Any Help/Advice For Moving To France

[Garfy]

Hi,

This is my 1st post, and was hoping to gain some helpfull advice from all you lovely experenced people over there, who have done it and worn the t-shirt.  I have lived in the south east of England pretty much all my life & will be looking to move over to the Poitou-Charentes area.  I am looking for any advice anyone can give. Obviously I have carried out my own research, but I feel you can never know too much.  One of my slight concerns is, if I buy a property and don't want to move in immeadiately, possibly leaving it 6 months to a year before moving over, (but popping over to renevate it at various times).  Is the place safe as far as squatters are concerned? Does anyone know the law, if someone broke in would they have rights to stay there, or would it be lots of hard work getting them out?

The plan would be to buy somewhere, leaving it, and keep visiting for long weekends to repair or renavate depending on what I purchase.  Is this the correct thing to do? Or does anybody have any other ideas?

I thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from any helpful souls out there.

Take Care

Gareth  [:D]

[Val_2]

My late FIl who worked in security and police etc always used to say that if a burglar or squatters want to get into a property then they will and nothing will keep them out,so to all those people who lock internal doors, save yourself some damage and don't bother. You will be no different to any other absent property owner and the only thing you can do is use your brain and make the place as secure as you can without drawing too much attention to it. Even invest in an old car and leave parked in front and put metal grilles over the downstairs out of sight windows as the Spanish do. You can ask a neighbour to call by once per week and empty the letterbox which is a sure sign of absenteeism when its overflowing with pub and tell the local gendarmerie you are absent also. Unfortunately if you buy isolated then you stand a good chance of being burgled rather than in a hamlet or in close proximity to other houses. France is no different to any other country where crime is concerned, it just isn't made such a fuss of like the english do. Don't leave anything valuable at the property especially too in outside buildings like expensive tools and machinery,lock in the house if you can.

[kimg]

hi

 

i live in east sussex and do exactly what you are suggesting, but have bought in dept 62 and dont to move to france permanently.

 

sorry i dont know about the law there, but a shuttered house seems very secure and id have more concerns about my uk property than vice versa...ha

 

hope that helps, pm me by all means

 

kim

[Babbles]

Agree as above, but do check your insurance policy to make sure you have cover for the length of time you leave the house unoccupied. It could be worth paying some one to do key holder duties for piece of mind and to move things around a bit so it looks occupied.

[Patf]

Another idea is to put a timer on the fuse box for the lights to come on when it gets dark. If you are leaving he electricity on, that is.

[Judith]

[quote user="Patf"]Another idea is to put a timer on the fuse box for the lights to come on when it gets dark. If you are leaving he electricity on, that is.[/quote]

Not much use inside if you are leaving shutters closed!  OK (perhaps) for outside lights?  We have found the best security is to have good neighbours, and /or live in a community where there are people about regularly. None of this negates taking the ususal sensible precautions, wherever you are.

[Patf]

Never thought of that Judith [:$] It's something we used to do in the UK, but then we didn't have shutters.

[Cat]

I always wonder whether leaving the shutters closed during prolonged absences doesn't actually advertise the fact that the property is empty and the owners elsewhere.

 

[Val_2]

You are damned if you shut them and damned if you leave them open and are burgled. I agree that shutters always indicates no one at home and my brother got burgled when he shut his up in the Pas de Calais and that was living ona busy main road with neighbours both sides who saw and heard nothing because the shutters were ripped off the wall at the back door. Shut up holidy homes are the number one target during the winter time and boats too, I live in a tourist resort and down in the next commune there are more holiday homes shut up officially than full time residents and many get broken into regularly. Best bet is to find an ex-pat living nearby to check weekly for you if your french isn't up to asking a neighbour.

[Garfy]

HI,

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.  Yours responses have been very interesting. As far as leaving the property, to start with it would not have anything of any value in it. I am looking to buy probably on the outskirts of a town/village, (but almost certainly the house I want will be alone with not too much near it). I am looking to buy with the solid view to moving out to France for good, so this isn't a holiday home or something I'm trying to make money on. My concerns is not so much for burgulars, (although this does create a small problem as far as leaving tools out there while I renevate the building/s), but more for squaters.

Is this a problem in France? 

Many Thanks

Gareth

[:D]

[Pads]

Hello Garth

Hope this dosnt scare you to death , but this makes interesting reading if I have coppied it right [:-))]

http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4080&sid=74231ed4685fd5afd1b957a8261cd565

[Ron Avery]

This was in Paris where people are looking for flats, they get squatters in UK towns as well or so I am led to believe.[:P]  There are thousands of empty properties in rural France either due to being empty/for sale or second homes, so the chances of your house being occupied by squatters in a rural setting is absolutely zilch.

[nectarine]

Squatters or burglary were our fear when we first bought a holiday home in a hamlet 12 years ago ... the first time we went back to the UK I was worrying about the house being empty and fearing what I would find when I returned.  However, going to see the neighbours and asking for assistance in keeping an eye on the place is invaluable ... nosey neighbours really are worth having!!!  Likewise, don't broadcast that you are away too much to strangers or in a bar since that kind of news can also travel to the wrong ears. 

Good shutters really are worthwhile and lock your tools in a good strong case.  If burglars really want to get in they will - like in the UK - but mostly they are looking for easy targets.  Also, make sure that everyone knows that you are poor and on a budget and living rough in a barn while you are converting - then your home really isn't worth burgling as there's nothing of value, is there?

My advice is don't worry.  If you are insured - and your insurance cover is for a maison secondaire with long periods of absence - and you have taken all the necessary precautions that you would as though it were your English house, then best to relax and don't think the worst.  We never had any break-ins and I don't know anybody who has.  And, re squatters, well this is probably not a politically-correct answer but I always thought that if we did have squatters then I had thought that a handful of euros into the right hands would purchase me a few muscly lads to "persuade" the squatters to move ....  (and please don't anyone shout at me about squatters' rights , what about the rights of homeowners not to have some layabouts occupying your home ...)

[goose]

I found this subject very interesting as we are about to go back to Charente Maritime to look for a house. We have also been researching for about 3 years now and feel we are ready to make a purchase. We have made some good friends in the area that we are about to look in though and hopefully we will have some nosey neighbours too. We are both very excited at the prospect of buying our holiday home but worried like Gareth about the potential problems whilst we are here in the UK.

[Pads]

I have had my place nearly 3 years now and apart from the cobwebs everything has been fine .... so dont worry to much , as long as you have good insurance ( as has been said before ) you will be fine , I actually worry more about this place than my place in france ..... go out and enjoy your search and your french summers [:D]