Notification of Bereavement of spouse

[just john]

Having recently suffered the loss of my wife who was joint owner of our French property, on which there is a tontine clause, I'm aware that I will need to notify our notaire. Has anyone any experience of this procedure, what is involved?, English death certificate presumably, what other documents will be required, what charges are involved?

[:(] be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be

[Geordie girl]

John, sorry i can`t help you with any legalities but just wanted to say i am so sorry for your loss.

[Clair]

This might help: http://www.afif.asso.fr/francais/conseils/conseil01.html

[just john]

Thanks for your reply Clair; the site you sent is quite useful for understanding some of the documentation required, but our is a holiday home that we intended to partially retire to, we were not resident so do not have Le livret de famille ou une pièce d'identité appartenant au défunt (la carte de séjour pour les étrangers)
as such I wonder what the procedure is for People with second homes and hope someone who already been through this process can advise what the Notaire will require. I don't want to contact the Notaire until I am able to go to France in a couple of months time.

                     

[Weedon]

John, have sent a PM

[Clarkkent]

My house is a maison secondaire which was bought en tontine. Since your wife has apparently died in England I am presuming that your property is also a holiday home.

When my wife died I contacted the agent involved in the purchase and he made an appointment with the notaire. He and the notaire agreed a current value for the property and arranged a meeting with me. I produced a UK death certificate which was accepted. The notaire informed me that the value of the property was below the threshold for payment of tax. I was charged about €600 in notarial and registration fees and and that was that. The property was now entirely mine.

The whole process was trouble free, probably due to the help of the agent. I offered to pay him for his services but he declined any payment.

[just john]

Thanks indeed Clark, exactly our situation, very succinct, apart from the death certificate did you need any additional documents? House docs or passport etc?

It is a pity there isn't a bereavement sector on these sites, there must be a growing number of Widows and Widowers in our demographic. Perhaps its due for an article in Living France. 

How have you got on, did you change your life, please do tell.

My condolences to you, Thanks again

[Clarkkent]

In addition to the death certificate? Nothing. I believe there is a Hague Covention about the acceptability of official documents in signatory countries - UK and France are both signatories and UK death certificates should be acceptable in France.

How did my life change? I moved on ... eventually.

I think, a few years down the line, that France is no longer as important to me as it was. I was the enthusiastic one, but without my wife - with whom I had intended to retire to France - my perceptions about what life in France would really be like sharpened somewhat. I still enjoy going to my house, but it is not as important to me as it was.

As for a holiday home? If I sold it I could probably use the capital to go on a round the world cruise every year for the rest of my life. My children, whose property the house would eventually become, show little interest in it other than as potential equity for purposes of their own.

[just john]

Thanks once again Clark, succinct must be your middle name, I shall now feel that I can at least go prepared to meet the notaire; your last couple of paragraphs bear a frightening resemblance to my own position, Sue was the motivation for many things in our life not least playing the matriarch in ensuring our sprogs would be attending family dinners outings, holidays in france etc even placing flowers on family graves became a family event and I have to say I will endeavour to continue in that vein and accept the challenge. Being helped by others in the same situation and being able to discuss it have been the best therapy for me, but it has also shown me how others shrink away and were it not that this is all new to me I would probably shut up and slink away somewhere. I feel so many people facing this situation need the opposite and require some focus point, even an event where they could find advice, discuss others account or saga and meet new people. I have found it therapeutically cathartic to broaden my circle of acquintances especially with people of similar experiences. Sues gone, not completely, and life must get better than this.

Thanks once again, for your response which I know is braver than most.

[Clarkkent]

John,

I think that you have the strength and capacity to go forward. I, too, was puzzled and hurt by the behaviour of others. I learned, too, that some people are made of spun gold.

I have reached the point where I can look back with gratitude and happiness for the years I spent with a remarkable woman. I hope that you will eventually reach that point.

You have my best wishes.