Newcomer in Orne: grass cutting advice

[Helen]

We are just about to take possession of our house near Flers (61) and are starting to plan for the inevitable challenges (and hopefully delights!) of holiday home ownership.

Uppermost on our mind is the question of grass cutting.  We intend to try to find someone to come in every few weeks to cut the grass for us (about quarter of a hectare) but are wondering whether or not they are likely to want to bring their own mower or whether we would be expected to provide a ride-on?  We don't want to buy one if we don't need to - but if we do need to buy one then we will probably be able to manage on our own for the rest of this year and will have more time to find someone.  Any advice?

Of course, if anyone out there can recommend or offer grass cutting services in the southern suisse normande area we'd love to hear from you...!

 

 

 

[Higgy]

We are in the Correze and have found a neighbour who will cut the grass prior to our arrival, we just email our direct neighbour and they get him to come along. He works for the local Marie and gives us a bill every so often keeping everything legal, he does our work in his own time. I know from some other people that the companies that advertise can be a bit expensive, or so it seems to us.

Hope you can source someone similar.  

[Helen]

Thanks for the quick reply.  Does he use your mower or does he bring his own?

Helen

[Sally_Bigham]

Hallo, our gardener brings all his own equipment to do the grass cutting, this is much the best option unless you are intending to use it yourself sometimes.  We found our grass cutters from an advert in the Living France magazine a couple of years ago.

Sally

[Higgy]

Forgot sorry, yes he brings all his own cutting implements.

[Will]

[quote user="Higgy"]I know from some other people that the companies that advertise can be a bit expensive...

[/quote]

That could be because they are properly registered and insured, they provide their own well-maintained equipment, and they pay their cotisations to the MSA. This has been discussed here, and registered gardeners have expressed doubts about anybody being able to work legally in France for less than about 30€ per hour.

Not saying that anybody's gardener is not necessarily legal, but working for the mairie or similar is no guarantee that your job isn't being done au noir on the side. No reason why you shouldn't take advantage of offers of cheap grass cutting, as long as you are aware of the implications. If you want such work done without employing a fully-registered company then the legal way is to use the cheque d'emploi system.

[Helen]

This is proving an extremely useful thread for me, answering questions I didn't even realise I needed to ask! I had not previously known about the cheque d'emploi system which I have now researched via this very helpful forum and the cseu website. 

At the risk of going off topic somewhat, but still relevant to my original question - am I right in my understanding the cheque d'emploi system is what you should use if you want to pay someone legally to provide domestic support (eg a local person to cut the grass), but if I find a registered business I would then pay them using ordinary cheques?   Presumably Will's estimate of 30 euros would apply in the latter case, whereas if I use a cheque d'emploi then I would write the cheque for the lower amount charged by the individual and then have the higher amount deducted from our french bank account?  (Just checking I have understood the website - although I can speak French fairly well I am on a steep learning curve when it comes to the vocabulary and acronyms relating to the more technical aspects of day to day life in France!)

There is a registered paysagiste company in our village - would paysagistes be likely to consider grass cutting and occasional pruning or would they be 'landscape gardeners' - ie design and major works?

Thanks again

Helen

 

[Pearly Spencer]

   The cheque d'emploi system will benefit you if you are a French taxpayer as the payments can be offset against your personal tax, if a registered gardener charges you €30.00 per hour for garden maintainance then you would benefit by the lower cost to someone on the cheque d'emploi system. I would imagine that the price of €30.00 would be for specialist gardening requiring greater knowledge than that need for just cutting the grass. I would also imagine that when you are actually at the house you would want to 'do' the garden yourselves, so kitting yourselves out with something like a ride-on mower will be for your own benefit. With someone looking after the garden for you on cheque d'emploi you will also be able to get him/her to act as guardian during the winter months, popping in on a regular basis to do  a security check and winter storm damage check would be very useful for you and it is a job that I don't think the 'paysagite' companies would want to do.IMHO.

   When looking for someone for the work please do not forget that because he/she speaks the same language as you it means that you can trust them, ask around the area and take some recommendations. Good luck.[:)]

regards

Pearly