Club Clé France: MMS Groundworks & Septic Tank Installations
We are very pleased to offer our clients the services of the premier septic tank installation company in Normandy, we fully recommend the expert and friendly help of Michael Miller-Smith at MMS Groundworks.
Michael Miller Smith has extensive knowledge and experience in all manner of groundworks. Starting from an early age (12), and being too young to join in, he would observe his father whilst sitting on their digger. By the time Michael was 19 he was up and running his own business in the north of England.
Due to an early start in the industry, he has a wealth of experience in all aspects of groundworks. Experience that included working with house building companies (e.g. Persimmon Homes) and then subsequently the Environment Agencies to name but a few. Whatever the job in store, you can be rest assured that Michael will know how to tackle it.
Michael decided to move his company to France in 2013 as he realised there was a very important service missing for the British community. Michael set up a company to help install new sanitation systems (a newly deployed law by the French government to update any sanitation system polluting the natural environment) to the many thousands of British property buyers every year.
MMS Groundworks have become a key player within the industry since 2013. Michael (company director) is in control of every aspect at each stage of the process.
MMS Groundworks provide the complete service. From the very complex planning laws and our ability to speak fluently in French, allowing us to liaise with the S.P.A.N.C (Environment Agency) effectively. We have built partnerships with other leading French companies in Normandy which, in turn, provides the highest standards to all of our clients.
Michael’s honest and trustworthy approach ensures his company gets recommended for future jobs by existing satisfied customers. His reputation is of paramount importance and is the main reason MMS Groundworks are the premier septic tank installation company in Normandy, France.
To discuss MMS Groundworks services contact Michael using the form above, so he can start helping you with your enquiry and give you an accurate quote.
Should you wish to have more information in general about anything to do with French Property, we would advise you to Contact Us, so we may best assist you.
The information that you give and that we obtain through you using this website may be used by this Company and by our partner companies only for purposes in connection with your use of this website and for marketing activities of this Company and partner companies. By using this site you confirm your consent to this. If you do not want to receive any marketing information from this Company and/or our partner companies then please notify us.
For everything you need to know about French property for sale visit www.clefrance.co.uk
Club Clé France: Private Health Insurance in France
We have been working with Exclusive Healthcare for many years. Ceri Hollingworth and her team offer a friendly, professional service and they also speak English; indeed Ceri is English!
If you are unable to join the French healthcare system, you will need to think about private health insurance. Healthcare can be quite costly which is why it is important to think about getting cover.
Example: One day's admission in hospital without any healthcare protection could cost you approximately 1000 euros.
We can offer you several solutions in regard to hospitalisation, general healthcare, dental and optical to fit around your needs.
For a limited time only we can offer you 2 months free cover, so don't delay contact us today.
Learn more about Healthcare Insurance in France "in plain English", download our 'PDF Guide to Healthcare in France'.
Please complete our Enquiry Form Below for more information.
Exclusive Healthcare specialises in Health Insurance for English speaking residents in France. They offer a range of policies designed to meet the needs of people moving to France at every stage and in all circumstances.
Ceri and her English speaking insurance team are proud to be of service to you.
Contact us and let us know your specific needs so that we can provide you with a detailed quotation suited to your family's specific requirements.
Ceri HOLLINGWORTH
International Insurance Advisor.
For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk
Our Story...
Having spent 15 years living in France ourselves, my husband and I founded Clé France to help other British buyers find their dream home.
One thing we discovered while living in France was that British buyers were often missing out on some of the best French properties simply because they weren’t listed in the UK. So we decided to do something about it.
We set up Clé France to give you as an International buyer exactly the same choice as somebody French walking through the doors of their local high street agent, and at no extra charge.
Over the past two decades we have built Clé France into one of the leading French property websites and have assisted hundreds of International buyers in their search to find their very own French property.
Today we have over 8,000 houses for sale in France ranging from affordable houses, cottages in the countryside, rustic farmhouses, coastal villas, charming townhouses, right up to luxury estates.
Buying through Clé France means that you have full access to our extensive network of French estate agents, often independent operators, who you would otherwise never come across.
Not only are you getting the best that the French market has to offer, but you also have the benefit of our U.K. based enquiry office.
Our bilingual support network combined with our in-depth knowledge of the buying process in France, means that you are in excellent and safe hands.
To discuss your search for property in France, or indeed for any further information you may require on French property sales please call our UK office on +44 (0) 1440 820 358.
Thanks for reading, Sharon Evans (Founder and Owner of Clé France - The French Property Network).
Meet the Team
CLE FRANCE
Sharon is the Founder & Owner of Clé France (founded in 2009). She had the idea of starting the business whilst living in France and working as a translator for local notaires and official government bodies such as the Gendarmerie, and also as a sales agent for a local immobilier.
Having begun her professional life with an early hi-level career in fashion at Harrods and in high street brand management, Sharon changed her focus in the 1990s to education.
She taught Business Studies to adult students, and advised companies on training and staff development. She holds two BA Honours degrees in French and English and a Masters Degree in French/English Translation Studies, using her skills to teach English to secondary school pupils in France, and French to mature students.
A skilled bi-lingual communicator who steers the Clé France business from the front. When not working Sharon enjoys reading, creative writing and travelling around France.
David looks after the day to day running of the website, the Partnership Team, system administration, vendors who are selling property in France and all the Clé France marketing activities.
With a background in Architecture & Design, David trained as a Draughtsman in his early career, then moved to a long stint in top level retail management & recruitment in and around central London before leaving the 'Rat Race' and moving to France in 2001.
With the aim of changing his lifestyle and spending more time with his family, he went on to combine all his professional skills by setting up as a bi-lingual 'Project Manager' overseeing 150+ renovation projects in and around Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Poitou Charentes and Upper & Lower Normandy.
David enjoys helping clients realise their dreams of starting-over in France, just like he did, and when he is not helping to run Clé France he enjoys playing guitar, listening to music and is a keen cyclist and long distance runner.
THE CLE / KEY CURRENCY TEAM
Geoff is your first point of contact for all clients requiring to move funds internationally, a skilled communicator, he can guide you through the options available explaining the benefits of each and has a wealth of experience.
He was previously General Manager of a major import-export company, Tulip Foods, where he managed large cross-border transactions in the US, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Germany.
Previously Geoff also developed commercial relationships with some of the UK’s largest retailers including Tesco, Sainsburys and Marks & Spencer.
Matthew is responsible for the oversight of the compliance department and ensuring that our policy and procedures are adhered to throughout the business.
Key Currency & Cle France are committed to conducting its business with the highest level of integrity, and to supporting the worldwide anti-money laundering effort.
As head of compliance, Matthew ensures we stringently observe compliance and reporting regulations in order to protect both our company and our customers.
As Head of Private Client Trading Tom helps take the hassle and stress out of foreign exchange for both private individuals and companies, creating money-saving solutions and strategies that can mitigate the risk from volatile currency markets.
Prior to Key Currency, Tom worked at Enterprise Rent-a-Car where he was fast tracked to management positions due to his work ethic, positive attitude and focus on customer service.
He has also attained a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the University of Gloucestershire.
Jack’s role at Cle France & Key Currency is to help customers navigate the world of foreign exchange.
We’re not fans on making customers do everything themselves online. Moving money abroad is a serious business, and we’re serious about getting it done right.
After attaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Jack worked his way up to managerial positions in retail. He is also an accomplished Lifeguard.
As Client Registration Executive, Wayne is often the first person a new client speaks to, we take pride in taking the niggle out of international money transfers by doing the hard work for our customers. Wayne helps onboard our new customers through a friendly and efficient service.
Before joining Key Currency, Wayne spent 12 years in recruitment and ran his own escape rooms business.
He is a family man and loves his football.
Sean helps our customers manage the timing and reduce the cost of their currency requirements and has many years of experience in finance.
As an accomplished orchestra musician, Sean has travelled across every continent while working for both Princess and P&O Cruises.
He has also performed at Glastonbury and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Owen’s role at Cle France & Key Currency is to help onboard our new clients.
With his organised, tidy and efficient approach, he makes life easier for our clients by handling any questions, technical matters or issues that arise and thrives on getting things done.
Prior to his role here as Client Registration Executive, Owen studied Law, Criminology & Political Science.
As Head of Registrations, Barry is often the first person a new client speaks to on the phone, he prides himself on guiding people to the best currency solution for their needs, helping our clients understand the process.
As an active property investor himself, Barry really enjoys speaking to our clients purchasing or selling international property.
Barry specialises in helping clients through the on-boarding process. Prior to Key Currency, Barry has worked as a stockbroker, financial advisor and retail manager.
As Head of Registrations, Charles is often the first person a new client speaks too, one of the key things we strive for is to make it easy for all our customers to send money abroad using Cle France & Key Currency.
With his great people skills and IT proficiency, Charles ensures the set-up process is quick and efficient.
As someone with a passion for finance, he also prides himself on assisting clients without the need for complex jargon.
THE CLE PARTNERSHIP TEAM
With many years experience you can rely on Rob's knowledge of the international mortgage market to find the most suitable solution for your needs.
Buying a property overseas can often be a complicated process, facing challenges in a different language, legal system and processes. The honest, reliable and efficient help of our advisor Rob can take a lot of the stress off your shoulders when buying a home abroad.
With access to market leading mortgage rates from over 30 different mortgage providers, if you are looking to buy a property abroad as a main residence, second home or investment, we can help.
Tim has been a qualified and licensed Independent Mortgage Broker in the UK market for around 20 years. His previous career, in retail management was focused on providing a supportive customer experience.
His specialist area is to help people release money from their UK properties, to enable them to realise their dreams of owning a French home, often getting them a better deal on their current mortgage at the same time.
Tim became part of the Cle France team after he and his wife bought their “Little Place in France” through the Clé France Property Network.
Franck is a general insurance agent and has been an independent financial advisor since 2005.
We have been working with Allianz Insurance since 1999 and more recently with the excellent Franck Haloche, who along with his team offer a friendly, professional service and they also speak very good English!
When looking for a quotation from a French insurance company, in English, or just looking for advice / information about the insurance system in France? then Franck and his English speaking insurance team are proud to be of service to you.
Although English, Ceri has lived in France for most of her life and has been through the French education system so is both a fluent French and English speaker as well as understanding the French Insurance system inside out. Ceri recently worked on the Home & Car insurance side of the business helping the English speaking population in France.
Ceri knows that the French language is not easy to understand sometimes, so to make life easier for you, she translates your quotations into English. Ceri's team of bilingual specialists are always happy to help.
Ceri enjoys traveling and exploring and loves to keep contact with English speakers and helping them as much as possible.
Loic Raboteau is a French national and legal consultant specialised in advising private clients on cross-border legal issues between UK, France and North Africa.
A real estate specialist with experience advising on international estate planning and tax issues, Loic provides legal assistance to British clients requiring legal advice in French speaking jurisdictions and a corresponding service to French clients living in the UK who require a French-speaking legal consultant.
Loic moved to the UK in 2002, but has maintained a foot in France by remaining engaged with the French community in London. He is a member of the Association of Franco-British Lawyers.
Matthew is internationally renowned for his expertise in French law, he advises on Buying and Selling French property, French inheritance matters, Taxation and Wills.
Matthew regularly appears on radio and television programmes and is a contributor to Living France, French Property News and France magazine on the legal implications of buying, selling and owning property in France.
He has acted for many clients on multi-million Euro property deals. He has lectured in French and English on cross-border legal issues and is a member of the Franco-British Lawyers Society.
James is a French general insurance agent with his own agency branch so can deal with the day to day insurance needs of his local community but also being part of a large national group he can cover your insurance needs where ever you buy in France.
A fluent English speaker, James does attract a lot of British and International clients who find his energy to help get the correct insurance cover set up for his clients and his professional knowledge invaluable.
Before starting his Insurance agency James worked as an Immobilier / Estate Agent so he has a wealth of skills to bring to the Cle France team.
Shabir has worked in different countries and different languages, in small and large organisations, in chartered accountant practices in Paris, London and Genva, in accounting, finance and auditing. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Shabir speaks 6 languages and has been a Senior International Auditor in Europe for Swiss and US multinational companies, more importantly perhaps he has thee skill set to help and advice people setting up a business in France as well as many other aspects of Taxation and advice.
At Euro Accounting Ltd, Shabir the team are dedicated to offering a first class service to all clients in line with all the Cle France team.
At Hamiltons we understand the need to offer an efficient and cost effective service whilst maintaining a personal touch.
Through our years of experience in the removal industry, we have developed our service to make the moving process run smoothly and expertly thus creating a successful moving experience.
We tailor make each and every move down to the finest of details. We understand that, in order to give you the best service possible, we need to have completely
discussed and understood your requirements from the very beginning.
Geoff is your first point of contact for all clients requiring to move funds internationally, a skilled communicator, he can guide you through the options available explaining the benefits of each and has a wealth of experience.
He was previously General Manager of a major import-export company, Tulip Foods, where he managed large cross-border transactions in the US, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Germany.
Previously Geoff also developed commercial relationships with some of the UK’s largest retailers including Tesco, Sainsburys and Marks & Spencer.
Michael has extensive knowledge and experience in all manner of groundworks. Starting from an early age (12), he would observe his father whilst sitting on their digger. By the time Michael was 19 he was up and running his own business in the north of England.
Michael decided to move his company to France in 2013 as he realised there was a very important service missing for the British community. Michael set up a company to help install new sanitation systems [Septic Tank Installations] to the many thousands of British property buyers every year.
Michael’s honest and trustworthy approach ensures his company gets recommended for future jobs by existing satisfied customers.
Simon is responsible for the website and the database of property details and user information, and basically handles all the deeply technical issues which are part & parcel of running a popular and regularly updated site.
He enjoys peace and quiet above all else, not that it's easy to find. He has been visiting France at least once a year since being a teenager, mainly for the variety and beauty of the countryside plus of course the food - nothing beats a morning cafe au lait and fresh croissant.
Buying Process - The Basics
Buying a property for sale in France can be a daunting task but we have sold many properties in France over many years so with Clé France you are in good hands.
Where are you looking to buy? Visit our Region Pages and find out more about each region and narrow down which one suits your needs best.
You may be looking for a Holiday home or a countryside Farmhouse for sale, it may be a building plot or a lake for sale, or indeed you may be looking to buy a 'Maison de Maitre' or a Chateaux, for us they are all the same as is the buying process, with a few tweaks here and there!
You can use our 'Location' box in the Quick Search to narrow your search to Town, Countryside, Village or Coastal as well as selecting No of Bedrooms, Land size and not forgetting of course the Budget.
Alternatively if you are starting from scratch then just send us your criteria and let us do the search for you and we will make suggestions of properties that 'fit your criteria' plus if you see a property that you like on the website then click on "Make and Enquiry" and ask any questions you may have.
Once you have selected some properties to see then we will arrange your viewing appointments, all you have to do is arrive, meet us, view the property and choose the one that suits you best! Then it gets interesting...
- Vendor and Buyer agree on the price and terms of the contract, including any conditional clauses (clauses suspensives) and any furniture to be included in the sale.
- The preliminary sales contract (compromise de vente) is drawn up by the notaire, and signed by both parties. The buyer pays the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) to the notaire, and a seven-day cooling off period ensues, during which the buyer can withdraw, but the vendor cannot. After this seven-day period, the contract is legally binding. If the buyer pulls out after this, he forfeits his deposit.
- If you are going to buy with a mortgage now is the time to put in your application. However, it is better to get the mortgage agreed in principle before you start your search, to avoid disappointment later.
- If you are taking out a mortgage, this will be a condition of the preliminary sales contract, giving you the possibility of pulling out, should your application be turned down. Once the offer is confirmed, the notaire will be notified and the contract becomes unconditional.
- The notaire does all the conveyancing, which typically takes around 8-10 weeks. When the paperwork is ready, the notaire confirms the date and time of the final signing of the Acte de vente.
- The buyer must transfer the balance of payment to the notaire in advance of completion day.
- On the day of completion, all parties meet with the notaire (the buyer can appoint a proxy), keys and an attestation de vente are handed over, and ownership is transferred. The final acte de vente papers are then sent out around 3-6 months later.
All our prices are quoted as FAI (agency fees included) unless otherwise stated and 'notaire' fees are around 7% to 8% (on average at 100K purchase price) but feel free to ask us for an exact amount on any particular French property for sale you are interested in.
So there you have it! not so difficult after all to buy a property in France, but make sure you have the best advice along the way, let us take care of all the stress and risk for you and find you your dream home in France.
To contact our Legal services partner simply fill in the 'No Obligation Form' below to make contact, Loic Raboteau is a Qualified Legal Consultant for France and the UK at B&M Law in London, he can help with all Domestic and Cross-Border Legal Advice so as well as buying property in France he can even help with the conveyancing on your UK property for example.
For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk
Club Clé France: Admin and Translation services
We are very pleased to offer further support, hand-holding services, administration and translation services in North-West France to our clients beyond that of the basic buying process, we fully recommend the expert and friendly help of Emilien Daveau..
We find that Emilien can be invaluable to people when they are 'settling-in' to life in France, sorting out various issues of administration from working out what your Electric bill says to re-registering your car and organising an internet connection.
Searching for property for sale in France need not be a chore and although we ensure our property details are in English you may need translation support further into the process, clients find Emilien invaluable when finding out about all the day-to-day, nitty-gritty details about living in France, from learning the language to re-completing an income tax return or even insuring your pet parrot!
"Talk4Me Admin & Translation Services"
Emilien and his partner Lucie are dedicated to helping the English-speaking community navigate their way through French paperwork and the French language and can take care of formalities, translate by phone or on-site, go with you to an appointment, make a call for you as well as help you learn French with lessons and conversation groups.
The formalities can be done either remotely (you would send all scanned documents to us along with all information we need to complete the form online on your behalf) or as a home visit (for no extra charge 10km around Saint-Calais-du-Désert, Mayenne, travel fees will apply above to a maximum of 40km around Pré-en-Pail 53140).
Hand-holding type services include, one-off phone calls, help with Carte de Séjour or visas, obtaining a French driving licence, vehicle registration, Business set up, Income Tax returns, document translation and much more.
Emilien and Lucie are a French couple who have lived in the UK for nearly four years, so they know first hand how challenging it can be to be abroad as they lived and worked in the UK before moving back to North Mayenne (53), France a few years ago.
Since returning they have met a lot of English people who are either living in France or are enjoying a relaxing stay in their holiday home, who’ve once in a while needed a hand with their French formalities and translating.
Being naturally proactive, Emilien and Lucie were able to help them quickly and efficiently which ensured they delivered the best service. They quickly found that they really enjoyed helping and sorting things out for people so Emilien and Lucie decided to make it their main occupation.
Emilien explains - "We are offering hand-holding services for all formalities which seem too overwhelming to do by yourself for now. We also offer French lessons and conversation groups to empower you in your daily life".
Emilien explains his commitment to his clients as, "Your satisfaction is our priority. We will answer your emails in 48hr (working days) and make sure you know where we are in the process as frequently as needed. We comply with the CNIL rules about data protection (GDPR) and follow a strict confidentiality procedure".
To discuss Talk4Me admin & translation services contact Emilien using the form above, so he can start helping you with your enquiry and give you an accurate quote.
Should you have a specific interpreting need you would like to discuss, we would advise you to Contact Us, so we may best assist you.
The information that you give and that we obtain through you using this website may be used by this Company and by our partner companies only for purposes in connection with your use of this website and for marketing activities of this Company and partner companies. By using this site you confirm your consent to this. If you do not want to receive any marketing information from this Company and/or our partner companies then please notify us.
For everything you need to know about French property for sale visit www.clefrance.co.uk
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