Newsletter 106

France Voila - Living, Renting or Buying



Our business is our advertising sites for property and rentals at



http://rentalsfrance.com/



RentalsFrance



http://francevoila.com/



France Voila



Please make use of these sites for rentals and sales (and please do look at the adverts, they keep this newsletter going).



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Plans for "Da Vinci Code" tours and tours to Cathar, Templar and "Holy Grail" sites in Languedoc are advancing - the demand I am getting is very big.



Please write to me if you are interested, I am thinking of five days of air conditioned luxury, good food, wine and conversation for a small group in the South of France, plus other tours in paris, London and Edinburgh which can be planned together.



mailto:tony@frepro.com



tony@frepro.com



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This week I write about...



1. Compulsory Road Safety Equipment

2. Calling Home - Cut the Cost

3. Property Management and Maintenance

4. Leasebacks, Big Problems Ahead
5. Renting a Villa With a Pool

6. Skype Me Up Scotty

7. EuroRail

8. Service in the Right Language

9. TV Licensing in France, New Rules



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1. Compulsory Road Safety Equipment



Almost all European countries now require drivers to carry a warning triangle, in Spain you should carry two triangles, but the list of other compulsory equipment is growing fast. Many countries expect cars to be equipped with a first-aid kit; in others, including Greece, a fire extinguisher is obligatory; and Spain and the Czech Republic require drivers to carry spare headlight bulbs. In most cases, an instant fine is payable if regulations are not followed.



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/213



Compulsory Road Safety Equipment



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2. Calling Home - Cut the Cost



Here is a mail from a reader who is offering a low cost phone service...



...I have only been in France six months and in that time I have run up horrendous bills with France Telecom phoning home to my children, who like all children will call me and say call me straight back Mum ! I did tell them I was moving to France for a better quality of life, now that they have grown up, and I think they believe I am now saving loads of money and can afford to pay for all their calls!



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/212



Calling Home - Cut the Cost



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3. Property Management and Maintenance



One idea I have often wanted to see working is a network of people, or companies, who help owners manage their properties in France, either for rental of when they are away. Here is a mail from a reader who is setting up a service with the aim of franchising it to other regions...



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/211



Property Management and Maintenance



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4. Leasebacks, Big Problems Ahead



Tony



We have completed our leaseback purchase for 18 months and only once during this time did we receive our rent on time. It now transpires that the managing agents have "sold" the management of the property to another company



We have now received a letter from them advising that the property has not had good occupation levels and they are now asking us to agree to deferring the index rental increase for one year and thereafter to accept only 50% of the stated index increment. The letter contains a veiled threat as it states that once we agree to this change by signing the letter then normal quarterly payment of the rent will resume! We do not want to agree to this.



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/210



Leasebacks, Big Problems Ahead



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5. Renting a Villa With a Pool



We will be renting a house in France and have a two year old child. The house only has a pool alarm - no other safety device or enclosure, can you tell me what the legal requirement is for pools at rental houses?



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/209



Renting a Villa With a Pool



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6. Skype Me Up Scotty



I like Skype - 110 million people cant be wrong - well almost, unless they vote for the wrong person.



I have never been comfortable with the telephone, it is intrusive, it is still expensive - especially mobiles and real conferencing conversations are not always an option.



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/208



Skype Me Up Scotty



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7. EuroRail



We are promoting EuroRail from our sites, if you are coming to France then using the excellent and economical French rail service is the best way to get around. Check out their prices from



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/207



EuroRail



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8. Service in the Right Language



One of the best ideas we have seen in a long while is "Pass The Phone", clearly readers are finding this valuable as many are signing up for total peace of mind when they are making their trip to Europe.



The call center is in Spain and the team speak 5 European languages.



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/206



Service in the Right Language



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9. TV Licensing in France, New Rules



Hello



We've got an apartment in Cannes which is used for business rental and our occasional holiday use. It has a TV (terrestrial only) and DVD player - please would you be able to give me some advice about TV licences, so we don't fall foul of the TV detector van?



To read the rest of this article, please go to



http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/205



TV Licensing in France, New Rules



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My mum is walking fine now afer her hip operation last month. Clio is preparing for her exams next month, Jack is now at the end of his first school and getting ready for Colege, Miranda is working hard and we are getting ready for our first summer i nthe new home.



I really do try to reply to all mail, most are questions about property or living in France. I publish comments in this newsletter which I believe are of interest and may help find answers to questions put by others wanting to come to France. By linking the points I make to our weblog at http://www.fblog.com Fblog I hope readers will lookat all the adverts which help support our overheads.



Our business is our advertising sites for property and rentals at



http://rentalsfrance.com/



RentalsFrance



http://francevoila.com/



France voila



Please make use of these sites for rentals and sales (and do go to the adverts).



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