some questions post finalising purchase

[ross]

Hi

I hope that someone out there might be able to help me.

We have just completed purchasing a rundown farm house in Haute Normandie.

I would like to know what documents we can expect to receive from the Notaire - do we get something

like the 'deeds'. I have only received a one page 'Attestation'? Is that all I can expect?

Also I have no idea how to pay the Taxe d’Habitation - Residence Tax & Taxe Foncière - Ownership Tax

I have asked our Notaire but it seems that now they have completed the sale they have no interest in us. A little frustrating !

All help gratefully received

Thanks in advance

 

ross

 

[woolybanana]

In several months ( maybe up to ten) you will receive a copy of the deeds which is a chunk of papers.

Other taxes will work their way to the postal address, BUT, do make sure you are liable for them as it is so close to the end of the year that the system may not register that you have bought the building or that the vendor has sold it. Just a warning from my notaire from last week.

[Tancrède]

Congratulations on your purchase.

The demands for the two local taxes will arrive automatically, as WB says  -  you do not have to do anything about this.  They generally appear (at least here) in the autumn of the year to which they relate.  Occupation/ownership on the 1st January (2016 in your case, if you have only just completed the purchase) will render you liable for Taxe d'Habitation for the whole of the year following that date, and the vendor for the whole of the year preceding. 

The notaire will usually (if so arranged) apportion the Taxe Foncière between the vendor and purchaser according to the date of the transaction, so all you have to do is await the next demand.

If the property is ruinous, then you may find  -  as I did in my previous property  -  that Taxe d'Habitation is not immediately demanded because they do not conceive that the property is in fact habitable.  I had two or three years grace, but that was in the last millennium and I do not imagine they are so happy-go-lucky nowadays.

The Attestation can be an important and useful document for demonstrating your legal interest in that address before you have more workaday documentation like electricity bills, etc.

 

[Loiseau]

Welcome to the forum, ross!

I would just add to the above, if you are going to enter into discussion with anyone on whether the house is inhabitable or not...

The French word "inhabitable" means UNinhabitable in English; and "habitable" is French for INhabitable. (Apologies if you knew this already, but I thought it worth mentioning as it can be really confusing!)

Angela

[mint]

Now you're confusing me, Angela.

Whilst inhabitable does indeed mean uninhabitable in English, I believe that habitable means the same thing in English, that is, liveable (in)[:)]

[mrsblack]

Well done!

From my experience our mairie considered that inhabitable meant that there was no furniture in the building. It is probably a worthwhile going to the mairie and informing them that the building is inhabitable.Also if you have mains sewage you might escape paying for that.I only found out ,years later ,that our mains sewage was a special price based on a fictitious number of people living there as a holiday home.I negotiated a 15euro reduction!

[YCCMB]

Another thing nobody has mentioned, so I will:

Presumably given your comments about the place being uninhabitable, you won't be living there for a bit. You would be wise to check with your notaire - go and see them if they don't respond to other communications - and the Mairie and your local Hotel d'impots, to see which address is registered with them for sending out your bills for taxe d'habitation and taxe fonciere.

If you happen to be living in the UK when the bills are sent, and aren't visiting France to pick up the mail during October/November when these bills arrive, you won't know, and if you don't pay them on time then there's a 10%penalty charge for late payment. You can request to have them sent to your UK address.

[nomoss]

You may need to produce the Attestation which you mentioned to some authorities, insurers or service companies in order to prove you own the property, for example, to show at the Centre des Impôts when you tell them where to send the bills for next year.

If any services are still connected to the house you should give any meter readings taken on the day of the sale to the electricity, water, and other companies, if your estate agent has not already done so, and also give them your UK address.

It might also be useful to make a couple of copies of the Attestation, as offices here love to collect as much paper as they can[:D].