Following our return to England in December I have been actively switching our affairs to our current country.
It has certainly been easier than I thought to register us here but perhaps that is partly due to being uk citizens.
On the other hand, France does not want to let us go or simply doesn’t listen or take note of registered letters.
For redirection of mail we opted to use a friend’s french address, with their permission, as it was around 100 euros cheaper for a six month period.
In hindsight this was a mistake as the authorities now think we live with our friends!
Hopefully our tax affairs will tie up nicely having left at the end of December and already submitted our return for 2025, we shall see.
We had no trouble registering with the NHS so returned our carte vitale in January together with the relevant forms cancelling our ‘membership’ by recorde delivery. Our friends recived a letter this week for us which contained new carte vitale!!!
For those in the Dordogne area who have the joy of SMD3 waste services, I returned our dechetterie permit and proof of new UK address to them in January, again by registered letter only to receive a payment timetable for 2026 in March, addressed to our friends property.
This was quickly followd by an invoice due in April via our impots account.
I contacted SMD3 to explain the error and eventually they agreed iit was their error. I asked them to cancel the invoice but they advised the only way that could be done was for me to stop my bank from paying it.
Not that easy as to do so will cancel my direct debits with the tax office.
Certainly trying to recoup a payment made that was not due will be a lot harder than paying in the first place so now I no longer have a direct debit mandate with the tax office.
I feel sure they will find me!
Returning to the NHS, so far we have had nothing othercthan a positive experience and it is no better, or worse, than the French system, and its free.
Of course this is countered by a much higher local council tax but all in all life balances out and we are very happy in our new surroundings although I suspect that we will still be cancelling France for a good while yet.
I feel for you, it seems to be a case of the computer says no in many cases where French bureaucracy is concerned even when you live here. There is no point in keeping any French stuff as it no longer applies except in the case of any French pension payments that you are entitled to if you worked here. I would warn however that ignoring important cancellations as they can still chase you via the UK courts eventually as you will have left a long paper trail after selling your French home. Good luck but don’t lose any sleep and from my own experience, sending stuff via Registered post/LLAR just does not always work regarding proof it has been received.
Glad things are working out well in UK. ~Wishing you nowt but good things for the future 
When I get a poor response from any organisation in either country I resort to bombarding them with emails, as many as twenty a day, it usually elicits a response when you begin to fill up their in box 
You’re right Shiba. I got fed up with things sent being lost by CPAM so started to send anything to CPAM by LRAR. I also proactively chased up and kept proof that they’d signed for the letter each time.
They still lost stuff, denied receipt. When I confronted them with the proof that they’d signed for receipt of an LRAR they still said “Well, we didn’t receive it". Faced with the undeniable proof.
I had the same experience with Free who took 3 extra monthly payments out of my account after I’d phoned them to cancel (having discovered they’d lost their only transmitter in my area permanently but they’d said on call after call for 9 months they didn’t know why I had lost my signal) and additionally sent the LRAR of cancellation which I had proof they”d signed for. Free when phoned admitted they’d received the LRAR on the date I had proof of. But they still refused to refund the 3 months they had taken incorrecrtly after the correctly done and proven cancellation.
It’s hard not to conclude that in France there is no objective standard of decent behaviour and no way for an ordinary person to hold a company to statutory or contractual requirements, and no way for an ordinary person to hold a public service to account that doesn’t want to obey the rules. It’s almost as though, except for anyone employed, ie is in a category which does have massive rights, the rest of the country is still feudal mentality when might is right and the little peasants have to take it.
Did you know that in a court case here whether tribunal or CGI, only correspondence sent by either party or between parties and others is only legally used if originally sent by LRAR or courier and there is a signed receipt to prove it. I had one case thrown out because the scumbags wrote and sent by ordinary post and the judge said it did not exist
Yes. This is why when I proceed to take official action against my neighbours for continuing to fail to keep their f…ing dogs out of my property, I shall start with a LRAR which will enclose the entire day by day dossier I’ve kept of each incursipn by the dogs and copy or a note listing every single sms and note I’ve written to them. As well as date, time and details of every conversation I’ve had with them requesting them to stop their dogs coming into my property.
The dossier to be enclosed in the LRAR will print out to about 100 pages thick listing the dogs’ incursions, thefts (food, socks, bird balls gobbled etc) moving things (socks, plates of food) up tp 20metres within my property or even 500 metres back down the road to their place, leaving slobber everywbere, with their giant dog’s huge weight damaging my gravel as it’s thin, plus each of my many reqjests to them to stop their dogs coming into my property.
In the UK I”m pretty sure this would work to “bring in” this history if sent by regiistered post unless they contradicted it promptly. Not sure if enclosing it in an LRAR will make the contents of the dossier legally valid in France or not but I shall give it a go.
And before that I’ll also trundle into the mairie with the dossier once I’ve made it up and ask them what’s the best way of complaining about these neigbours’ failure to keep their dogs off my property when sll requests over months have failed and incursions, thefts and some damages continue.
No idea if it’ll work but I will try to use an LRAR that way to bring the history into the case.
(I’ve finally been able to acquire a decent printer thanks to advice on here and had it delivered this week so am able to get started on stuff now.)
We have been back in England for a month and most things have been pretty straightforward (apart from changing the App store on Apple devices).
You may remember that we had a lot of problems ending our French car lease early. That is ongoing, with the finance company still trying to take money every month, despite a hefty one-off payment to pay the remaining months of the lease in full, before we left. We are still awaiting the return of the life and car insurances, which should have been deducted and reimbursed from the one-off payment. I have also been waiting three weeks for a no claims bonus report. Emails go unanswered and phone waiting times are prohibitive.
Life without a credit history is a bit of a disadvantage here, but there usually seems to be a way round. Our bus passes, the exchange of my driving licence and registration to vote have all happened very quickly.
I’m a big believer in burying government agencies in paperwork when you need something from them. But I think in this case it might just make you look like a nutter. Are the dogs really that terrible? Maybe you could befriend them. In the spirit of Easter?!
There is a dog which escapes regularly and causes havoc (not in a nasty way).
The Mairie has received umpteen complaints and they have spoken with the Owners.
For a while things were ok, then the havoc started all over again.
There is already a law locally against dogs roaming without their Owner (aimed at visitors as well) and all dog-mess has to be cleared up and removed by the Owner.
I was told that the Mairie had written to this particular Owner.
(I believe that Owners can be fined if they are in breach of this local law… yet to hear of it being applied, but I do know this Owner is worried about their dog escaping yet again… 
)
@KarenLot Has your Mairie been involved in your doggie problem?
When I was on the local council back in Bretagne we had a woman who rented one of the social houses on a small lotissement of around five properties. She owned two large dogs and they were forever roaming the village and causing upset due to their size. Umpteen complaints to the Maire who eventually had enough and we had to vote on council to have the woman evicted due to non compliance of both Mairie and gendarmerie notices of incivility and also the fact she had no insurance to cover these dogs causing accidents and damage. Safe to say the voting was unanimous and she was gone in six weeks to cause grief elsewhere.
Unfortunately, I don’t think @KarenLot neighbours are council tenants. Or are they ???
It’s actually quite difficult to eject “bad” social tenants (as our commune knows to its cost). Over the years we’ve had some really “difficult” ones who managed to keep just inside the absolute limit … . Thankfully we have lovely families in those properties nowadays and lots of kids (for the school).
It’s probably a comment on the sad state of my social life that I think having a couple of big dogs visit me and nick my socks and nibble on my fat balls sounds quite companionable.
I think they think their dogs are wonderful and refuse to accept reaponsibility for changing their behaviour. They think everyone must love their dogs and they only have to get to know then to appreciate their wonderfulness.
There is no other explanation for their refusal to train their dogs’ heads to stay on their own property. The only atrategy they have employed is confinement. They have admitted they know that every time their dogs are freed or escape they head straight to my place. They can’t keep the dogs locked up all the time. So in effect I have a life sentence. Because they won’t take responsibility to strongly command them back.and punish them if they don’t obey. In other words, train them. Because of course everyone must love their dogs.
I am not a dog person I am a cat person and my cat is now permanently scared and fearful (they have also chased him). I have huge holes made in my thin gravel by the monster dog’a weight, dishes and socks, bird balls and chicken, casserole and other foods given to my cat have been stolen, socks either disappear completely or are found by the gate absolutely covered in dog slobber. Apparently I am supposed to love these dogs even wben I watched the giant one carry a dish of croquettes out of my gate 400 meters down the road, leap a wall into their property (witbout losing the croquettes!), and settle down to eat them 20 meters inside their property!!!
She has been generous recently in replacing the croquettes with extremely upmarket brands and generous quantity (she gets them free due to her profession) but I would be a lot calmer if the dogs just stayed at home.
Sounds painful…
I feel sorry for Karen’s little cat and this is all
very unfair but realistically I’d be looking at fencing.
Unless the dogs are dangerous or other neighbours are complaining too I’d be surprised if the local mairie took this seriously.
Cheap airsoft pistol. Legal to own and use on your own property, just ensure you aim at the tail end and you’ll cause zero injuries as the plastic BBs will not break the skin. They will however sting like a very stingy thing for a few minutes.
Dog will quickly associate your property with stingy discomfort and steer clear.
Motion triggered water sprayers and ultrasonic devices are available if there are choke points that said creatures use to access your property.
Or you can just borrow a much bigger dog for a week.
Or a pepper spray from SED
I suppose for a city dweller I can understand where you’re coming from. Unfortunately perimeters on both properties are too long and impossible to secure. The dogs are leaping the traditional stone walls.
Other neighbours have also had their dogs at their place however I’m closer and apparently my property has many attractions. Factually if I ask these people to keep their dogs out of my property then they are obliged to do that by French rules, quite apart from by decency.
@Notalot where are such things obtainable? Would you happen to know what is the French wording for them? @captainmorgan what is SED?
Many hunting and fishing shops sell “pistolet à bille” which fire the 6mm plastic BBs.
https://www.armurerie-loisir.fr/132-manuel
For cost, simplicity and ease of maintenance, you’ll want a “manuel” one. Put the BBs into the magazine, put the magazine into the pistol and pull the slide (top part of the pistol) back until you hear a click and you’re ready to go.
These aren’t very accurate, but hitting the waggy end end of you trespassers shouldn’t be difficult at 10 metres. The clackpop it’ll make when you fire it and the sound of a BB hitting somewhere near them will startle most such unwanted guests.
While very low-powered, they might chip paint, china/pottery or crack very thin picture glass, so don’t fire it in any direction containing things you don’t want damaged.
Protective eyewear eyewear is recommended, but anything with a rated impact resistance such as mountain biking sunglasses is sufficient at these very low power levels.