Not doing things by half then Johnboy, wishing you all the good stuff when you are looking for the new place. As everyone has echoed stay in touch please
All the best.
I’m considering ‘having’ to do the same following the loss of my husband. It’s a case of ‘change of priority’ when it comes to finding a home in the UK. Firstly we have to consider our own needs for living as we get older. A property on one level or one that can take a stairlift or - even better - one of the new small domestic lifts. A property with ground floor shower and toilet. No ‘big’ garden to maintain. Close to local amenities which mean no need for car, no night driving - buses and taxis to take you out and about. No cars to worry about - no mot’s, no insurance - no worries. And fitting back into a system one understands - how it works (or doesn’t !!) - really is much easier than the trials of getting into the french tax, health systems etc. Do not worry about having ‘space’ for grand-children; as one becomes older the demands of younger children staying for longer than a day can be over-whelming - put yourselves first - YOU are the priority - not the grand-children. And the very best of luck to anyone making the move. It’s always very interesting to read about those who make the move back, how easy or difficult - or regrets or relief - at returning to the homeland. Anyone doing the same - please post your experiences; we never know what’s ‘round the corner’ - and what arrives can be devastating.
The comment about step-children is interesting; I think it is cruel - a throwback to the Catholicism in France - divorce a mortal sin - so punish the innocent children from divorced and re-married parents. Expecting them to pay 60% tax on inheriting - surely the french treatment of step-children should be made illegal under the ECHR - it is evil, and immoral the way the ‘forced’ inheritance treats step-children - so wrong - and needs to be challenged.
Good luck for the future JohnBoy and family.
@JohnBoy I add my congrats on your house sale, sounds like a thriving market - can I ask whereabouts in France? Also your timing seems good with the pound down 6% against the Euro! (Not good for us I’m afraid…)
Not sure where that comes from, my experience is quite the opposite, the step children are holding up my moving on, purely because they are allowed to.
But back to @JohnBoy my best wishes for your move, not the choice I would make for myself but if it is for you, then that is obviously the best move. 
David - it’s the fact that step-children have to pay 60% inheritance tax - as opposed to the ‘blood line’ children’ - they are treated more harshly - and that, surely, should be regarded as immoral. The children of a divorced and re-married couple are ‘innocent’ of anything - but penalised by the french system. What is wrong with calling that ‘immoral’ - what other words would you choose. And your situation might be personal - but doesn’t the fact that your step-children are preventing you from ‘moving on’ also smack of something very perverse that the system imposes on widowed spouses ?
Let’s not side-track this ‘New Adventure’ thread; anything to do with the ‘forced inheritance’ is for another thread.
Well it’s nearly happened to us twice now. Sadly buyers couldn’t get bank to agree their loans. And now we have another couple who have offered and are waiting to hear from bank.
Hope yours are cash buyers!
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I’d also be really interested to hear about people’s recent experiences of sending very large amounts (i.e. the proceeds of a house sale) to the UK. So far I’ve just sent dribs and drabs through Wise. Was thinking of using TorFx for when we sell our flat although I suppose I better try them out first with some small transfers.
We had a real battle with our Credit Agricole branch when we tried to transfer the sale proceeds of house to our UK bank, they initially refused to let us use Currencies Direct in case the funds were in their words “stolen” and only relented after gaining approval from head office which took several days to come through. In addition, we had to prove where the money came from and what we were going to do with it in the UK so I sent them a copy of the Acte de Vente and the purchase agreement for the house we were buying. The whole procedure took over a week which just added to the usual stress of buying and shipping our furniture etc back to the UK, not something we wish to repeat in a hurry.
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I can well imagine. My bank will have kittens when I try to transfer everything to TorFx or whatever.
Just did a small trial transfer with them.
My understanding is that the 60% is levied on successors who live in a foreign tax jurisdiction whatever their relationship to the deceased and his/her spouse, thus step children are not discriminated against. Of course I could be wrong.
They are, and confirmed in the compromis 
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2024 rates
| Beneficiary | Tax Rate | Tax-Free Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse / PACS Partner | 0% | Exempt |
| Child | 5% – 45% | €100,000 |
| Sibling | 35% – 45% | €15,932 |
| Other Relatives | 55% – 60% | €7,967 |
| Unrelated Individuals | 60% | €1,594 |
Stepchildren are classed as “unrelated individuals”. I don’t think the residency of the beneficiary comes into it.
Please do.
Your hobbyhorse is becoming extremely tedious.
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Whilst the conversation about the onerous amount of tax payable by unrelated beneficiaries is most certainly better placed in another thread I think that calling the subject…
…is a bit insulting to those of us to whom it is a genuine grievance.
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I think Porridge means “tedious” in the wrong place. it is no doubt of major interest to those it affects.
Hope it all goes smoothly for you.
That is exactly the reason I suggested starting a new thread. And thank you for not being dismissive of concern about step-children - in today’s blended families - and france has blended families too - it is increasingly going to cause distress.
So fire ahead 
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The gods are smiling on you! Great omen for the move.
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