User no longer member. Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 We finally make our move to Limousin mid January and I'd like to have as many utilities connected for moving in day as I can. Am I right in thinking that we can't get connected to many of them unless we have a French bank account? During our last trip we ran out of time and couldn't open one so we thought we'd do it when we move. Maybe there is an account we could open on line? If anyone can help I'd be obliged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I've got a Britline account (Credit Agricole) and you can download all the application stuff online ~ but it then has to sent off by post and takes quite a while to get processed once you've done all the form fillng.I imagine this will be the case for the other banks as well. Abbey used to offer an account which presumably you could get signed up for at a UK branch so if that's still going it might suit you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northender Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 HSBC have branches in France , although not in many locations.We have a euro account with them that was all arranged from our UK branch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEO Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 The reality is , you will probably get connected mid February! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Avery Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Apologies to the OP for the late night silliness, does he live there or just drink the stuff?[:P]The reality is that if you have the utilities already at the house they will continue, so try and talk to the previous owners at the contract signing or the agent or the Notaire. The previous people will be keen to get a hand over and meter readings done etc and may even inform the companies of the change in owner. If not you can set up an account with Britline on line in order to get utilties in place, but as it is based in Calvados, you might want to find a bank nearer after you move. You could also do a search on "setting up a bank account" for the various other options as this issue has been discussed many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEO Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Hi Ron , you have assumed the utilities are in place already .I assumed from reading the op that they were not !(why would the OP post ,if the utilities are already there!No silliness given on my part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Avery Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Hi LeoI don't think that either of us knows the true situation, but I did think it was a bit off putting to suggest to someone who appears not t know much about how these things work that if the utilities were not connected they would have to wait a month for this to happen.Either way, through the agent, Notaire or the current owners depending on how they are buying and through whom, a lot can be achieved in securing utilities in advance of their January moving date. January eh!! Nothing like experiencing the worst of rural France from day one is there ...... You know the "I can just see you sitting there glass of wine in hand in the evening on the porch " Yeah right!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User no longer member. Posted November 24, 2007 Author Share Posted November 24, 2007 Many thanks for that. Have spoken to the Agent today who is going to arrange for utilities to continue (fingers crossed). No amount of foreward planning for this move can stop last minute jitters about making sure everything is right (French permitting of course!)Have packed the thermals although I hope it may be a degree warmer than North Yorkshire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 It's a shame you couldn't find the time to open an A/C when you were last there, it would have helped quite a bit but whats done is done, or not in this case [:)]If the agent is arranging for the facilities to continue then one can only think that they are still connected and will remain so in the name of the existing subscriber because it is not possible to transfer them without a bank account and a RIB.Once you have your account and apply for the transfer there is no reason for there to be any interruption at all in electricity, water or gas (if connected) because nothing tangible happens, it's just an administrative affair. It's possible that the phone, if there is a line that is, might take a day or two to be reconnected with your new number.Unless you have an extraordinarily generous seller they will expect you to repay them for your consumption in the interim. I suspect you may have a good relationship with them because this is a bit of an open ended liability as determining the precise time of transfer is not clear cut and the best you could probably say is that it happened on a particular day but not a time. It's possible I suppose that the agent could ask for a deposit on behalf of the seller.I endorse others comments that it would be best to open your bank A/C on the ground at a local bank rather than go through all the pularva of Britline. If your French isn't up to much then ask your agent if they know of one where some English is spoken. It's usually very straight forward and all we needed was a copy of our Compromis, a couple of recent UK bank staements and our passports and it was done in about 15 minutes although, as with all such things in France, to be on the safe side you should take everything with you from both your parents birth certificates onwards [blink]All in all I wouldn't worry too much. Keep in touch with the agent to make sure they have done as promised and welcome to France !Re moving in January; well we didn't actually move in then but did complete in January. We stayed in a Gite belonging to our neighbours for a few days but it was one not normally let for the winter, and for a good reason - it was -12 at night and in the mornings there was frost on the INSIDE of the windows but none of that detracted from the excitement of the moment [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunny Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 And while you are at it, I would strongly recommend that you ask your agent to get broadband installed as well. We asked our agent to do it, and we had broadband working the day we moved in. He later told us that it took many, many calls with France telecom to get it done - bless him for all his efforts!Congratulations - I am sure you will have a wonderful time in January! We love our France house in winter and really enjoy sitting by the fire having hot chocolate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 But you'll not be able to do that until you have the phone in your name and your new number to give to an ISP. Did you have your line installed or transferred before you moved in BP ?There is no presumption that the OP wants to go with FT anyway.One point: Have you checked that you can even get BB ?If there is an existing phone number enter it HERE to check what's available, I hope it's good news.You certainly wouldn't be the first to overlook this and find out too late that you're too far out and stuck with dialup [+o(]Physical distance from your nearest village or exchange is not always a reliable indicator of telephone line length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 [quote user="writersblock"] Am I right in thinking that we can't get connected to many of them unless we have a French bank account? [/quote]You don't need a French bank account to obtain utility services - you can pay your quarterly bills in cash if you want.Your agent will give your details as the new occupier to the utilities so that your new account will operate from day one. They'll then send you a new contract to sign. Once you've got your new bank account opened, then you can organise a prelevement, or pay the bills on-line, or send a cheque...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 [quote user="Sunday Driver"]You don't need a French bank account to obtain utility services - you can pay your quarterly bills in cash if you want.[/quote]Yes, if you want to make life awkward for yourself. And bills aren't generally quarterly - every two months or twice-yeraly seems to be the norm.[quote user=" "]Your agent will give your details as the new occupier to the utilities...[/quote]Don't rely on that, not all will bother, unless you ask them to. If they do they may well give either your French (if a holiday home) or English (if you plan to live there) address so bills etc will be delayed - And if buying privately or through a notaire you will normally have to arrange the change yourself.It does sound as if the person who posed the original question has got this well under control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Well thats blown me out of the water then hasn't it [:$]I admit I was going on what our Immo had told us and although they were English they have a French secretary who handles these matteres so I didn't think it was unreasonable to expect that information to be correct.I apologise if I misled you and thank you SD for putting the record straight.Now where's that "egg on face" smiley.....................[blink][blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunny Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 [quote user="ErnieY"]But you'll not be able to do that until you have the phone in your name and your new number to give to an ISP. Did you have your line installed or transferred before you moved in BP ?[/quote]We went through the notaire and he had a person who handed all the sales (I guess a type of agent). The agent was brilliant - he transferred the utilities, the phoneline and also got the internet set-up when we moved in. He did ask us for some information to do this - I think it was passports for the utilities and perhaps our bank RIB for direct deposit for FT...I can't remember....Since we pay our utilities by check, I imagine he did not use the RIB to set those up.Hope the OP can get broadband - it helps when you are settling in and want to find out "How to...." from google or even better, the friendly folks in this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Ernie, I think you're right and SD is wrong - in my experience (working for a French estate agent and doing these changeovers for people on a regular basis), it doesn't matter how you want to pay your bill with EDF, they won't open a new account without a RIB. I have tried to get past this a few times on a client's behalf and been given a firm "Non".The only exception I have seen is if the customer goes to an EDF office in person and shows ID, proof of address etc then they allow an account to be opened.SD, maybe you have more sympathetic EDF staff than where I am!!Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Thanks for the support Lou but it's not worth getting into an argument over.SD may well be right in theory but on the ground it's possibly another question.Lets just hope it works out for the OP [8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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