Clé France

Dear Sharon,

Many thanks for your help and advice in setting up our meeting with your agent on the ground in Normandy. Given all the difficulties we put in your way and the lack of sufficient time it was a very rewarding start to our eventual finding a place in France. Thank David for the information he sent accompanying his e-mail. We will certainly be taking advice on several issues prior to making any firm decisions. 

As far as the meeting with your agent went, we both thought it was very successful and we found him a very approachable, informative and friendly person. One in whom we could place our trust to satisfy our requirements critically and honestly.

We did not in fact go to view any of the properties that he had selected from our list, one that best suited us had unfortunately been sold the day before, the others, on further reviewing, taking into account our more specific requirements, were found to be unsuitable for more reasons to make a visit worthwhile. 

After much useful time spent with him in his office, we did actually go and visit two very different properties with the specific purpose of getting the feel of and trying to understand the complexities of French Estate agents information! The main problem we encountered with most of the property information was that it failed to give more specific location information. Which actual village, location with respect of roads fronting house, facilities in said village etc.

Which is not to say we did not completely understand the need for being as fair as possible to the vendor.

The second of the two properties visited had me looking seriously at the structure and small details of the building and grounds, almost as if we were on the point of purchase. It was very appealing. However after your agent left us we explored the village a little and on reflection would have had reservations even were we ready to purchase. Not about the building but more about location parking etc. 

However as you asked us to give feedback for your agent, it will give him a better understanding of what we are really looking for. 

What we really need is a Cle France agent in every town!

When we visited another agent on our way to Brittany it was difficult to make our needs clearly understood despite Daphne having an adequate command of French. 

Overall considering our limited time given to the project we think it was very worthwhile and we have a far clearer idea as to the parts of Normandy we are most inclined to favour. We also have a clearer understanding of the type of property and its location within the community that will best suit.

Once again thank you very much for your help. We will continue to peruse your site. If there is other information that you would find useful in helping us please do not hesitate to ask.

Best wishes, Paul and Daphne.

Well... we always like to ask for feedback following a viewing trip and it is great for us when we have a good dialogue with our clients as that way we will always find them the right property in the end. Thanks Paul and Daphne for the feedback and we will find them a property very soon I am sure.

Many owners of a property in France will recall the various documents that were produced as part of the purchase process. The contracts, together with their annexes, will have been substantial.

Following recent legislation known as the Loi Alur, even more information is to be produced in advance of an apartment sale. This has left some agents, notaires and sellers feeling a little exasperated. The seller of an apartment is now obliged to produce extra information, including the co-ownership agreement, the latest accounts, work carried out by the managing agent, and Minutes of the AGM.

In practice, when instructed on an apartment purchase, we have always looked to seek this information, not least because the contract will often state that it has been produced to the buyer.

The rationale, then, of the law is to ensure that this information is indeed produced, and this is reasonable. A buyer should review previous AGM Minutes and co-ownership accounts: they could reveal problems such as future works that may be necessary, litigation and so on.

The problem though, especially prevalent with older buildings, is that many different notaires could have registered small amendments to the co-ownership papers, all of which will have to be obtained, increasing time and cost. Most of those amendments will probably have no relevance to the particular apartment.

This is likely, then, to increase the complexity of the process, without perhaps much relevance on a transaction. As to how this will develop, only time will tell.

For individual advice, please contact Matthew Cameron at Ashton KCJ here...

A bientôt!

Matthew Cameron

Head of French Legal Services.

We at Cle France - The French Property Network are proud to work in partnership with Ashton KCJ - Legal services. If we think our clients need further legal advice or have a specific legal question that needs solicitor involvement when buying or selling a property in France we can recommend Matthew Cameron and his team for expert advice.

If you really want to learn French, you need to know a few French expressions...

Si tu veux vraiment apprendre le Français, il faut connaître quelques expressions Françaises!

Bored with your everyday use of the French language? Are you looking to add un peu de variété (a little variety) to your daily discourse?

Language is often limited by the extent of our vocabulaire (vocabulary), our grasp of proper grammaire (grammar) and, to a lesser extent, our knowledge and application of colloquialisms. People’s ears always perk up when an expression befitting the topic of conversation is carefully inserted. If you’re a native English-speaker learning French, judicious use of expressions can make quite an impact on a native French listener.

You may have a terribly thick accent or your grammar may be a little weak, but driving home a point with a serious or humorous saying can place you in the category of étrangers (foreigners) who have cultivated a deeper appreciation of French by studying its aphorisms.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 for a bevy of witty little French idioms you might have missed.

*Phrase in (parentheses) is the literal translation, or as close to it as possible.*

Travailler pour le roi de Prusse (Working for the king of Prussia) – Working for nothing/Not receiving proper compensation for one’s work.

En voiture, Simone! (In the car, Simone!) – Let’s go/Let’s get started!

Tirer le diable par le queue (Pulling the devil by the tail) – Scraping by/having difficulty providing for oneself.

Mordre la poussière (Biting the dust) – Suffering defeat/being beaten (this is a common expression in the English language as well).

Mettre sa main au feu (Placing one’s hand in the fire) – Being certain of something beyond any doubt.

Avoir le bourdon (To have the bumblebee) – To feel sad.

Voir Naples et mourir (To see Naples and die) – This refers to having accomplished something so great that life becomes meaningless afterward.

Avoir des yeux de lynx (To have the eyes of a lynx) – To have very good vision or to be gifted with great insight into certain matters (in English, this expression might be translated “eagle eye”).

Un foudre de guerre (A lightning of war) – A capable/competent person or a high performance machine.

Mon petit doigt m’a dit (My little finger told me) – I learned something from someone who will remain nameless

Un œil au beurre noir (A black butter eye) – A black eye.

Fumer comme un pompier (To smoke like a fireman) – To smoke excessively.

L’huile de coude (Elbow oil) – This expression is similar to the English one “elbow grease” referring to hard physical work.

Un soleil de plomb (A lead sun) – A very hot/draining sun.

Il y a de l’eau dans le gaz (There is water in the gas) – Trouble is brewing.

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

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

We couldn't have done this without Sharon & her planning, organising & advice. She was an absolute star.

We had to do the house insurance through the bank in the end because we couldn't supply any bills as to our rental costs as it was all included in the rental, so by doing the house insurance it fulfilled our obligation & opening of the account.

Anyway we love the houses, tons of work to do but our French neighbours have been fantastic!

All the very best,

Alex & Dave.

Lower Normandy is a great place to have a guest gite or a B&B Business or simply just to live and enjoy the slow pace of life and mix with the ever-friendly locals. We wish Alex and Dave many many years of happiness in their new home in La Manche.

Types of Certificat d'Urbanisme

I bet you did not know there are actually two types of certificat d’urbanisme ?

Certificat d’urbanisme d'information -

This merely states whether or not the land is zoned for building, together with information on public utilities and local taxes, and any rights of pre-emption that might exist on the site to the benefit of the commune.

If you have purchased land for building or redevelopment then you should have been provided with this document by the notaire at the time of purchase.

A certificat d'information does not state what permitted development may take place on the site, which is only elaborated by the more detailed certificate outlined below.

As a result, the certificat d'information is of limited value, particularly where there is any doubt about the status of the land, or what can be build upon it.

Certificat d’urbanisme opérationnel -

This sets out the rules on density, location and size of building that may be permitted, as well as any architectural rules that may apply and information on utilities and the requirements of public utility providors.

The certificate is not always highly specific where there are few planning constraints, as is often the case in rural areas.

If you have a specific project then you can provide basic details to the planning authority and, provided its complies with the planning rules, an operational planning certificate can be issued. You then have a fairly strong guarantee that a later planning application on the same terms will be approved.

A certificat d'urbanisme is valid for eighteen months, which can be extended for a year, provided the planning rules and services requirements have not changed. To extend the certificate you need to make application at least two months before the expiry of the current certificate.

Contact Us for more information on this issue and many more questions you may have.

We have thousands of houses for sale across most of the Regions of France ranging from cheap houses to renovate right up to Luxury Dream Homes, Maniors, Chateaux and perfectly charming Holiday Homes for sale. Countryside, town, village and coastal property for sale.

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