Registering with local authorities etc.

[Rob G]

Our move to Normany is in just a week and a half. Feeling of great exciement coupled with some butterflies!

Anyway, I was wondering what we have to do in terms of registering with the local authorities. I presume we have to register with someone so that they can charge us taxe d'habitation, taxe fonciere etc., and so that we get access to whatever services are in place (e.g. refuse collection etc.)

(I've already sorted the utilities side of things - EDF/GDF, France Telecom etc.)

Thanks,

Rob

[Teamedup]

Ask your Mairie about water connection. It varies so much all over France as to who provides and bills, and your Mairie will know. I would also ask your Mairie when rubbish is collected and if they need notifying and what their recycling policy is, although some councils don't have much of a recycling policy. You will need to provide your own bin, the Mairie may tell you what to provide.

If you are buying then the local taxes people will catch up with you via the information they recieve. Ofcourse you will only get these bills for fonciere and habitation in autumn 2006 as it is the person who owns and or lives the property on the first of January who has to pay the bills.

In theory you should get a tax form from your Mairie or the Hotel des Impots in March time and just fill in for the period you will have been resident in France ie 6 weeks. Some people will tell you that this is not necessary for such a short time, but that isn't actually what the law says. Even if you leave your income tax it is up to you to get the forms for it, your responsibility to get them in on time etc. Once you have filled the first one in then they send out the new ones, if by chance they don't turn up, then again up to yourselves to get hold of one and in on time.

[Liz]

Just a small point, if Rob is in a rural location he may find that there is a large bin or bins (containeurs) at some convenient point for a number of houses in the area.  In that case they are provided.

Liz (29)

[Stocky]

I would also ask where the Decheterie id, since our move 3 weeks ago we have become regular visitors with our rubbish.

[Rob G]

Good idea - thanks.

If one has to buy a bin, where does one buy it from? And are there any rules about how many bins you can have? For instance, if you had two, would the bin men empty them both?

Rob