27th June 2022

A increase in the grant to improve energy efficiency recently announced by the government is being neutralised by a reduction in other grants, a complicated process and the spiralling costs of the work.  

Much has been made recently of an announcement by the government to increase by €1,000 a grant for the replacement of a gas or oil-fired boiler by a renewal source of energy, normally a heat pump or pellet boiler.

24th June 2022

A surviving spouse must clearly express her wish to remain in the marital home, a French court has ruled.

Under French law, a surviving married spouse has the right to remain in the marital home until their death, but in the presence of children has a period of 1 year from the death of their spouse to express their wish to do so. The right is called the droit de viager au logement familial.

Best Beaches in France

22nd June 2022

Where are the best beaches in France this year for the discerning holidaymaker?

Gite Owners and the Taxe d’Habitation

20th June 2022

The French tax authority appear to have adopted a new policy on the liability of gite owners to the taxe d'habitation.

Visa-Free Travel in Europe and ‘ETIAS’

17th June 2022

New travel security arrangements are being put it place across Europe, which will affect those able to travel visa-free to France.

15th June 2022

The use of conditional clauses in French property sale and purchase contracts.

A conditional clause (clause suspensive) in a sale contract is used if you are buying with a mortgage, or completion is subject to planning permission, or some other event.

13th June 2022

Vineyard prices in France rose on average last year, but it was a difficult market for some appellations.

The market for the sale of vineyards in France is a substantial one. Last year, SAFER, the French rural land agency, recorded nearly 10,000 sales (+15%), totaling 17,400 hectares and representing €1.1 billion (+19 and +27%).

10th June 2022

More households will be exempt from the taxe d’habitation this year as the gradual abolition of the tax continues.

8th June 2022

The French national auditor has criticised the haemorraging of staff in the prefectures, considering that the job cuts have not been "realistic".

The prefectures are the local administrative arm of the State, responsible, alongside the local councils, for the delivery and control of public services, such as land use planning, schools, identity cards, passports, residence and work permits, consumer standards, economic development and management of the police and the fire and rescue services. There is a prefecture in each department.

Phew! What a Scorcher!

5th June 2022

After record temperatures in May, forecasters in France predict a hot, dry summer ahead.

3rd June 2022

What financial support options are available to adapt a property to assist those who may have mobility issues?

There are two main forms of assistance, either a tax credit or a grant, although they effectively amount to the same thing.

30th May 2022

A cunning plan by a local council to protect an emblematic 19th Century villa from demolition is thrown out by the courts.

The Villa Chimère is the last remaining period property along the beachfront in the resort of Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) to have resisted the concrete mixers that arrived in the 1960s.

27th May 2022

A new report provides a review of the movement in rural house prices in each department of France last year.

The report has been prepared by the French national rural land agency 'SAFER' (Sociétés d'aménagement foncier et d'établissement rural). Unlike the notaires, whose regular market reports include both urban and rural property, the SAFER annual review focuses exclusively on properties in the countryside.

24th May 2022

The regulations in place to bring pets to France differ by type of pet and whether you are travelling from an EU or non-EU country.

Which Animals are considered Pets?

20th May 2022

A French court has ruled that roadworthiness tests for motorbikes must be introduced from 1st Oct, but there is no certainty it will happen.

Arising from a European Directive in 2014, safety tests for two-wheelers of more than 125 cm3 were to be introduced throughout the EU by 1st January 2022.

19th May 2022

The notaires have recently published house price figures for each department of the Occitanie region.

Lowest average prices in the region are in the Ariège department (€1,110m2) bordering Spain , whilst highest average prices are in the Mediterranean department of Hérault (€2,510m2).

16th May 2022

Two recent official reports highlight severe inefficiencies in the application process for naturalisation and residence permits in the prefectures.

Naturalisation

Assistance with Health Costs

14th May 2022

The income thresholds that grant access to free health care in France have been increased.

10th May 2022

The minimum income threshold to obtain a visa in France has increased to over €1,300.

Most non-European nationals wishing to stay in France for more than 3 months are required to obtain an entry visa.

6th May 2022

New energy efficiency surveys that must now be carried out on the sale or letting of a property are criticised as resulting in an unfair low energy rating for many homes.

Since 2006 an obligatory energy efficiency survey has been required on the sale and, more recently, the letting of property.

3rd May 2022

The notaires have reported on the vertiginous rise in coastal property prices last year.

The Covid pandemic has sent property prices soaring in coastal areas, as city dwellers in France rushed to buy second homes or buy-to-let investment properties.

28th April 2022

The French government commits to the end of urban sprawl by 2050 and to halve it within ten years.

Last year, a major piece of legislation on climate change (Loi Climat et Résilience) passed through the French parliament.

25th April 2022

The continuing health crisis and more recent economic and international developments are starting to hit the housing market in France.

After a record year in 2021, French estate agents are reporting that with property buyers now confronted with surging inflation, a decline in purchasing power and a continuing shortage of properties for sale, the market is starting to cool.

22nd April 2022

How to declare your rental income if you are a small landlord letting out furnished property in France.

For the purposes of the tax declaration, 'furnished lettings' (locations meublés) are those furnished properties let out on either a short-term or long-term basis, whether a house, apartment or chambre d'hôte.

20th April 2022

The French government have provided guidance on the use of a visitor visa in tandem with the 90/180 days rule.

Under Schengen rules, for travel within Europe, most* non-European nationals can only stay in Europe for 90 days in any 180 days without having an entry visa.

17th April 2022

The government have opened the on-line service for submitting your French income tax return on 2021 income.

Since 2019 for many French nationals, the annual burden of making a tax declaration has become a thing of the past, due to the introduction of deduction at source on salaried and pension income, called 'prélèvement à la source'.

17th April 2022

A generous tax credit is available for a subscription to a general newspaper or magazine, written in any language and whether on-line or paper based.

In 2020, arising out of the Covid crisis, the government introduced a new tax credit for a newspaper or magazine subscription.

15th April 2022

The notaires have recently published house price figures for each department of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region.

The scale of the difference in prices between and within the departments is substantial. Lowest average prices in the region are in the upland Creuse department (€650m2), whilst highest average prices are in Gironde (€4,000m2), some 6 times higher.

12th April 2022

A buyer of a French property later discovers asbestos in the roofspace during conversion works.

Since 1997 the use of asbestos in properties in France has been forbidden.

7th April 2022

How much French income tax might you expect to pay this year on your 2021 income?

The income tax season will soon begin in France, with tax declarations on 2021 income that must be submitted next month.

4th April 2022

Claiming a State pension in France does not mean you have to stop work, but rules apply.

Becoming an employee or starting a business in France, means you pay social security contributions, some of which go towards a pension on your retirement.

2nd April 2022

A British national escapes a prison sentence when her new UK licence is recognised as legal.

In a case that was recently heard in the French courts, a British national was being prosecuted for an offence committed in July 2019 of driving without a licence, driving under the influence of alcohol, insulting a person holding public authority and aggravated violence.

28th March 2022

A new single legal status has been created for small business owners, granting improved protection over personal assets.

Since its creation in 2009 there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of business owners who have chosen run their business as a micro-entrepreneur, with now over 2 million who have chosen this status.

24th March 2022

The notaires last week released a study of international buyers of French property in 2020.

In a Covid afflicted year, sales of French property to non-residents fell to 1.3% of total sales, compared to 1.7% prior to the pandemic.

21st March 2022

The presidential candidate, who looks a racing certainty to get a second term, maintains his tax-cutting agenda.

Since his election victory 5 years ago, Emmanuel Macron has done much to change the image of France as a high-tax country. Income tax has been reduced, the local rates tax, the taxe d’habitation, is being abolished for the principal residence, the wealth tax has been stripped of any real potency, corporate taxes have been reduced (and will be reduced further), and a lower flat-rate tax has been introduced for investment income and gains. In total, tax cuts have amounted to nearly €60billion.

18th March 2022

An investigation by French consumer protection officials has found many hospitals are imposing illegal charges on patients.

The report by the French consumer protection body 'DGCCRF' (Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes), revealed a non-compliance rate of 47% over charges to patients, mainly in the allocation of individual rooms and a lack of pre-contractual information to patients.

16th March 2022

Most of the health measures that have been in place for the past two years have been lifted this week.

A decree published on Monday sets out the new rules.

14th March 2022

The French national housing agency have published useful maps of average house and apartment prices in each department of France.

At a national level the housing agency 'ANAH' state that the average house price in 2020 was €185,000. For an apartment the average prices was €3,495m². Final figures are not yet available for 2021, but reports to date indicate average increases of betweeen 5% and 15%.

10th March 2022

Many mortgage applicants will no longer be required to complete a medical questionnaire and rights to terminate a mortgage protection policy have been increased.

The ‘Loi Lemoine’, passed by the French parliament last month, aims to simplify and create greater transparency in the market for mortgage loans.

8th March 2022

A recent case in the French courts illustrates the limitations of the statutory surveys undertaken prior to purchase.

In the case, the new owners of a property found that their roof had major structural faults but failed in their attempt to obtain compensation from the seller.

4th March 2022

The government have rejected demands to clarify responsibility for tree pruning in proximity to electricity and telephone lines, so just what are the rules?

Every year, with overgrown or fallen trees landing on telephone and electricity lines, causing faults or cuts to services, a substantial repair and maintenance obligation arises.

1st March 2022

With spring in the air in France, time to check out the public holiday dates this year.

There are 11 public holidays in France. This year, 7 out of the 11 days occur on a weekday, when there is then the opportunity for the French to create a 'bridge' ('faire le pont' and enjoy an accustomed short holiday.

25th February 2022

The French government have accepted that UK nationals can benefit from lower social charges on investment income and property gains, opening the door for claims to be made.

Since January 2021, UK non-residents who earn investment income and capital gains in France have no longer been eligible to the exemption from the social charges CSG and CRDS that applied when the UK was a member of the EU.

24th Feb 2022

What type of visa is required for those seeking to run a gîte or chambre d'hôte in France?

We have received several enquiries in recent months from UK nationals seeking information on the visa requirement for those proposing to relocate to France and run a gîte or chambre d'hôte activity.

21st February 2022

With the UK now out of Europe, both UK and French mobile phone operators have been obliged to review their policy on roaming charges.

UK-based mobile phone companies are no longer subject to the ban on additional roaming charges in EU countries.

17th February 2022

The government is to provide up to €600 to households to obtain high-speed broadband in their home.

14th Feb 2022

The tax breaks available in France to undertake the renovation of older housing for rent. UPDATED 17th May 2022.

French government support for the development of housing has traditionally been to grant tax relief on investment in new housing to rent.

12th February 2022

The ‘French Village’ is back at A Place in the Sun Live international property exhibitions in the UK.

The first exhibition will take place in Manchester Convention Centre on 5th to 6th March, followed by shows in London and Birmingham later in the year.

The 'French Village' is a dedicated theatre area where you can meet estate agents and view properties for sale and get a free consultation from experts about the issues on which you seek guidance.

10th February 2022

What is the appeal process if your application for an entry visa to France or residence permit is refused?

Anyone who is aged 18 or over and who is not a European national is required to apply for a visa to stay in France for more than three months.

7th February 2022

An influential government think-tank has recommended a complete overhaul of inheritance taxes.

According to the Conseil d'analyse économique (CAE), which is attached to the Prime Minister's office, France has become a "nation of heirs", due to the level of wealth accumulation that occurs through inheritance.