Category: Property

IF you want to make your dream move to France a reality it’s important to ask yourself some difficult questions – if you don’t you could be heading back in a few months time.

Here property hunter, Gregory Mose, offers up some thoughts on buying a property that people may want to consider when walking around a house wondering if this is the one.

Housing markets go up and down, but some things you can always count on. Location will continue to be king, estate agents will persist in believing that any room large enough to lie down in qualifies as a ‘spacious bedroom’ and human nature will always be a buyer’s worst enemy.

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THERE is a brutally honest piece on the Daily Mail website by journalist Lauren Booth, who lives in the Dordogne, about the pressures of life in France.

Lauren writes about the difficulties of her having to work in the UK a few times a month, whilst her husband, who suffered a motorbiking accident that has left him unable to drive, stays back in France looking after their home and two children.

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THE new France-UK Double Tax Treaty (DTT) signed between France and the UK on June 19, 2008 came into force in France on January 1, 2010 and will be effective from April 6, 2010 in the UK.

Virginie Deflassieux, of French tax advisors PKF Guernsey, offers a summary of the main changes which will affect British citizens living in France:

Scope of the DTT

The Contribution Sociale Généralisée and Contribution au Remboursement de la Dette Sociale as well as the additional taxes to French corporation tax are clearly included in the scope of the new agreement.

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LA tempête Xynthia, which ripped through south west France during Saturday night and Sunday morning, has been declared a catastrophe naturelle by prime minister François Fillon.

This means insurance companies are obliged to take into account flood damage and the government will publish details of the areas covered in the next 48 hours.

It is believed around 50 people lost their lives as winds touching 159 km/h battered the coast with La Rochelle suffering particularly heavy flooding.

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I ALWAYS get a bit of a buzz from seeing deer in the countryside, but if you have trees in your French garden then they can also cause real damage.

Phil Voice planted some Field Maple along the drive to his property near Monflanquin, and for some time was pleased to see that the deer he’d seen gave them a wide berth.

Until recently that is, when one damaged a couple of trees and so Phil has had to protect them with plastic coverings; he has written more about what he has done as well as provides a link to more advice from the UK’s Forestry Commission.

IT has taken some time in coming, but the French tax authorities have finally agreed to treat same-sex couples who have entered into civil partnerships in the same way as French PACS couples.

Until recently the French system did not recognise couples who had registered under civil partnership arrangements in their own countries; so on the death of one, the surviving partner was treated as a third party and charged inheritance tax.

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I KNOW I have a number of readers who are involved in the French property business, either as estate agents or home finders.

So a series of articles by Martin Belham, who works as an information architect on The Guardian site, about search engines on property websites is sure to prove enlightening.

His research took place during a house hunt in London and whilst he was searching he kept notes about the experience, unfortunately it seems property firms have a lot to learn.

THE weather here in the Dordogne has taken a real wintery turn in the past couple of days, so the wood burners are fired up and smoke is rising from many chimneys.

Stocks of logs are being whittled away and the job of keeping the home fires burning falls upon the shoulders of who ever is nearest the fire.

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I HAVE just called the English language helpline offered by France Telecom and been informed that that it is now reachable via a new number.

The number is 09 69 36 39 00, although the call is no longer free and is charged at a so-called ‘standard rate’ which I’ve tried to source but drawn a blank.

The France Telecom Contact Us page provides details of the number you can call in France, as well as how to call if you are outside the country, +33 (0)9 69 36 39 00.

France Telecom has also swapped the options around, so the first one is for technical questions about your telephone and internet access, whilst the second is for account queries and setting up a line.

France Telecom’s English-language helpline is open Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm.

Update (26/11/09): Thanks to Geoff in the comments another telephone number is available enabling you to contact the English language service from France Telecom for free – 01.55.78.60.56

FEW people can resist stopping in front of an estate agent’s window just to see what properties they have on their books.

Here regular contributor to the site, lawyer Guillaume Barlet, takes a look at some of the things you may need to consider if looking to buy a place in France.

In recent years, French laws relating to property ownership, inheritance and taxes have been subject to dramatic changes. Adaptation is key and these rules are full of traps for the unwary.

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