Gaining Access to the Geographical Backbone of Europe
Dominique Berthoux - Home Conseil

France, bordering many other European countries and with an Atlantic, a Mediterranean and an English Channel coast, can be considered as one of the strongest political and financial vertebrae in the backbone of Europe. Geographically at the heart of the European community, France is often a very attractive expansion opportunity for many European businesses and even non-European based companies. It is the particularities of the country and the opportunities for financial growth that are so appealing. The stereotypes of the last hundred years, however, have become less obvious. It is still customary to have a croissant and a ‘shot’ of extremely strong coffee in the morning, but the typical beret-wearing, baguette-carrying, Gauloise-smoking Frenchman has been replaced by an elegant, suit-wearing, clean-shaven and ambitious Frenchman!
 

It is the particularities of the country that at the same time make it such an adventure and a pleasure for the client relocating to France, and for the relocation company a time-consuming and laborious but ultimately satisfying mission. In France it can be difficult finding English speakers outside of big cities because for many years English teaching was neglected or badly taught. However the younger generations are beginning to realize the importance of learning English, but on the flip-side French is a beautiful, romantic language and we actively encourage our clients to try to learn the native tongue.

Another particularity of France is that French law protects tenants very well, more so than owners. For unfurnished lodging, the owner has to give a tenancy agreement for at least 3 years, whilst the tenant is legally allowed to terminate the agreement at any time and for any reason, which he/she does not have to reveal, with 3 months notice. In the case that the tenant is job transferred or loses their job, the notice period is only 1 month. This law does not apply to furnished accommodation, but if the lodging is the tenant’s primary residence the owner has to give the tenant a minimum contract of a year.

Because French law protects the tenants so well, property owners in France seek various guarantees.
 
House hunting in France can at times be frustrating, there are some real estate agency networks but there are mainly independent housing agencies that are not inter-connected. This means that a lot of time can be spent ‘wheeling and dealing’ with the various different agencies. Also we have a lot of private owners of houses and apartments and most of them use the Internet to advertise their property.

Home Conseil Relocation works everywhere in France but the challenges of serving on clients are not at all the same. For instance, in Paris, our consultants must react quickly to find housing as the market is very tight. Whereas in Lyon, our house hunting services can be extended over a two-day period as there are many more lodgings available.  
 
The SNPRM (Syndicat National des Professionnels de la Relocation et de la Mobilité), the French relocation association, strictly forbids its members from receiving commission fees from the housing agencies, as it is a profession that is highly regulated.

Buying a house or an apartment in France, again protects the buyer rather than the seller. The first step is to get a pre-sale agreement signed by both parties agreeing on a price for the sale. If the buyer cannot get a bank loan, this can break down negotiations but still the seller in this case is still legally obliged to sell the property …even if he/she dies!

To be more efficient, we separates the roles of our housing consultants. Some of our consultants are specialized in home purchases and some handle only rentals.

 
 
We often find in France that the current state of premises is quite good, new or indeed re-furbished. But there is no obligation on the part of the owner to re-do the premises before renting it. Normally, in an unfurnished lodging the kitchens are relatively empty. There is only a sink which means the tenant is forced to fit kitchen cabinets and buy appliances, also there are neither curtains nor lights.
 
A walk through is done the first time the potential tenant enters the premises and when this is done the tenant must be very vigilant and this process must be taken seriously, because when the tenant leaves the premises at the end of the tenancy agreement the house/apartment must be returned to the owner in better or at least the same condition as it was rented in. This is very important because if there is any degradation of the premises the owner can keep the tenants guarantee deposit, which is the same as 2 months rent, a considerable amount!

A typical French aspect of relocation is the ‘Mobilipass’, which reimburses employees (French or foreign) paid in France and who have to move to another department. The real estate agency fees, the relocation fees and the double rent can be reimbursed, but to a maximum of € 3200! Very handy!

Housing and car insurance in France is as important as in other European countries. Lodgings are insured by the owner in relation to its boundaries, that is to say the physical presence of the residence. And the tenant must insure himself for his personal belongings that are in the apartment and also for ‘tenant liability’. Car insurance is also a legal requirement and works on a ‘no-claims bonus’ system. This is the case in other countries, which rewards safe drivers who haven’t claimed on their insurance policies in the past and are unlikely to have an accident and incur costs for the insurance company. European drivers’ licenses are, of course, valid in France and one is not obliged to transfer their license to a French one unless it is no longer valid or if, once living in France, the owner of the license incurs speeding or dangerous driving points. The French driving license works on 12-point system, where points are deducted each and every time there is a violation of the Highway Code. Naturally if there is an infraction in France and for example you have a German driving license, French authorities cannot remove points from your German license, so you are obliged to transfer your license to a French one and then the points are removed!

Unfortunately, it is not possible for people relocating to France and wishing to transfer funds before their arrival into a French bank account. Due to banking regulations in France, in principal opening a bank account from another country isn’t possible as the client must be present in France to sign all the relevant documents and binding contracts.

Lastly, immigration to France can be a lengthy process. For ‘new’ Europeans all that is needed is a ‘residence card’, but for non-Europeans a ‘visa’ is pre-requisite. Also as the laws regarding immigration change quite frequently and as they are not always applied in the same way by the different departments in France this can lead to confusion and complications. That is why we are always extremely rigorous when dealing with immigration matters.

This part of Home Conseil Relocation has been in expansion over the past few years and presently we are able to handle not only simple processes but also very complicated ones. Our excellent reputation has also allowed us to become the representative for renowned global immigration service providers.

 
If fine wine and good food are high on your list of priorities do not let yourself be held back from moving to the epicenter of quality living or indeed from the wonderful business opportunities France has to offer.