CU

[woolybanana]

But it has already had a CU or two; the problem is that the owner forgot to renew it, having done some work on the place.

From what I can see, if the owner or new owner is prepared to do the work at their own cost then a CU could be granted. After all, what the hell has an electrical installation got to do with the commune - it is not even obligatory.

Unless there is another motive here which might be that the PU has changed.

[berkey]

Hi Chancer

The problem is the buyer has dropped out.  He made an offer in December on condition

that he could obtain a CU.  We accepted

the offer and thought everything was going through, because every time I have contacted

the imobiler they have said that they are still waiting for the CU., they have

never said there was a problem.  I didn’t

know there was a problem until I received a phone call from the imobilier last week

to say that the sale was off, as the buyer couldn’t get the CU because the commune

wouldn’t pay towards the electrics.  The

buyer then said that he was then prepared to pay the full amount but was told

that this wasn’t allowed. The imobilier didn’t know the full story so advised that

I contact the notarie who I can’t get in touch with.  (Apparently the buyer is still interested if

it can still be sorted out, unless he finds something else in the meantime)

Until I get the full story I don’t really know why this isn’t

allowed.

I just wondered if an one else on the forum had

experience of anything similar

 

Hi Woolybanana

Yes there was a CU when we bought the house/barn.  We renewed it then put it up for sale and

never renewed it again. 

I agree, I don’t understand why there is a problem with

the electrics when the buyer is applying for the CU. 

The imobilier has been in contact with the mairee a few

of times since it was put up for sale and he has confirmed with them how much

it wold cost for the electrics, which they have told everyone that was

interested but because it was so expensive 9000 euros it put a lot of people

off. 

So I don’t understand now why there is a problem

with the electics

[mint]

I don't know if anything I am going to say is of help to you but you did ask for people with a similar experience.  My experience has some aspects that are similar to yours but the cases are not parallel.

We bought a house that was one of 2 separate buildings belonging to the same owner.  The 2 buildings shared an electricity supply amongst all the other services including a fosse.

We had no problems with getting a new fosse built, new water supply, new telephone, etc.  Some of it was expensive, especially the telephone as we had to have a new post that didn't impinge on the neighbour's land.

Yes, we had a delay with the electrics because EDF would not recognised that we were the new owners of a separate house as the previous owner lived in the "other" house and (the second property was also sold at the same time) the one property was now 2 properties with 2 separate owners.  The other buyers had it "easy" as theirs was the residence that was lived in whilst ours was left empty.

Anyway, we had a couple of meetings at the mairie, they established that we were indeed sold a "house" with 3 bedrooms and not just an agricultural building.  The building was indeed a place to press grapes as the grounds were an old vineyard so a change of use and a conversion were the critical things we had explain.

Plans were produced, time was spent poring over all relevant documents including the deed of sale and then the maire wrote a letter to EDF confirming that we could have separate electrics and a meter.  As the house already had electricity, we had to get a qualified electrician to give us a certificate saying that everything was done aux normes and then the electrician arranged for EDF to give us a meter and he connected this to our property.

It only took about a month or so in total and, if I remember rightly, the electrician's bill was about 700 euros but I can't remember what EDF's was, probably 4 or 5 hundred.  Nobody offered to pay any of our costs and indeed we didn't expect anything other than to cough up.  We were new in France and it was 2007 when we moved in although we'd bought the house the previous year.

So, you will have to sort out which aspects of my experience may help you but I only offer what I have said here in order to be helpful if I could and not because I think your problem can be resolved in the same way that ours was.

[Chancer]

Communication.

Have I got this right, you dont speak French and are relying on the immo to speak face to face with all the relevant parties?

Whenever there is a 3rd party between the 2 people that want to communicate, especially one that has a Financial interest and in a métier where the truth is well down their list of priorities you are on a hiding to nothing.

Is the immobilier truly bi-lingual? What nationality are they? Do they understand the démarches involved in getting a CU and a raccordement from EDF or are they just making it up as they go along?

Do you know anybody who is bi-lingual, competent, can think on their feet and are comfotable to challenge/negotiate rather than just pass on what they have been told?

Not easy when you are so far away, I would get myself over to sort it out.  

[berkey]

Thank you mint for sharing your experience

[berkey]

Hi Chancer

No I don’t speak French but I’m not relying on the immo.  As I said we thought the sale was going

through.  We only found out there was a

problem when we got the phone call from the immo.  It turns out there had been a problem for a

while but no one told us.  I think the

buyer and the notaire have been trying to sort out the CU and the electrics

with the mairee and edf.  The immo said

to speak to the notaire as they were the ones who received the ‘no’ letter.

I agree I think I am going to come over and I need

someone to translate.  I just wish they

had told me earlier so that I could have got involved sooner.

[Patf]

Glad to hear you're going to try to come to France and find a bilingual person to help you.

Reading this thread , it seems that the main problem - the expired CU - has got lost in other things.

So you need to go to the DDE, or DDT as it's now called, and discuss that first. If they insist the CU can't be re-instated then that would seem to be the end of it, sadly.

[berkey]

Hi all

Here’s an update. 

We are still at square one. The notaire says to contact the mairee who

he says he has the authority to change the decision.  The mairee says to contact the DDT. 

I have had a French lady helping us and she can’t get anyone

to change the decision.

 

It seems the commune decided that they weren’t going to

pay anything toward the electrics.  (until

last year they had to pay something towards the electrics but due to a change in

the law, it is now upto the commune).  Because

of this a CU won’t be granted.  Even

though our buyer wanted to pay the full amount for the electrics and it wouldn’t

cost the commune anything.  It seems this

is not allowed.

 

If they had allowed it, it would have made more money for

the commune because they would have been able to charge taxe d’habitation on it.  As of now it is just an over grown building

in the commune.

 

To top it off we are still expected to pay Taxe Foncier

on it. 

So we are never going to be able to re coup anything of

what we have paid out so far, but it is still costing us.

 It seems like bureaucracy

gone mad. 

 

I don’t intend to let it drop though and will see how far

I can take it.  I feel like suing the commune,

but I don’t think I would get anywhere with that one.

[woolybanana]

This is surely a case for the Mediateur de la Republique who seems to exist precisely to sort out this kind of ridiculous nonsense.

There are certain conditions to be fulfilled and it will all have to be in French, but it seems the only way forward:

http://droit-finances.commentcamarche.net/faq/7334-saisir-le-mediateur-de-la-republique-conditions-et-demarches

If he were well enough I would suggest getting Norman to read and translate this.

[tinabee]

The way I read it is that prior to 2015 the commune could reclaim it's cost of extending or upgrading the electricity network from the individual applying for planning permission using the PVR process - this reclamation of costs incurred by the commune is not the same as the new connection charges normally paid by owners. Since the change in the law the commune can no longer reclaim these costs so the CU is not likely to be granted.

Have a read of this original circular regarding the PVR

http://www.bulletin-officiel.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/fiches/BO20043/A0030077.htm