Thursday 6th February 2025.

Some good news, today the Bank of England has announced it is reducing the base rate to 4.50% (previously 4.75%).

So this is a good time for you to contact our Mortgage and Financial Services Partner, if you are considering a mortgage to help fund a property purchase in France, you may wish to contact them to see if they can help and advise you, best of luck.

You can contact them direct here.

Kind regards,
Alex at Clé France.

If you have not done so already, check out our Property Guides here.

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It is a Bank Holiday Weekend in France [of sorts] so whilst most are enjoying their well earned rest and spending time with family and friends we wanted to ask a favour of you, yes that's right, you...

We want you to connect with us, subscribe, follow us, give a thumbs-up to our social media activity.

Did you know we have more than 10 times website subscribers than Facebook followers for example?

So there must be more of you out there on social media!

We share more about France and French lifestyle there, as well as property listings and how to buy and sell property.

We also try to make it fun and entertaining, so come and join us where ever you prefer.

Hope to see you soon!

Kind regards, 
Sharon & David Evans 
Founders of Cle France.

There has been a lot of news in the past few days about the future of Travel to Europe from the UK, will there be new rules, a possible visa to apply for etc.

I hope I can help ease the confusion over what is actually changing and when with this timeline, hope it helps you understanding.

- 10th November 2024 (confirmed)

EU entry-exit system comes into effect, requiring British Passport holders to be fingerprinted and provide a facial biometric on entry to the European Union and wider Schengen Area 9but not Ireland or Cyprus).

- May 2025 (not confirmed, but no earlier):

Etias online permit becomes available, with a transitional period of at least six months during which Etais is optional.

- November 2025 (not confirmed, but no earlier):

Etias transitional period ends. A period of grace begins this gives travellers without an Etias a one-time only pass.

- May 2026 (not confirmed, but no earlier):

Grace period ends and all British passport holders must have an Etias.

I hope this helps.

Get expert advice about the Buying & Selling process in France, Post Brexit rules, Healthcare, Currency Exchange and much more.

Get Your Free PDF Guides here

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

No Hard Sell, No Pressure, just a Heads-Up For You.

Now is a good time to...

Read our Property Guides, Why ?

Have you seen the Pounds strong performance today?

The exchange rate is topping 1.19 Euro to £1.00 today.

Some reasons could be -

New UK Government?, Inflation dropping?, Interest rate cut on the cards?, Banks looking to reduce mortgage rates?

There is a lot happening so as you are thinking about buying property in France in the future then our popular and helpful Property Guides are free for you to download, they are in plain English and ideal for people who want to Buy, Sell, Holiday and of course Live in France Post Brexit.

Get expert advice about the Buying & Selling process in France, Post Brexit rules, Healthcare, Currency Exchange and much more.

Get Your Free PDF Guides here

Do You Need More Detailed Information ?

Perhaps you are planning a viewing trip soon or thinking of making an offer on a property.

Click below for a free quote...

Kind regards, 
David Evans 
Co-Founder of Clé France.

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How to minimise currency risk for your French property purchase

What is currency risk?

Geoff Lambourne, Director at Key Currency has shared with us this analogy:

If you walked into a casino with £10,000, would you risk putting it all on red or black?

If you’re not okay with the possibility of losing it all, then currency risk is something to consider when buying a French property.

The exchange rate for Pounds to Euros moves on average 10% in 12 months.

That means; for a £100,000, the price of your dream home overseas could fluctuate as much as £10,000 either way.

So, if you’re not prepared to pay an additional 10% of the property price, perhaps it’s time to speak to a currency specialist?

How can I protect my property budget?

Well, the first step is connecting with a trusted currency specialist. If possible, opt for one with experience helping individuals manage overseas currency transactions.

We recommend Key Currency to all our clients, they have years of experience in foreign exchange and specialise in overseas property.

The first step in protecting your overseas property budget would be to register with Key Currency, it’s free and there’s no obligation to trade.

Register with Key Currency today.

Then, we can schedule a call with your assigned account manager to discuss the best options for you and your budget.

The "forward contract" is possibly Key Currency’s most popular service for overseas property buyers. It’s a legal contract that allows you to lock in an exchange rate for up to 12 months at a time.

This provides peace of mind, knowing that you’ll pay the same price you agreed to pay for your overseas home by the time you complete the transaction.

For example - if you agree to buy a €100,000 property abroad when £1 = €1.15, it will cost you £86,956.

But it’s possible that by the time you come to complete the transaction, £1 only buys you €1.08, so the price has shot up to £93,592, costing you another £5,633, a 'forward contract' can avoid this happening.

Click below for a free quote from Key Currency.

Kind regards, 
David Evans 
Co-Founder of Cle France.

Cle France / Key Currency

Key Currency is the currency exchange department of Cle France Ltd, 'Cle' being the French word for 'Key', did you see what we did there?

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