zoys

Hello, hope you are all doing well.

I am wondering if I could get some information/recommendation about where to find a carpenter or a handyman, as I have some doors to fix and some handyman work that needs some help.

Do France have the équivalent of yellow page?

I understand there are some regulations regarding carry out work for a house, but would small jobs matter?

many thanks

graham.miln

Yes, the Yellow Pages exists in France, https://www.pagesjaunes.fr

I expect others will be along soon to answer your question about regulations soon.

dmu

Hi, and yes, small jobs do matter!! Particularly to the URSSAF which is keen to collect social Contributions, and to the Fisc which is keen to collect income tax! If the carpenter/handyman isn't registered as self-employed (in which case the above institutions get their money automatically), you could pay him by Chèque-Emploi (CESU) provided he's declared for "petits travaux/bricolage", not as a carpenter.
https://www.cesu.urssaf.fr/info/accueil.html
We once had a visit from the URSSAF following a denunciation by a neighbour, but our handyman had been duly declared.
Insurance is also important - if the undeclared handyman has or causes an accident, there's no insurance coverage for any damage or the consequences of a serious injury...
As said, les Pages Jaunes will list all the local carpenters and "hommes à tout faire", but I should ask at your local "Services à domicile" agencies, such as Ad Domeo, ADMR, Présence Verte, etc.... and they in fact send their bill and you don't have to worry about the various deductions from the worker's salary.
HTH

zoys

Hi thank you very much. Sounds like French workers don’t do cash-in-hand? And I need to check if the person is properly registered?

in terms of insurance you mentioned, do you mean house insurance or insurance that the worker have for this handy man business?

many thanks

dmu

Many do, but it's illegal. When they give you a Devis, you'll see their SIRET number on it.
It works both ways. Your own house/civil liability insurance covers your responsiblity and the worker's professional insurance covers him/her.

EuroTrash

Officially, good tradesmen never work cash in hand. Unofficially, many do but only for people they know well and have a relationship of mutual trust with.
If you find one that will work cash in hand for anyone, and he does a sh1te job (which anyone as careless as that is quite likely to do), you have no comeback. The tradesman knows you can't take legal action against him because it would soon become clear that you'd had somebody working for you on the black, and you could be prosecuted for that. If you want the job redone, you'll have to find another tradesman and pay again.
If you use a registered and insured tradesman and he gives you a receipt, then if there is any problem with his work during the guarantee period (10 years on major work, less on small jobs), it will be put right either at his own expense, or if it's a big problem he'll put it through his insurance; either way, you won't have to pay any more. That's the theory at any rate.
If you were a tradesman, which job would you take most care over - the one you're putting through the books that you're obliged to provide a guarantee on, or the one that there will be no record of where you can do a quick bodge, take the money and run?

Listen Very Carefully

As a newbie in France you need to be careful There are sharks out there who prey on decent trusting people Unfortunately most of these sharks are Brits preying on other Brits They hang around Brit bars etc and when they see a newbie will be really friendly and claim to be a builder/carpenter/plumber Their MO is to do a couple of minor jobs to gain trust then along comes the big job a fosse or such like He needs several hundred euros for materials you hand it over and ......you never see him again A good pointer is that they nearly always drive UK reg vehicles
Ask a neighbour or your Mairie If you are looking for indoor carpentry and the like the place you need is a Menuiserie They do doors windows and minor wood work Charpente relates to big wood works such as roof trusses etc
The advantage of using someone local is that they can then help you with other trades and stuff like logs for your wood burner etc-personal contact and recommendation still goes a long way in France but a good tradesman will be booked up so do not be surprised to be told "quinze jours" which although means fifteen days actually means I am not too sure when I can come but I will when I can