Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Jan 22nd 2017, 10:31 am
#16
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
The thing is, nobody ever expects the unthinkable to happen.
But it does happen, to a tiny percentage of people. And if you happen to be one of the select few unlucky ones, I would have thought that having to pay 60 cent succession taxes, on top of the grief etc, would be the last thing the surviving partner would want.
That would mean that if your property is worth 100,000€ and you own half shares, then the survivor would be obliged to pay almost 30,000€ to the state within 6 months of the inheritance. Would there be this much cash lying around, and if so, aren't there things you would prefer to spend it on?
It is a small risk but considering how devastating it could be, personally I don't think it's one that should be ignored.
Just before Christmas my brother who was a few years older than me but I always thought he was superfit and would long outlive a couch potato like me, had a heart attack and died while taking part in a regular Saturday morning run at his athletics club. Friday night I was talking to him on the phone making plans for Christmas, Saturday lunchtime I didn't have a brother any more. Sometimes traumas do hit you completely out of the blue, unfortunately nobody is immune.
But it does happen, to a tiny percentage of people. And if you happen to be one of the select few unlucky ones, I would have thought that having to pay 60 cent succession taxes, on top of the grief etc, would be the last thing the surviving partner would want.
That would mean that if your property is worth 100,000€ and you own half shares, then the survivor would be obliged to pay almost 30,000€ to the state within 6 months of the inheritance. Would there be this much cash lying around, and if so, aren't there things you would prefer to spend it on?
It is a small risk but considering how devastating it could be, personally I don't think it's one that should be ignored.
Just before Christmas my brother who was a few years older than me but I always thought he was superfit and would long outlive a couch potato like me, had a heart attack and died while taking part in a regular Saturday morning run at his athletics club. Friday night I was talking to him on the phone making plans for Christmas, Saturday lunchtime I didn't have a brother any more. Sometimes traumas do hit you completely out of the blue, unfortunately nobody is immune.
If either of you have blood relatives (presumably no children on either side?), they would inherit their share of each of your shares (if you see what I mean) and the surviving partner would be in a pickle if they want to sell or even live on the property.....
@ET, so sorry to hear about your brother. I think my world would fall apart if mine suddenly died like that.
Jan 22nd 2017, 10:49 am
#17
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
It did. When I say just before Christmas, it was actually a couple of months before and I'm starting to get it back together and move on now, but I still have bad moments. Thanks for the sympathy DMU.
I used to be like the OP and think things like this happened to other people but I went to too many funerals last year, including my bro's, and also a former close work colleague who was in his 30s but decided he'd had enough of living, so maybe I'm over-sensitised to the hovering presence of the Grim Reaper at the mo.
I used to be like the OP and think things like this happened to other people but I went to too many funerals last year, including my bro's, and also a former close work colleague who was in his 30s but decided he'd had enough of living, so maybe I'm over-sensitised to the hovering presence of the Grim Reaper at the mo.
Jan 22nd 2017, 12:19 pm
#18
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
With regard to the compromis de vente, we added a clause requiring bornage. This sets out the legal boundaries of the property. In our case it uncovered a boundary dispute with the neighbour; this dragged out the purchase by over a year but it was important to sort out.
While our house build has been relatively smooth, what was has caught us off guard are the strikes and occasional lack of customer service – https://loveallier.com/house/5.2/
EuroTrash, I sorry to hear of your loss.
While our house build has been relatively smooth, what was has caught us off guard are the strikes and occasional lack of customer service – https://loveallier.com/house/5.2/
EuroTrash, I sorry to hear of your loss.
Jan 22nd 2017, 3:10 pm
#19
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Catherine here....So sorry to hear about your brother.
We appreciate these things can and do happen but, we won't be getting married anytime soon-certainly not before we go to France!
We are very keen to speak to a notaire or we risk losing this plot (and we already missed out on 1 plot) and we still haven't heard back from the one recommended to us. I know the pace in France is very different than here but, if anyone could recommend a notaire in the Dordogne area, that would be great!
We appreciate these things can and do happen but, we won't be getting married anytime soon-certainly not before we go to France!
We are very keen to speak to a notaire or we risk losing this plot (and we already missed out on 1 plot) and we still haven't heard back from the one recommended to us. I know the pace in France is very different than here but, if anyone could recommend a notaire in the Dordogne area, that would be great!
Jan 22nd 2017, 3:26 pm
#20
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
You can find notaires in France through Notaires de France. A search for English speaking notaires in Dordogne returns over twenty results. You should still expect to communicate in French to the office, until you reach an individual who can speak English.
We found that few French professionals are responsive to e-mail, until you have physically met.
We found that few French professionals are responsive to e-mail, until you have physically met.
Jan 22nd 2017, 3:29 pm
#21
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Catherine here....So sorry to hear about your brother.
We appreciate these things can and do happen but, we won't be getting married anytime soon-certainly not before we go to France!
We are very keen to speak to a notaire or we risk losing this plot (and we already missed out on 1 plot) and we still haven't heard back from the one recommended to us. I know the pace in France is very different than here but, if anyone could recommend a notaire in the Dordogne area, that would be great!
We appreciate these things can and do happen but, we won't be getting married anytime soon-certainly not before we go to France!
We are very keen to speak to a notaire or we risk losing this plot (and we already missed out on 1 plot) and we still haven't heard back from the one recommended to us. I know the pace in France is very different than here but, if anyone could recommend a notaire in the Dordogne area, that would be great!
Chambre 24 - Annuaire
lists all the Notaires in the Dordogne. If you're wondering, "Me" is short for Maître and "Mes" short for Maîtres (in partnership).
Notaires aren't like Avocats, they aren't there to act for or against you before the Court, but are unbiassed Public Officers to ensure that conveyancing is done in accordance with the Law (and that the taxes are duly paid!). In which case you don't really need a recommendation, they are all trustworthy! Although some are more dynamic than others, and some might speak English, others not.....
Hope this helps!
Jan 22nd 2017, 3:59 pm
#22
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Has the seller not mentioned a notaire? It's normal for seller and buyer to use the same notaire - though you don't have to. If the seller is keen to sell, one would have thought he would have a notaire lined up.
Email isn't as mainstream a way of doing business here as it is in the UK. A lot of notaires don't repond to emails, especially unsolicited ones. I would suggest you make first contact by phone to introduce yourself, you'll probably get the notaire's receptionist who will take your details. Once your "dossier" has been opened, you have a much better chance of getting responses to emails. Never underestimate how important it is to have a "dossier" when dealing with any kind of French bureaucracy - the first thing they always do is get your dossier out, and if you don't have one and aren't on the spot to provide the information they need to make one, they don't know where to start!
Email isn't as mainstream a way of doing business here as it is in the UK. A lot of notaires don't repond to emails, especially unsolicited ones. I would suggest you make first contact by phone to introduce yourself, you'll probably get the notaire's receptionist who will take your details. Once your "dossier" has been opened, you have a much better chance of getting responses to emails. Never underestimate how important it is to have a "dossier" when dealing with any kind of French bureaucracy - the first thing they always do is get your dossier out, and if you don't have one and aren't on the spot to provide the information they need to make one, they don't know where to start!
Jan 22nd 2017, 4:29 pm
#23
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Great info! Thanks everyone! Somebody else i know had used the same notaire as the seller and after completion wondered if that had been a foolish idea. However, if as DMU says they are unbiased then, that shouldn't be an issue. Useful to know!
We are reluctant to converse via telephone as neither of us have great French. I have enough to get by when we are on holiday but, haven't started learning enough yet. We do plan to get stuck into the language as we would like to integrate into the community as much as we can! I guess we will just have to give it a go
Jan 22nd 2017, 5:20 pm
#24
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Great info! Thanks everyone! Somebody else i know had used the same notaire as the seller and after completion wondered if that had been a foolish idea. However, if as DMU says they are unbiased then, that shouldn't be an issue. Useful to know!
We are reluctant to converse via telephone as neither of us have great French. I have enough to get by when we are on holiday but, haven't started learning enough yet. We do plan to get stuck into the language as we would like to integrate into the community as much as we can! I guess we will just have to give it a go
Jan 27th 2017, 7:22 am
#25
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Thanks,
We're speaking to a notaire today.
I'll return with an update shortly.
Cheers
We're speaking to a notaire today.
I'll return with an update shortly.
Cheers
Jan 27th 2017, 1:58 pm
#26
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
In one of the above posts relating to notaires, it states, "....you don't really need a recommendation, they are all trustworthy!" This is not entirely true, as the French news occasionally reports of notaire fraud and of them being suspended. I recall hearing several such reports on tv - accounting anomalies up and down the country leading to suspension etc, and the internet also details cases of corruption here.
This came to light again just this week on a local tv station who reported of 2 notaries being suspended after alleged involvement with money laundering.
The other comment which was bang on-target was, "some are more dynamic than others". So, so true.
This came to light again just this week on a local tv station who reported of 2 notaries being suspended after alleged involvement with money laundering.
The other comment which was bang on-target was, "some are more dynamic than others". So, so true.
Jan 27th 2017, 9:37 pm
#28
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Jan 27th 2017, 10:08 pm
#29
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Thanks for the info Tweedpipe, seems there's a few snakes about eh? We've contacted the notaire that the seller is using although she hasn't answered her phone today...
Jan 28th 2017, 7:42 am
#30
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Re: Girlfriend and I moving to France from England
Following on from the matchstick suggestion, practise initialling 30-odd pages, to avoid getting writer's cramp on D-Day and signing the last page like a drunkard!