SophieG Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Hello. I've joined this forum as I am in urgent need of advice. I inherited, absolutely, on the 1st of Jan, a large-ish property in rural France. I'm fully resident in the UK. I've had so much other stuff to sort out, plus grieving my mother's death, that I've left the France issue for a while. I now need to sort it. This much I know:- that the property is likely worth 350000€, although I haven't had it valued yet, so once it is valued I need to pay French death duties of approx 50,000€, urgently. -that I need to get the will & death certificate out there, & officially translated (with the mairie???)-that I need to get the house officially transferred at the Mairie's office.Is this correct?Does anyone have experience of this situation? Where do I start? What else do I need to do? And, crucially, how much can I get done from the UK (my mum has friends in France that could help drop off documents for me out there if I posted them, but obvs not if I need to be there in person...). l can't be out there much, and will prob only have a week out there to get things sorted initially (transfer to me to make it all legal). But I want to make it a productive week. Any help much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Hello Sophie and welcome to the forum.Others will be far more knowledgeable on many of your queries, but it would be a NOTAIRE who will deal with inheritance issues and the transfer of the property to your name.Some UK legal practices have a French-qualified notaire on their staff, so this may be a way to start if you do not have much time to spend in France.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Legal firms based in the UK but specialising in French legal matters, such as Prettys, are probably your best bet as first port of call. You could otherwise spend a lot of time travelling too and fro and finding you didn't have the right documents etc.I only mention Prettys as we used them about 15 years ago and they were good then. I'm sure a bit of googling will bring up other similar firms.Good luck,Chrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 What are others thought of contacting an English speaking Notaire in the area? When we bought our Notaire was very friendly and subsequently when making Wills. Things could be done by post and phone and also tie in a visit to have a valuation carried out (mmmm) and sign anything that needed signing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Hi Shophie and welcome to the forum.This may well help you??http://www.dsdnotaires.fr/index.php?page=equipe&lang=enThere are a lot of English speaking notaires and unless your French is good it would be well worth finding one. The French system is very different to the U.K.Edit : - Senior moment there?? You didn't say what area your house is in? Taht could help in finding a goodun [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsnips Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 [quote user="SophieG"]Hello. I've joined this forum as I am in urgent need of advice. I inherited, absolutely, on the 1st of Jan, a large-ish property in rural France. I'm fully resident in the UK. I've had so much other stuff to sort out, plus grieving my mother's death, that I've left the France issue for a while. I now need to sort it. This much I know:- that the property is likely worth 350000€, although I haven't had it valued yet, so once it is valued I need to pay French death duties of approx 50,000€, urgently. -that I need to get the will & death certificate out there, & officially translated (with the mairie???)-that I need to get the house officially transferred at the Mairie's office.Is this correct?Does anyone have experience of this situation? Where do I start? What else do I need to do? And, crucially, how much can I get done from the UK (my mum has friends in France that could help drop off documents for me out there if I posted them, but obvs not if I need to be there in person...). l can't be out there much, and will prob only have a week out there to get things sorted initially (transfer to me to make it all legal). But I want to make it a productive week. Any help much appreciated![/quote]Hi, A french succession process to deal with the house has to be opened with a notaire ...preferably the one who dealt with the original purchase , if that is possible - if there is a language problem, find the nearest english speaking notaire to the property. There is a directory on www.notaires.fr which lists english speakers. The notaire is the one who will calculate and collect the succession taxes due. Normally 6 months is allowed for the tax declaration to be made , but this may be extended by application from the notaire, where the situation is complex - once a "provisional " declaration is made the obligation to declare is satisfied. So your first move is to find the notaire and start the process - preferably , at some point, by coming in person to France. You can do a lot by proxy , and via the notaire you can appoint" mandataires" to act for you. Perhaps your friends can find the notaire and get the paperwork for the" mandat" sorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Whilst I wouldn't disagree with, or contradict the excellent advice already given, I can see great benefit in trying to find a UK notaire, if for no other reason than that, even if one local to the property might have better access to the French end of things, someone in the UK - even better, someone you can visit without it being a major journey, could be a help in terms of avoiding you arriving in France without the one piece of paperwork that they require to complete the paper trail. I know it sounds obvious, but even the most seasoned among us will probably admit to thinking they've turned up with every piece of paper required, only to find that there's something else needed. For example, I couldn't open a new bank account in my own name with just my passport and birth certificate, I needed my marriage certificate as well, because French law recognises a woman's "legal" name as her maiden name and thus, as my passport is in my married name I needed my marriage certificate...something I rarely (never) carry around with me. It's so often the case that however well-prepared you may think yourself, there will be a vital requirement for the one document you didn't think to bring, and it's much less stressful and protracted if you can just pop home and get it. Not least because French bureaucrats often drip-feed information, and when you return, triumphant, with the missing document, there will be yet another that they want, but they didn't tell you...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I can't add much to your plea for help other than this.Faced with a similar situation in the UK and with what sounds like a busy working life, you probably wouldn't hesitate to engage a solicitor to sort things out. It costs ........ but you may well not have the time nor the expertise to do it.The problem is magnified, trying to deal with your late Mother's estate over here.All the advice given is 'on the ball' and your only problem is finding somebody (whether over here or based in the UK) with whom you feel comfortable and can deliver. My instinct? A good UK one A.UK based notaire (but a halfway decent one) would be better at providing an up-front cost than ones over here. You'll feel more in control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinabee Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 A couple of things - an official translation of the death certificate would most likely be done by a court approved translator (traducteur assermente) - not at the Mairie. There are translators who can handle all these things online and by post.One important question - did your mum die in France or in the UK? If it was in the UK, I believe you will have up to 12 months to get the inheritance tax declaration and other formalities completed.Also, be aware that the notaires fees (on top of any inheritance tax) are likely to run into several thousands. There is a guide here (in French) but an online translator will give you an ideahttp://succession.comprendrechoisir.com/comprendre/frais-de-succession Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 It depends how much you want to do yourself but if you are happy to place things in the hands of a UK expert, and pay accordingly, I can recommend this chap: [email protected](0)20 8394 6217 He is a partner in Russell Cooke solicitors and has an excellent reputation in relation to continental will and estate matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophieG Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Thank you everyone, for taking the time to answer, you have all been enormous help. I really laughed about the description of the French bureaucracy - yes, it's all a bit bonkers over there. I'm half French myself, but even with my reasonably good French, I wouldn't want to try to do it all without an English speaking notaire of some sort. Luckily it's a simple inheritance - I've read the French laws of succession & they are terrifyingly convoluted! Funnily enough, the executor of my mother's estate tried in vain to contact the local notaire (in an email translates into French) but that was a couple of months ago & he has yet to reply.... I'll get onto him again for the probate valuation, & see what info & prices I can get from UK based notaires.Thanks again! Sophie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 The French are not good at responding to emails on the whole. It would probably be better to give the notaire a call.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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