Australians living in France

Hi Frances, commiserations re the NZ pension. I just wish I could get a straight answer from our bureaucrats as the documentation on line is ambiguous and the staff I speak to by phone really don't have a clue, which is why I contacted this forum. Many thanks and good luck. I still have six years before I am entitled to the Aussie pension, so with a few changes in govt before then, anything is possible!

Hello Sean, so serendipitus! I came across some photos of your house and a cute one of your cat the other day which brought back happy memories of that leg of my trip to the south west. It really was an extremely enjoyable day and I thought of you again recently when our national classical music station had a Baroque and Before countdown.

Thank you for your offer of assistance, again. I will certainly contact you when I get further advanced with the red tape.

Regards to your lovely wife. I still remember her delicious quiche!

Jeanette

We highly recommend the Café/Bar/Restaurant - we've eaten there while on a project we're running in Roquecor. In fact will probably be doing so again this Wednesday!

Hello Jeannette, we met up when you were looking in the Aveyron and we showed you round a project we had done for another Australian in Cordes. Glad to hear you're still looking. I have just emailed you. We've moved but nearby, and are still available for architectural services if you need. And I still have my two harpsichords - one of them for sale!

Hello Jeanette

I can't speak for the Aussie pension but I'm a NZer and I'm not entitled to anything in France. NZ does not have an agreement with France. You must live in NZ to have the basic (inadequate pension). I've been paying taxes all my life (still am) but if I stay in France I will be entitled to nothing. France has a contribution type of pension so if you haven't been paying into that for 40 years you don't get anything you can live on. It's a worry for expats who move from country to country and don't have moveable pensions. I have no idea what will happen to me.

Hi Jeanette, I am from Canberra and this is still my principal place of residence but several years ago i started to look for something different to do and a house in Europe seemed a good idea. I am originally from the UK so thought somewhere totally different would be nice. I considered Spain, Italy and France and after a few years research decided on France. Along the way I found SFN and called on the members for a range of advice and local knowledge in all manner of things. Seems no question is too hard to answer from the SFN family. You would probably be surprised at the number of Australians in France and not all are members of SFN.

I had a look down South first up for a location (languedoc) but thought it a tad like Aus in that it is large area and hot in summer and quite a way away etc. Went to the many books on the subject and found the Poitou Charentes Region so went there and bought a house in a smallish village of Civray in the Vienne Department. I found out that the Department has a weather pattern that is warmer in winter and cooler in summer than many parts. I have started spending a few months a year over there and it is very lovely.

In my quest, as mentioned I called on the advice of SFN members, particularly in the purchasing and legal aspects of property ownership in France (by an Aussi). Everything went through swimmingly and the advice from the team was spot on and saved me some money. From my experience don't be afraid to ask any question from this forum.

So far my ownership has been without problems and I receive my electricity and water bills and mail from the mayor here in Canberra as if by magic all thanks no doubt to the process of purchasing property in France. I speak very little french at this stage but am able to get along no problem and find my neighbours and the local community to be very supportive. There is also a decent population of English and Australians around who often drop in when they hear the English spoke word through the window.

Good luck with your search and I know it is difficult to decide on where to stake your claim. The older houses are pretty cheap around where I live and plenty who do not need any improvement work. like everyone on SFN, get in touch if you want to hear of my experiences etc.

Regards

Bill

M W ,Portugal is indeed nice but avoid the Algarve - a sort of multi national melting pot, not allot to do with the real country .

The language however might be a problem.

My late parents checked the place out many moons ago but even though my mother was a linguist the complexity of the language drove them to Spain... which I suspect is a bit strange at the moment with their high unemployment rate. A large amount of unemployed youngsters never bodes well.

We have a small scale bnb operation here in Le Centre and we have had a disproportunate number of Aussies from across the political and sexual spectrum. The common denominator was their particular joie de vivre.

Any French commune with vision would ensure there was at least one Australian within the community, thus counter balancing the current melancholia that seems to shroud much of my adopted country.

Why not convince the local mayor that Aussies bring with them the sunny attitudes of their native country?

ie they offer reduced rents, buying costs etc. A long shot, but worth a try?

Yes continue with your dreams. I feel the same though it is in the back of my mind, I am enjoying the life and I will cross the retirement bridge when it arrives.
Yes Portugal is a country on the pension agreement list. I visited there last month it looks nice.

Jeanette I came to France on a 12 mth long stay visa it was my only option as I was too old for a working visa. 2 mths before my visa expiry we contacted the prefecture to extend my visa. They were ok with that as long as I could prove I had enough money to support myself. They said I can have a house here but I can never work here as Australia is not part of the EU. I had already purchased a house. I was told I can live and have a house in France as long as I want to as long as my income is sourced outside of France. I was basically told my easiest option was to marry my partner as then I could then work here and go on the system. Which is what we did and it has made it easier as now I have a medical card and my ID card which allows me to work.

My knowledge from Australia and the pension I am on the knowledge that you have to be a resident in Australia 12 mths before it is due to come up to apply for pension. Then in the recent budget they mentioned that pensioners going overseas for longer than six weeks were going to get their pensions cut off. So you will need to look into that. There are countries that have pension agreements with Australia they are listed on the Australian govt website. Otherwise you may have to contact Australian government to find out the exact conditions.

Thanks Merilyn. Umm, agree about the pension situation. A tough one especially with the new Govt in Australia and their recent Budget. I feel that things could change with each passing Govt so by the time I retire, it will be different again. Will continue with my plans for France until the time comes that I need a more definite answer. Otherwise, Portugal is my next option.

Hi Sandra, will get onto Facebook. Appreciate your comments on new builds!!

Jeanette

Hello Kate, thanks for your response. I've travelled thru your area a few times now and really enjoy the "feel" of the countryside. I've been trying to narrow down my search for a plot to the Midi Pyrenees, but am still open to all opportunities. As a single, I need to get the best value for money in all aspects of my relocation. My perception is that to buy and renovate could be far more costly for a novice than a new build. A major drawcard for me to an area is the climate and suitability of the terrain to create a stunning garden. At this stage of my research my concerns are focussed on the legalities of immigrating and whether there are any hidden pitfalls. It's hard to find this info out from any of the Govt websites and staff at the relevant Govt departments are not very knowledgable. For instance, I am getting mixed messages on whether I could receive the Age Pension if I live in France.

Thanks again Kate.

Hi Jeanette I am an Aussie living in Bretagne, renovating an old house. I am living here under my husband mainly as he is English but he is on a French invalid pension from an accident. I am not so sure about what happens with retirement though, as I understand Australia has no agreement with France. Plus Australian pension conditions are getting tighter. I have been here 3-4 years. Loving the life though. Feel free to inbox me with any questions I will try to help out where I can.

Hi Kate, good to see another Perth person on here. I was down your way last week staying at St Laurent de la Cabriesse - beautiful part of the world. Lucky you!

Sandra

Hello Jeanette

Im Australian, originally from Perth. I've been here for about 10yrs now. I have a south in the the south west between Perpignan and Narbone, little place called Sigean.

Let me know if you would like to chat.

Hi Margaret, thanks for your response. As I'm a One + Dog, I'm sure your lovely house will be way too big for us.

Good luck with the downsizing!

Dunno, I and numerous others have done the whole renovation thing and gone through absolute hell and an incredible amount of expense and upheaval. I guess if you live in a flood prone area or under a mountain you might be at risk of flooding or avalanches but for us, here in Charente we live on top of a hill. Maybe we will be blown away, who knows. Honestly I think whether you renovate or build there is always a chance of some crappy builder making a mess. Yes, new houses will usually lack the charm of old properties but our place was sympathetically built to blend into the landscape (legally required as we are within 500m of an 11C church which is protected under Batiments de France) so it doesn't always have to be a little pink box that the French love so much. We have an 'B' energy/heating rating, constant temperature throughout the year, double glazing, new electrics plumbing, etc., etc., and everything works. Having survived the initial nightmare of renovation on the first property we had significant heating bills in winter trying to stave of the cold from stone walls.

Also FYI, the reason that you see so many new land releases is that communes are now required to release a certain amount of land to provide affordable housing. I think Sarko brought that in. So you will now see land that was, for example, zoned rural, now becoming available for building. It wasn't that there was a problem with the land, quite simply it is new government policy. Housing seems to be an issue everywhere.

You can cite benefits for both the old places and new builds - each to their own and may they be happy.

Never quite understand why people want to build a new house when there are so many abandoned / empty places around -especially in France.

And with the nightmare stories of ( often new ) places getting flooded/ avalanched upon etc you have to ask yourself the question - why had nobody tried to build there before?

' We learn from history that we learn nothing from history ' GBS

Hi Jeanette

There are a few of us around. I am from Perth. I live in Charente 16460 not so far from Angouleme. We didn't build but bought a recent house and it is a very good quality build so can pass on the name of a good building company with a good reputation. If you want to 'friend' me I can PM you with other Aussie's details. We have a small group on Facebook - in the search box type Aussies in France and you will find us. Generally a helpful bunch, some young with kids and businesses, some retired, some general dog's bodies like myself.

Regards Sandra

Bon jour, I am not an aussi!! but my mother was born in Perth??, but now passed on a couple of years ago, at the age of 80, also I have cousins that live there. We are at the moment selling our house, only to move into a mush smaller one! It is in the South Charente, nearest town Chalais, also Barbezieux in other direction. There is a Supermarket in Chalais and a bigger Hypermarket in Barbezieux, with more shops, this is where we shop once a week.

Our House in a Modern one with large lounge, open Kitchen, plus another stockroom with fridges and lots of cupbourds! big dinning room, downstairs large bedroom with large ensuite,etc. Upstairs in the roof space are another 2 large double rooms. Downstairs under-floor heating with pellet boiler, very economic! We have loads of photos of our house? which we can send you if you think you may like it. We love it but now it is to big for us. Hope to hear from you in the near future??