Meter reading

If you have a holiday home in France and your EDF meter is inside the property, the technician from EDF will leave you a card to fill in and send back if you are able to be there when he comes.

You can also give EDF the reading over the phone or create an account online.

EDF came and read meters twice a year. 

This photo is showing an old meter. If you have a recent one, press 'defilement' to get the reading. 

A place in South of France for sale

Property for sale in South of France Near Carcassonne: 

Charming house with private courtyard garden with plenty of scope.

The House:

This lovely terraced village house is located in a quiet area at a walking distance of all amenities.

It is habitable but in need of modernization.

About 150 sqm

Ground floor:

 Entrance (tiled)

Fitted kitchen / dining room (tiled)

Sitting room with fire place and French door into the conservatory (Tiled)

Lounge (tiled)

Separate toilet

Landry room

Conservatory (tiled)

2 garages

Small workshop with large storage area above 

1^st floor:

5 bedrooms(can be easily turned into en-suite)

1 bathroom with wc

Some original features have been kept.

Outbuilding to be renovated (30 sqm over 2 floors). Can be turned into a self contained habitation. Perfect for guests!

Single glazed wooden windows

Mains gas and drains

New gas boiler and central heating system.

Well in garden

The Garden:

Private courtyard garden

Enclosed and not overlooked

Safe for children and pets

Shady for hot summer days

Built in BBQ

Well

The whole plot is 285 sqm

The Location:

Walking distance to all shops (Intermarché supermarket, post office, chemist, doctors, petrol station, dentists, banks, port for canal boats, bar and restaurant, pizzeria, etc)

On the famous Canal du Midi

Half way between Narbonne and Carcassonne

40 km East of Carcassonne

20 km from Trebes (canal boat hire)

30-45 min from sandy beaches

African reserve in Sigean 45 min http://www.reserveafricainesigean.fr/

Narbonne 35 min

Cathar chateaux 

Minerve

St Chinian – Easy access

1 ½ hours from Toulouse and Montpellier

Nearest airport : Carcassonne

Ryanair flights from the UK and Ireland (Bournemouth, East Midlands, London Stansted, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin, Cork)

This property is in a very touristy area.Ideal for a holiday home (low maintenance garden) or to run a B&B.

The house stays cool in the summer and is warm in the winter.

More shops and businesses can be found in the next village of ‘Rieux’:

DIY shop, vet, bars and restaurants, supermarket.

€135 000. No agent's fee.  
For more details and photos, please contact us here.

Plan / extrait cadastral

When buying a house or a building plot in France, you will come across a document called ‘plan cadastral’. This document is issued by the “Cadastre” (Land Registry) which is part of the local tax office.

The section where the house or building plot is located is called ‘extrait cadastral’. This document shows the plots (parcelles) in question and the surrounding plots. Each plot is numbered.

The boundaries are not précised so if you want to know the exact limits you will have to employ a géomètre (land surveyor).

If needed, the mairie can print an ‘extrait cadastral’ if you give them the name of the hamlet or even better the section and plot number. The section is always a letter and the plot a number. Ie Section B, No 123.

The “extrait cadastral” is needed when applying for planning permission (for renovation or new builds) in France.

See my other post about Finding and Printing a plan cadastral online here.

Capital Gains on French properties

If you are thinking of selling your French property, you might wonder if you are liable for Capital Gains (impôt sur la plus-value).

If your house in France is your main place of residence, you will be exempt from capital gains.

However, if you are not a French resident, you will be liable unless you have owned your property for over 15 years.

Some building work may be deducted from Capital Gains (extension, conservatory, etc) but you need to be able to prove the work has been carried out by supplying your local notaire with invoices from registered builders.

Small improvement jobs like fitting a new bathroom or kitchen can not be deducted.

Check with your notaire before putting your house on the market. He or she will be able to tell you if you are liable for capital gains or not. If you are, he or she will keep the tax amount from the sale proceeds and pass it on to the tax office!

Why you should employ a translator / interpreter when buying a house in France

Buying a house in France can be daunting if you don’t speak the language. Even if you have a basic knowledge of French, it can be a stressful experience. You need to understand what you are signing and agreeing to. Your agent might be bilingual but it is best to employ an independent person to assist you with the transaction. The “Compromis de vente”, “Acte de vente”, “Servitudes”, “droit d’échelle”, and all the “Diagnostics techniques”, etc are all part of the procedure. If those words are Chinese to you, seek assistance as it can cost you money later!

I recently helped an English couple who has a lovely holiday cottage near Dinan. They received an official letter from their neighbour. With their basic French and the use of a French/English dictionary they understood some key words and decided to contact me for some help with the language. Their French neighbour was threatening to take them to court. They could not understand why he had been asking for a key of their back gate for the past 12 months. As they could not understand they ignored it until they got this alarming letter. By looking at their deed I straight away noticed there was a right-of-way (servitude) on their land.
They were horrified to find out about this “servitude” 2 years after their purchase. Their estate agent was English and never told them about it. As he could speak some French he acted as an interpreter at the notaire’s office but obviously some important information were not translated.
As stated in the deeds, the French neighbour can, if he wants to, go through their land to get to his back garden.
All what he wanted was to take his land mower through their land rather than going through his own house which is not practical as you can imagine. As the right-of-way (servitude) was obstructed by a gate, by law they had to give the neighbour a key. To sort out the dispute with the neighbour I organised an unofficial meeting with the French neighbour and the English couple. We all sat down round a table, with a cup of coffee and some tasty home-made cake. The English couple gave their neighbour a key of their back gate and apologized for the misunderstanding. A few months on they get on very well and even invite each other for some apéritifs (drinks) on a regular basis.
This could have saved them an unnecessary dispute with their French neighbour and stress. After all they only came to France to relax and enjoy some nice red wine!