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Everything you always wanted to know about France |
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News from Pezenas, South of France - Number 81, 29 October 2003
1. Credit Cards on the Internet 2. Prompt, Precise and Expert Translations 3. Pool Fencing - News Update 4. Looking After Your Rental Property 5. They're Coming to Take Me Away 6. Why I am Often Working Late 7. Yoga, Balloon Rides or just Relax on the Beach 8. Leaseback Properties - Pros and Cons 9. What is the Weather Like in Winter 10. In the Next Issue A regular newsletter from the South of France about visiting, life, living and working here. Advertising in this Newsletter We get many people asking to advertise in this newsletter and on our sites, we will now accept advertising from companies or people offering a service to property owners or visitors to France. This newsletter today is being sent to 10,122 subscribers - to the best of our ability and knowledge these are genuine, individual subscribers who have applied to us for the newsletter. We operate a double opt-in system and continually clean out all addresses which appear invalid, bounce or are listed as "undesirable". Only a few adverts will be run in each newsletter, a condition is that any person or company offering a service in France must be registered and give us their Numero Siret (or Siren), (if you don't know what this is - you have not got one). To suggest an advert and to see the rates or to send us money, go to our inquiry form at... http://rentalsfrance.com/contact/ Contact Us Or use this link http://francevoila.com/tipping How to Pay Us ======= 1. Credit Cards on the Internet We are using PayPal to accept payments from several of our sites. They are now part of EBay and have proven fast and reliable. Paying by credit card over the Internet is safe, providing you always follow a few simple rules. 1. Never send all your card details in one email. If you must send these by email, send part of the number and your address etc in two or more emails. 2. Paying by an on-line form is safe providing the site has a "secure server" you can see this by the address which will begin https://. 3. Never reply to any email which asks you to "confirm" your card details. Report it to the company they claim to be from so that the fraud is stopped - it is certain to be a fraud as no correctly registered Internet company will confirm a credit card in this way. On a slightly different subject - we notice that few places in France will accept travellers cheques now and that American Express is hardly accepted anywhere exxcept in the big Centers like Paris. All towns have ATM machines which work with MC and Visa, you usually get a better rate of exchange this way and it is safer. ======= 2. Prompt, Precise and Expert Translations LinguaFranca: a niche French-to-English translation house. Specialists in translating legal documents. We use only qualified lawyers as translators. tel +44 (0) 7734 110 252 or +44 (0) 1727 866 503 fax +44 (0) 7793 649 462 mailto:sophie@lingua-franca.co.uk Sophie@Lingua-Franca.co.uk http://www.lingua-franca.co.uk Lingua-Franca ======= 3. Pool Fencing - News Update The official French safety executive, AFNOR, met to finalise the pool safety standards on 14th October 2003. They have set standards that are now definitive and these will be published no later than the government’s self-imposed deadline of 16th December 2003. All future pool enclosures must adhere to these standards. From 2004 onwards, insurance companies will expect that pool security systems comply with the AFNOR standards. Lots of new information on the pool fencing saga - things are beginning to warm up and some sense is finally coming through, although why the final specicifications are not ready yet is a mystery to me, the deadline is December 16th - for a law which has a fine of 45,000 euro to not be fully explained until 2 weeks before it is applied seems a criminal act in itself. Is this a cunning plan to solve the Finances for the French government - will the Gendarmerie arrest the 1.5 million pool owners on January 1 and fine them 45,000 each for non-compliance. Happy Christmas Mr Raffarin. If you have read any of our newsletters or seen our sites we hope you have read something about the laws coming into effect for owners renting their homes on January 1st 2004 to make sure all swimming pools in rented property are fenced in compliance with the new safety regulations. We have had so much mail about this that it is taking a lot of time to answer, but as we consider it vitally important we are trying to reply to every point. I have made a few more pages about the law, translations (some very bad) and the standards required. You can see these at http://francevoila.com/features/pools.html Pools There are also links to manufacturers and installers, some are offering a discount to our readers. One manufacturer has written a very good FAQ page, we have put it on line at http://francevoila.com/features/pools4.html Pool FAQs How can you put a price on a childs life? ======= 4. Looking After Your Rental Property Tony Hi, We noted your comments about villa rentals since we are just about to complete our purchase of a villa with pool with great views at Banyuls del Apsres (15 mins Perpignan, Ceret and the Med). It needs refurbishing which we'll do before the next spring and furnish etc. Are there similar arrangements and companies for dealing with the letting/cleaning/ pool mainentance etc as say in Florida where our experience comes from and do you cover this area? Any guidance would be welcome!! many thanks Rob == Hi Rob, There are companies who look after the cleaning and changeovers for property owners, however, this is sometimes an "illegal" cash operation due to the great difficulty and costs of operating a small business in France. We do not keep lists of these people and cannot recommend them, but you will find individuals if you ask around when you are here, however do be careful. For pool maintenance there are many good specialists and you will find these in your local yellow pages - they generally operate in a very small area, ours will not travel more than 10 miles from his office. We are based near Pezenas which is over an hour from your home and you need someone literally "on your doorstep" as the key holder needs to not only speak English, but must be quickly available if there is a problem like a burst pipe etc. Our skill is marketing and finding you clients. You can see details of our service at http://francevoila.com/rentals/ Rentals For the pool, do make absolutely sure that it is correctly fenced and gated. The new laws are very strict, there are details of these on our pages at http://francevoila.com/features/pools/ Pools If a pool specialist says this is nonesense - find another pool specialist. Non compliance is a criminal offence from January 2004. Congratulation on finding a home in Banyuls - it is one of the nicest places in France. Best wishes Tony ======= 5. They're Coming to Take Me Away Dear Sir I have had a lifelong dream of living and working in France. I am an Irish Psychologist, and recently read that there is a need for English speaking therapists to work with English speaking people living in France. I am visiting France soon to see whether this dream is a reality for me. Naturally, having had this dream for so long, I am aware of the red tape involved in moving to France, so I intend initially to do Internet counselling, seeing clients once a month, via hotel rental, in France. Then moving to France in about six months or sooner, if this business is viable. What I feel you could help me with is as follows: have you any idea what part of France has the largest population of English speaking people? I could ask you what part of France has the largest population of English speaking people with problems, but I don't think anyone of us could quantify that! I have the highest qualification available in Ireland in psychology, and a wide range of experience from problems such as loneliness, time management, relationship problems, depression, eating disorders, autism, suicide, self-harm, addiction, criminal behaviour, emotional problems, psychosis etc. I work well with medical, social, nursing and other mental health professionals. My French would have to improve, but pidgin French gets me by. I wouldn't dare work with French people until I am fluent in verbal French, and non-verbal language which differs from culture to culture. I love France, the French, and everything French from the food and wine, the language, their pride in their culture, the lifestyle, the architecture, the cities and countryside, the mountains and lakes, French antiques - just about everything you can think of. It is unrealistic to say there will be nothing I don't like about France (I suppose it will take getting used to that everything closes for long lunches etc) but that's life isn't it? and so far in all my years of travelling to France I have not disliked anything. I would be so grateful for any help you can give me, - anything you can think of will help. Best wishes and I love this newsletter Sandra == Hello Sandra I believe that all of us living in France are between barking mad and mildly eccentric (the definition depends on income). Lower cost properties will be in less populated areas, for an effective catchment of suitable clients you need to look in the areas of high ex-pat occupancy and therefore these will be more expensive. Offering a peripatetic consultantcy and basing a business out of France is difficult. In essence the rule is, if you earn in France you must pay tax in France. As to what areas, the densities of Anglophones are in four main general regions.In order of cost of property.. The Cote d'Azur/Riviera Dordogne Languedoc Roussillon Brittany Each of these covers a huge area. In general I would suggest that the people coming to live in France have reached some level of financial "success", certainly enough to be able to make the break and to pay for the move. However, their emotional histories would be interesting to explore an the reasons for leaving the UK and Ireland often have disruptive reasons. This would not I think give a viable demographic profile for client base. Also many are at the point in their lives where their personal madnesses are something they have lived with and perhaps feel very comfortable with. All I can suggest is to try and stay a while to investigate this concept. I would recommend Languedoc Roussillon - not only because I could turn into your best client myself, but it is the fastest growing area or English speaking residents, but also the property prices are not as high as in some other regions, although prices have been increasing at 20% a year - we can offer a good deal on accommodation. Let me know you thoughts. Hope this helps Tony ======= 6. Why I am Often Working Late True Story... When I was 5 years old, my uncle David introduced me to a man who was a real millionaire, my uncle was a genius with Hammond Organs and this was one of his very satisfied customers (this was in 1950 and a real millionaire was a very wealthy man indeed). I wanted to be a millionaire and asked him - "How did you become a millionaire" - he smiled and said - "It is easy, making the first £5 is the hardest part" - my uncle said - "Here is £5" - (he had just been paid) and gave it to me, then Mr Pope (for that was the successful mans' name) said - "Ah yes, I had to make my first £5 over 400 times before it worked". My uncle took the £5 back, but I have never forgotten. I have lost many £5s since then but I still have a dream. This is why I work late ======= 7. Yoga, Balloon Rides or just Relax on the Beach Anne Soulet is running her Yoga and relaxation workship agoin this year. Full details are on our site at... http://rentalsfrance.com/languedoc/granddarene/ Grand Darene Anne Says... "A cook is wanted for the week who is interested in cooking for the 8 people who will be in the house. I would like the cook to have a car to share with the help and myself. If people are interested in participating in the retreat, they need to know English. I am open to any nationality and it will be many different activities so that small groups form and car pool." Write to me if you are interested in this cooking opportunity in a magical place.. mailto:tony@pezenas.com tony@pezenas.com ======= 8. Leaseback Properties - Pros and Cons There is a huge interest in investment properties in France. This government supported leaseback scheme has been in existance for over 20 years and offers a safe way of encouraging investment in tourism projects by giving a tax break discount to investors. I have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions for all of you who have written in about this and we are busy compiling a directory of all the leaseback and investment developments we can find as well as sources of finance and information. http://leaseback-france.frenchpropertydigest.com/ Leaseback FAQs There is also a nifty little Mortgage calculator on the site. If you have any information, or any questions about leaseback or investment projects we would love to hear from you. mailto:tony@pezenas.com tony@pezenas.com ======= 9. What is the Weather Like in Winter Hello to one & all of the Tidswell family. I'm a new discoverer of your very informative web site & have decided to put a question to you right away. My Wife and I have recently returned from a house hunting trip to the Midi-Pyrenees & inparticular, the Aveyron/Lot areas. Beautiful though the region is, we think the Winter weather could be a little to wet for our liking. We have now decided to come further south & investigate the Languedoc/Roussillon areas. My question to you you is this, what are the Winter months like there. I appreciate that no two Winter are alike but an opinion in general terms would be welcome. Thanking you in advance, John == Hello John, The months from November to March are chilly along the Mediterranean there is usually one or two days of frost - temperatures can drop to -1, we have had an exceptionally cold week in the last ten years which damaged our mimosa trees. Snow is exceptional, but we have seen it three times in 12 years. It usually lasts a couple of hours. We have one log fire in our large rambling ruin of a home which seems to be enough in the winter months and we dress warmly, although we have had Norwegian guests through the winter who wore shorts and shirt sleeves for Christmas, laughing at us weak and feeble locals. Every Christmas for the last 11 years we have had Christmas lunch on our terrace, in hot sunshine. My only advice is that you should come and stay a while in the winter, we can offer a good deal on off season accommodation. http://rentalsfrance.com/ Rentals France Best wishes Tony ======= 10. In the Next Issue I am getting information on two way satellite Interent - not cheap. The latest Leaseback and Investment opportunities and some of the things to watch out for. - More lunacy from the French Civil Service. - Why France is a better investment than Croatia, Albania or Bulgaria - Cruising on the rivers and canals of France.... ======= |