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Created: 10 October 2013

Client's Question:    Although I understand that certain aspects of a property’s condition will be covered in the ‘diagnostique’ reports, such as the presence of lead and asbestos, will they also provide information on the structural condition of a property? 

Answer: The "diagnostiques" cover the following:

Lead

Asbestos

Gas and electrical installations

Termites

Energy efficiency

Natural Risks

Drainage System 

They will not therefore cover the structural condition of a property. Surveys are not carried out in France in the same way they are in the U.K, and the role does not exist in the buying process. If there is concern over a particular aspect of a house, say the roof or the external walls then the potential buyer consults a local artisan who is a specialist in the given area, so in the above case a roofer and a stone mason. They will then give their opinions as to any possible work that may be required and the cost of carrying that work out.

That said, there are a number of British surveyors operating in France, and you are of course free to appoint one should you wish to do so.

Blog submitted by: Alex at Cle France.

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Created: 10 October 2013

Client's Question: My French is good ‘A’ level standard, but now having retired to France I have some more time on my hands, I’d like to study further and get a degree. Are there any options other than Open University?  

Having found myself in exactly your position a few years ago, I can highly recommend the University of London Royal Holloway College distance learning BA degree. You can complete the degree in a three-year period if you can commit to full-time study, or spread your studies over as long as eight years.To be eligible for the course you need to have a level of French that is at least equivalent to a grade C at A Level. The overall requirements are either two or three A Level passes plus a respective number of AS Level passes or GCSEs with grade C or above.

Foreign students may apply but may be asked to demonstrate their written and spoken ability in English as well. Overseas students may have to travel to London for the oral examination, but there are venues in various countries for written examinations.

Another point to bear in mind is that you will have to refer to a certain number of library books (on top of books that you will have to buy), so you need to live near enough to a good library where you will be able to find such books.

This degree course will develop your reading, writing and speaking skills in French. You will study the origins of the French language, as well as French literature and the social, political and economic institutions of France. In general terms, you will learn to use your abilities to refine information and express your own conclusions.

There are three levels of study, each broken down into a number of full units and half units. You have to complete 12 units in all, at least three of which must be from Level 3, and all core units must be included. You must pass examinations in a minimum of nine units. In any one year, you can sit examinations in as little as one half unit and a maximum of four full units (or equivalent in half units). You have to apply separately to sit for examinations, but you will receive instructions about this from the university. On your successful completion, you will be awarded a classified honours degree.

After registering you will initially receive a student handbook, a subject guide, past examination papers and Examiners' reports, and university regulations. You will also have immediate access to the University of London Online Library, so it is obviously an advantage to apply early.

Updated materials continue to be provided throughout the duration of your study. Once registered, you will have access to the student-to-student network on the website, where you can exchange ideas. While in London, you are allowed to use the University's Senate House Library, although there is an extra charge for this. Another additional cost is the essay marking service.

Level 1 has a core translation half unit, as well as a core progression unit in written French. Additionally, there are five half units: textual analysis; introduction to narrative; linguistics of French 1; perspectives on modern France; and reading the visual.

Level 2 has full core units on translation and written French. At this level the half units are on shaping fictions; writing romance and desire; linguistics of French 2; culture and ideology; and staging the text.

Level 3 has three core half units of practical language work in written French, spoken French, and prose and translation. Three half units can be chosen from French medieval literature; linguistics of French 3; literature of challenge: the French philosophers; love and society in the modern French novel; and modern French dramatists. There is also a full unit Special Subject where the choice is from Rousseau, Baudelaire, Zola, Proust or the Medieval Occitan.

More details on all the units can be found in the prospectus, which can be downloaded online as well as applied for by post. In addition to the BA degree in French, you can combine French with either Italian or German. Visit University of London website for information on these degrees.

A degree awarded by the External Programme of the University of London has a standing equal to that of a degree awarded to a resident student at the university. It is an excellent way of gaining a prestigious qualification for anyone who wishes to study without giving up their career, or for anyone residing overseas. The syllabus covers a wonderfully diverse range of topics and includes study of medieval French texts as well as modern ones. It would be a huge commitment, but one where there is flexibility to study when and where it suits you as an individual, and to decide how much you wish to take on in any particular year.

Blog submitted by: Sharon at Cle France.

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Created: 09 October 2013

Sharon Evans looks at the pros and cons of buying French property privately as opposed to the more traditional route via an estate agent

In the UK, sales between private individuals, without the involvement of an estate agent, are not commonplace. True there are a number of websites nowadays enabling sellers to advertise their property direct to potential buyers, but the vast majority of us still use the services of an estate agent when buying or selling a property.

In France, however, private sales, usually referred to as ‘entre particuliers’, are common. They tend to be favoured by the more mature buyer, who perhaps has experience of buying and selling, and who therefore knows how things work and what to expect from the legal process.

The younger generation tends to favour buying through a local agent, as do those who are new to an area, where they are unsure of local property values. But for a well-informed buyer, the idea of potentially saving himself the cost of the agency fee is appealing.

Agency fees.

As you will no doubt have seen while browsing various internet portals, properties are offered either as an agency sale or a private sale, and so inevitably I am often asked by clients, what are the benefits and disadvantages of buying through an agent as opposed to buying direct from a private seller?

Agency commissions are usually included in the price of a property, which you will see in the agency window as ‘FAI’ (frais d’agence inclus), and a French agent is obliged to display his fee tariff in a prominent position in his office, so that the buyer is clear as to how much commission the agent will earn from the sale.

These vary according to the selling price and the individual agent, some starting as low as 3% going up to around 10% (the commission on a €30,000 property for instance will usually be a higher percentage of the selling price than that due on a €800,000 château). Typically on a €100,000 property, you might expect an agency fee in the region of €6,000-7,000.

That’s not an insignificant amount of money and in these straitened times, it’s easy to see why some buyers might feel it to be a saving well worth making. Generally, when UK buyers consider whether or not to buy privately, the issue of agency commission is uppermost in their minds. So it’s fair to say that when people ask me the question about whether to buy privately or through an agent, what they really want to know is what does the agent do for this commission, and how will it benefit me?

There is no question that for a UK-based buyer, perhaps with limited French and unfamiliar with how the French buying system operates, buying through an agent will provide that extra level of support, as they guide you through the sales process. A good agent will be able to keep you informed as to the progress of the sale, and when it comes to completion day they should accompany you to the notaire’s office for the signing of the acte de vente.

It is probably worth pointing out here that there are no hidden fees or charges for our service ie. buying through Clé France. The price you pay is the same as anyone walking through the door of the agency, and therefore the same as the price paid by the French buyer. Estate agents (Immobilier) and notaires in France are obliged by law to display there commission rates promenently in their office. We are able to offer you this service because our network of agents and notaires share there commission with us.

So when you buy through Clé France you can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway, but you have the added benefit of a bi-lingual support team.

Little extras.

Once the sale is complete, they will arrange for the transfer of all utilities in your name, and will be able to help you with setting up bank accounts. These little extras are not an obligation on the part of an agent in France, but good ones perform these services as a matter of course, and importantly at no extra charge.

As you would expect, legal documentation will be in French, but agents who are used to dealing with English-speaking clients may well provide English versions of the first sales contract (compromis de vente). The notaire will usually conduct the sale and relative paperwork in French, but again, the agent may well translate for you on sale day, or provide a locally based translator to attend.

However, it should be noted that estate agents are not translators by profession, and at the critical contract stages of the process, it may be of benefit to hire a professional translator to assist.

Valuable contacts.

Many French agents are born and bred in the area in which they work, and their network of contacts will be truly invaluable. Your estate agent will probably be your first contact in France, and I believe potentially the most valuable.

He or she will be a mine of information, and throughout your dealings, a good agent will be able to advise on a whole range of matters that are not within their immediate remit, such as local tradespeople, issues around planning matters, and possibly even local schools and health.

These are clearly some of the practical benefits of buying through a good local agent. However, there is a further aspect to the private sale market in France that is worth a mention, and that is the matter of property valuation.

A French agent, who will be primarily selling properties for French owners to French buyers, will have a clear idea of the property market in their local area, and the correct valuation of any given property.

It is sometimes the case that owners who take the step of privately marketing their property do so as they don’t like the agent’s valuation, believing it to be too low. Indeed it is generally thought that privately advertised properties are some 20% more expensive than those listed by agents.

In my own company we are often approached directly by private sellers wishing to market their property on our site. I refer such enquiries to our local agent on the ground in France, who would then mandate the property for sale in the normal way, at which point it would come on to our site. Some time ago I was approached by a gentleman selling his home near Alencon. I suggested that he speak to my associate in the area who would do all the necessary, but when he knew who the agent was, he immediately rejected the idea, saying that he had no wish to do business with that particular individual.

Market values.

I was curious to say the least! My colleague is always very charming and an ardent Anglophile. I couldn’t imagine what he had done to cause such offence! It later transpired that the seller had already invited my colleague to mandate the property some six months previously. He had expressed his view that this was a very beautiful property, and that it should be marketed somewhere around the €230,000 mark. The seller wanted me to put it on our site at €500,000.

That is not to say that every private listing is overvalued. It is simply to say that if you are buying in a market that is unfamiliar, a good agent will be able to guide you as to the relative value of one property versus another, and importantly show you a number of different properties for comparison. He will also possibly be in a position to guide you as to the vendor’s position and attitude to negotiating.

As I said previously, buying privately is very commonplace in France, and UK buyers should absolutely have access to the same choice of available property as the French. I myself have bought and sold a few of my own properties privately in France in the past, without any problems.

British sellers who are accustomed to a more aggressive style of marketing in their own country sometimes find the French way of doing business a little frustrating, and if their language skills aren’t great, feel intimidated at approaching a local agent. So selling privately looks like a good option.

However, if as a seller you want to go down this route, don’t underestimate the cost of marketing, which can be considerable, especially if your property is on the market for any length of time.

For the buyer who has a good understanding of local market conditions and prices, buying privately can be an alternative. If a property is priced correctly, you could indeed save some money (and bear in mind for comparison that a privately advertised property should therefore be a little cheaper than its agency counterpart, to take account of the agency price including agency fees).

The other critical factor will be your language skills: are they of a sufficiently high level to read and correctly understand the process of buying and selling? If not, you will probably want to hire a translator for the documentation as well as for your liaison with the notaire.

There is a lot of information available nowadays, and some people feel sufficiently well researched to go through the process unaided.

Sharon Evans is director of Clé France

Tel: 01371 811799

Blog submitted by: Original article featured in Living France.

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Created: 06 October 2013

My earliest Holiday memories are of driving through France and stopping off at small family run hotels when the light started to dim, not booking anywhere just seeing where the road would take us. These are holidays I will never forget.

Many years later I would be the driver of the car and my family would be enjoying the 'carefree' approach that comes with a driving holiday in France. It can be a great way of getting into the heart of the French countryside and experiencing traditional France.

But when you are driving through France there are a few things you need to be aware of.

Did you know that the legal age to drive in France is 18 years of age and even if you have a full licence from another country and you are under that age, then you are still not allowed to drive in France?

Every passenger must wear a seatbelt and it is illegal for a child under the age of 10 to be in the front seat. Babies are allowed to travel in the front passenger seat, but only when placed in an approved rear-facing baby seat and the airbag is turned off.

You must always stop at a zebra crossing, which is enforced by law and when going through a town you will find a lot of them; but you should be very careful when you are the pedestrian, as the French do not seem to obey this rule as much as they should!

Watch your speed!  If you are stopped for speeding you can be fined on the spot and the fines have to be paid in cash there and then, which can be quite expensive.  If you cannot pay or you are travelling more than 25km/h above the speed limit, then your car can be impounded and you could end up with a very hefty fine or even lose your licence. So be careful, especially when on the toll roads, as you do not want your driving holiday to come to an abrupt end!

The motorways are 130km per hour, but this is reduced in bad weather down to 110km per hour and on duel carriageways and main roads the same rules apply, where the speed limit is reduced in bad weather.  A duel carriageway is 110km per hour and main roads are 90km per hour, with the peripherie being 80km per hour and towns or minor roads being a maximum of 50km per hour.  Our top tip to save money would be "don't fill up on the motorway!" Wait until a major intersection near a town or city, and come off the motorway. You will almost certainly find a hypermarket / superstore within a kilometre or so of the exit, offering cut price fuel. The saving can be us much as 15 centimes per litre.

Here are the normal speed limits for driving in France:

• The normal speed limit on French motorways is 130 km/hr (just over 80 mph). - or 110 km/hr in rain.
• The normal speed limit on dual carriageways (divided highways) 110 km/hr
• The normal speed limit on main roads is 90 km/hr (outside built-up areas)
• The normal speed limit in built-up areas is 50 km/hr – unless otherwise indicated.

The French Government do publish information on exactly where speed traps are located and this is one of the reasons why it is illegal to have a radar detector fitted to your vehicle.

In bad weather, fog etc, even during the day, it is compulsory to use your lights but you do not have to keep your lights on during the day at any other time.

Obviously you must have deflectors fitted to your headlights if you have a right-hand drive vehicle and by law you must have a set of replacement bulbs, a warning triangle and a 'gilet' high visibility waistcoat with you at all times.  But it is always advisable to check the regulations prior to your holiday in France, as they do change from time to time.

Most of the rules are common sense and are the same as in the UK such as it is an offence to hold and use a mobile phone while driving in France. Hands-free use of mobile phones is not illegal. Though many drivers ignore this rule, traffic police are clamping down on drivers holding phones to their ears while driving, and drivers are liable to an on-the-spot fine.

The insurance document is most commonly the "green card", though a standard insurance document from any EU country provides basic insurance for your vehicle (third party cover) throughout the Union, whether or not a green card is provided. Check in with your insurer before you arrive in France to insure you are covered correctly. 

Breakdown or accident: If you are involved in any accident involving two or more vehicles while driving in France, you will be asked to fill in a "constat amiable" (an amiable declaration) by the driver of a French car involved. This is standard practice. If possible, call your insurance company at once on your mobile phone. They may put you in touch with a local French representative. If your car is immobilised on or partly on the road due to a breakdown or an accident, you must set up your red warning triangle at a suitable distance behind the vehicle, to alert approaching traffic to the hazard.

If you are involved in an accident involving any sort of injury - even if it is not your fault - you MUST remain until the police have come.

So, armed with all the essential information you need, and with your vehicle well prepared for the journey, enjoy the experience and the beautiful scenery when you are on your driving holiday in France.

Blog submitted by: David at Cle France.