mentalist

We are a small family presently in Dubai and thinking of moving to a village outside Limoges from September 2013 until the end of the school year. We will be living off our savings, acquited after 15 years in the Arabian Gulf, although my wife may be able to do some beauty therapy work primarily to keep herself occupied rather than for the income. I may want to continue dabbling on-line in the stock market. Our daughter is 9yo and will be learning French almost from scratch. She will be attending a local school, so may struggle initially. Does anybody know any English speaking families in or near Limoges? Would you recommend the venture? We have found a long term rental costing only Euros350 per month plus utilities, so accommodation won't be an issue. How is the weather in Jan-Feb? Pretty damned cold I guess.
Any advice or observations would be welcome.

cyrian

Hi
Do you intend spending just 1 year in France?
Your wife would either have to find employment or set herself up as a business to work in France. Not easy - even if she is fluent in french.
Search the France section for employment threads or "auto-entrepreneur".
You would become tax-resident and due to pay tax on your world-wide assets including property and shares.
If you have over €1.2M euros worldwide then you would be liable to french wealth tax.
You would not be covered by the french healthcare system because you do not have recent NI contributions in the UK.
Normally, to rent in France, you have either to show proof of income
or have a guarantor who will show the ability to pay the rent should you default. Normally, having cash in the bank is not accepted.
You need to bring lots of official documents because of french bureaucracy.
Passports; birth certificates; marriage certificates; proof of income (recent); tax paid; bank statements and proof of (french) address.
Check online banks with english sections e.g. Credit Agricole and you will find what documents you need to open a bank account.
You would be advised to have proof of "no-claims" bonus if you want to buy a car. It will save you llts of euros.
I am sure others will think of more.
Good luck

bigglesworth

Weather unpredictable, but probably cold and wet. Last year we briefly made 10 to 20 below (for about 10 days). This winter we seem to get about a week a month where it drops to 5 or 6 below, but above zero the rest. It has been VERY wet, which makes it feel colder. The Limousin is supposed to be colder and wetter than here.
350 a month is reasonable, but probably not too luxurious - i.e. probably no insulation, perhaps no double glazing. Check what heating you have - if it is woodburners they are very good in France, but it is still a lot of wood to carry.

As to whether it is a good venture, I think you would have to give more detail on your plans. Is it just an extended holiday? Or the prelude to something else?
Whichever, you will need health insurance.
British population in Limousin and Charente is pretty high, so I am sure you will find local families.
Good luck. Any more specific questions, feel free.

mentalist

So you are telling me that there are no retired Brits in France living off their savings? None of the owners of properties we are interested in have asked about income. We are taking a year off and have no plans to earn.

cyrian

No knowledge of how retired Brits are living in France - the ones I know purchased their properties.
I was trying to indicate what you may encounter from my personal experience of renting in France.
The subject is covered here: http://www.completefrance.com/french...ance_1_1232846
If you rent direct from the landlord then it is up to them what arrangement they require. If you rent through an agency then you are more likely to encounter the scenario as I described it.
Surely it is better to be aware what might happen rather than get caught out unawares.
There is also an alternative of providing a bank guarantee - sorry I have no experience of that.
If what I have said is incorrect then others will put me right PDQ.

bigglesworth

We rented for a year, but from an English person. We did not have to provide guarantees, but did have to pay up front for (3 months I think).
Mind you, I rather suspect he did not declare it.

dmu

@OP
Make sure that your future landlord signs a lease and gives rent receipts. You will need them in order to enrol your daughter at school, esp. if the rent is all-inclusive and the utilities are in the landlord's name. No justification of residence = no enrolment.
I don't know any personally, but retirees of pensionable age who wish to rent presumably present a document to the potential landlord, justifying their regular income (pension). OH and I are still Guarantors for our daughters' rents and our combined (mainly French) pensions are acceptable.
Normally money in the bank is inacceptable, but if you find a landlord who doesn't require guarantees, then at least make sure you'll get justification of residence (rent receipts and/or electricity, telephone, etc... bills in your name) and ensure that the compulsory House and Civil Liability Insurance is valid.
Hope all this helps!

Caryatid

This discussion makes me laugh as I have generally found that if you seem to be from UK and are reasonably mature the French just assume you have money and can pay your way. A rental of 350 sounds great but make sure you have heating options. Just insure for everything like the French do and you'll be fine!

dmu

Whether a landlord wants Guarantees or not, my point is that the OP needs justification of residence for enrolling their child at school and for the Insurance Co. If the landlord doesn't give rental receipts and the utilities are in his/her name, they should beware, as enrolment at school will be impossible and an insurance company is hardly likely to insure an address without proof of occupancy....
Confirming what Cyrian says, it's better to be aware of what might happen (the above scenario) rather than get caught out unawares when it's too late.