The Complete Guide to Buying Property in France

Charles Davey graduated from Oriel College, Oxford. He studied Law at Nottingham Law College and is a practising barrister. He is also the author of The Complete Guide to Buying Property in Spain and The Complete Guide to Buying Property in Florida, both published by Kogan Page.

1.Choosing your location Climate; Property prices and the cost of living; Employment; Crime; Noise and pollution; Tourists; Education; Proximity of facilities; The local population; Transport links to the UK; Availability of English-speaking contacts; British/Irish/American goods and services; Flooding; Termites; Drought damage; Other hazards of nature 2.The regions Nord-Pas de Calais; Normandy; Picardy; Paris and Ile de France; Champagne-Ardenne; Lorraine and the Vosges; Alsace; Brittany; Les Pays de la Loire (Western Loire); Centre - the Loire Valley; Bourgogne (Burgundy); Franche-Comte; Poitou-Charentes; Limousin; Auvergne; Rhone-Alpes; Aquitaine; Midi-Pyrenees; Languedoc-Roussillon; Provence (excluding Alpes Maritimes); Cote d'Azur - Alpes Maritimes; La Corse 3.Renting a home in France Reasons to rent; Finding a home to rent; The protection afforded by French law; The rental agreement; Before you move in; When you come to leave; Resolving disputes; Representation 4.The purchase of your home The first step: deciding on legal advice; The French notaire and the solicitor; Title insurance; Methods of owning a property; Finding a property and negotiating with the vendor; Declaring at an undervalue; Purchasing at auction; Viewing the property; Surveyor's report; Transfer of the property; Fixtures and fittings; The costs of purchase; The purchase of farms; Local property taxes; Insurance; Having work carried out 5.Mortgages and financial assistance for the housebuyer Loans and financial packages for the house purchaser in France; Buying a future retirement property to let; Other financial assistance 6.Buying a new property and having a property built Building plots; Planning and building regulations; The building contract; Buying from a developer; The four guarantees 7.The purchase of an apartment or private property on a housing development 8.Heating your home and optimizing your utility bills Choosing how to heat your home; Electricity; Oil (mazout or fioul); Gas; Wood; Solar energy; Carbon monoxide poisoning; Electricity bills; Gas bills; Water bills; The telephone; Standing orders; Moving house 9.Settling in Your right to stay in France; Retiring to France; Payment of other UK benefits while living in France; Entitlement to French state benefits; Assistance for the disabled; Paying French income tax; Importing your belongings; Pets; Your car; Taking and transferring money to France; A French bank account; Your regime matrimoniale; Pacte Civil de Solidarite; Your children; Pool safety; Emergencies; Household insurance; Communications: the telephone and postal system, fax, minitel and the internet; Television and satellite; Welcome to France; Speaking and learning the language; Formalities; French administration; The black market; Your neighbours and you; Noisy and nuisance neighbours; Taking French nationality; Voting 10.Letting and selling your French home Holiday lettings; Longer-term lettings, unfurnished; Longer-term lettings, furnished; The nightmare tenant; Insurance; Income tax; Financial incentives for prospective landlords; Selling your property 11.Education and health Pre-school care; Nursery school education; Choices for primary and secondary education; The French system - state and private; Ecole primaire (from ages 6 to 11); College (from ages 11 to 16); Lycee (for ages 16 to 18); Bilingual children; University education; Les grandes ecoles; Distance learning - l'enseignement a distance; Obtaining information; The Open University; Healthcare and the French health system; Your rights to medical care in France; The system of reimbursement; Language difficulties; Preventative treatment; Emergency treatment; Vaccinations; Reform of the health system 12.Working and setting up a business in France Employment; Income tax; Starting and running a business in France; Taxation of businesses; The purchase of a business; Business premises; Bank finance; State aid; Jeune Enterprise Innovant (JEI); Insurance; Bed and Breakfast; Competition from former employees 13.French inheritance laws and the taxation of capital Rules of succession; Making a will; Procedure on death; Inheritance tax; Wealth tax; Capital gains tax Appendix 1Useful addresses Appendix 2ADirect flights from France to the UK and Ireland Appendix 2BFlights between the United States and France Appendix 3Pet travel scheme - approved routes and carriers Appendix 4Non-EU nationals: acquiring the right to live and work in France and the EU Appendix 5Scandinavian and Dutch resources Appendix 6Useful French words and phrases Appendix 7Abbreviations and phrases used in property details Appendix 8Public holidays Appendix 9Further reading Appendix 10Advertisers' contact details