained that I wanted to do everything correctly as I was a visitor in his country to which he said. 'It's your house, do what you want'.  I will still ask anyway if I want to make further changes.
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You can go right ahead and keep schtump.

BUT, be warned that, when you come to sell, and the anomaly is highlghted (which it may or may not do), then you are faced with regularising the addition retrospectively or your purchaser could be faced with a huge and sudden increase in rates.

At that time, they may well come back to you and ask you why you hadn't notified the authorities?

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Wooly is right. If anyone is going to complain it will be somebody in the village where you live and they will go to the mayor. He has already said there is no problem and as long as you're not planning on adding some massive hideous porch or whatever but just a simple exterior door there won't be a problem. Personally I can't see any reason why you have to pay anymore tax as that is calculated on the usable surface area of the house. The mayor knows and that's the end of it so just do it, no need to tell anyone else thats up to the mayor.
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[quote user="Quillan"]Wooly is right. If anyone is going to complain it will be somebody in the village where you live and they will go to the mayor. He has already said there is no problem and as long as you're not planning on adding some massive hideous porch or whatever but just a simple exterior door there won't be a problem. Personally I can't see any reason why you have to pay anymore tax as that is calculated on thth e usable surface area of the house. The mayor knows and that's the end of it so just do it, no need to tell anyone else thats up to the mayor.[/quote]

First of all, I am not arguing with anyone's advice on here.

BUT I do know about this "usable surface " business and the definition has only just come to light for me on account of selling our house in the CM.

For that house, the TF is very high because, I was told, both our hall and our landing (sizeable) count as "habitable" because they both have windows thus giving daylighting and thus making those places liveable.

Counting those rooms in  means that the house is over 170 000 sq metres.

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Ok, Ok, Wools, je suis pas calée pour les chiffres!  Ni en français, ni en anglais [:-))]

Just can't tell the difference my feet and my metres.  I always blame it on the lousy way they used to teach us maths in that damn convent.

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  • 1 month later...

this might be a little off topic....when doing work at our house in le Gard, languedoc...we have done something that the french tend to often do when building an extension - once you have planning permission you do not necessarily need to tell the mairie that the project is finished, what is called 'fin de travaux'. This is the paper work that they send to the tax office which will increase your taxe fonciere and taxe habitation. Thus you can stay with the original calculations of the surface for your house. However, it would be a good idea to order your affairs, i.e tell the tax office about the increased m2 if you are intending to sell your house. The new owners will receive a form from the taxe fonciere people once they occupy aksing them to declare the M2 and in any case, the notaire will ask for precise calculations of the m2 of the house. Any anomaly good come back to haunt you!!! Unless you leave France for good.

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I thought any alterations to the exterior of the house needs permission. Not building permission per-se but permis de travaux or something like that.

I have an interest as I want to change two windows to French-doors and block up an existing door

 

note: just because the mayor is not interested doesn't mean that you don't need to do something. They don't know everything and I thought the DDE had the last say anyway. The mayor is just one piece in the puzzle.

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[quote user="HoneySuckleDreams"]

note: just because the mayor is not interested doesn't mean that you don't need to do something. They don't know everything and I thought the DDE had the last say anyway. The mayor is just one piece in the puzzle.

[/quote]

I can't answer the question but your right in what you say. The reason for going thought the mayor is purely etiquette really. You can go straight to the DDE (as I have done in the past) but they will keep the mayor informed. That said if the mayor likes what your doing or want to do he can help you with the DDE.
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I haven't seen many times where the mayor has said no and the DDE have said yes or vice-versa,  but I have had the chance to see the mayor say no, the DDE say no, and the people concerned take it all the way up to Paris and win.

Not something to worry about for the odd window change I should think.

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