Yes quite. I meant to say "people deleting their own content or when they leave"
I'm more than happy with people deleting their own posts - we all say stuff we then wish we hadn't and the written word is no different!
Debra - the only people who delete posts are either James (his site, his prerogative!)or people deleting their own content when they leave - as I believe you did.
And no (IMO) to your question as often a reply is to a second or even third 'reply' and not to the deleted post. Hope that makes sense.
Hi Fiona
We had the same problem and it was actually the agency who were the sticking point not the owner. They initially refused to even consider us and we had to insist that they phoned the owner in front of us so that we could speak to him directly and explain our (non-standard) situation. We did end up having to pay a year's rent up front but it was that or no rental.
So my advice would be to hassle the agency to ask the owner DIRECTLY if he would accept your husband's employer as the guarantor. The agency just want an easy life but he might be willing to apply some common sense....fingers crossed! x
Thank you all for your replies. Unfortunately rent in Luxembourg is prohibitively high, and requires 3 months rent as deposit, this makes the move unaffordable for us. My husband is getting some money towards relocation but it will pretty much only cover our ferry and removal costs.
The property is also now being advertised by another agency to whom I have now spoken, she thinks the problem will be the income coming from Luxembourg, she said it is hard to find an insurance policy who will accept foreign income but is willing to try, or to ask the owner to accept my husband's employer as guarantor.
I have looked on airbnb and for off season gites already but have not yet found anything suitable for a family with a 2 and a 3 year old. The HR manager from his employer in Lux is now getting involved so hopefully she will be able to help (she is French). The phone calls and emails are certainly pushing me to remember my French from uni!
I guess if we ever make it over we will get used to working around the bureaucracy!
Thank you again x
Nothing to do with you not being French, all to do with you not having the right documents for the insurance - I'm not French and have rented from someone who had this insurance (and others who didn't) and the dossier they had to put together is mind-boggling but as all my interests and business are French/here in France it wasn't a problem. Try finding something privately on leboncoin.fr
Courage ! ;-)
Your point being.............?
Well done Tracy that is a well known scam. Your bank details are requested and used fraudulently.
As a private landlord (albeit part of our house that is rented out to pay the mortgage) I too would not accept a guarantee by a foreign bank, only a French one. All the rights are on the side of the tenant in France and we have to do our utmost to protect ourselves to ensure the rent is paid because if the tenant does not pay we would lose our house. Although it is technically illegal, we will now only accept tenants who pay the rent by virement.
Speaking of this, I received a scam response to our rental ad just this morning pasted below!
Dear Tracy,
I am interested in your rental. I read through the details and i am highly interested in renting it. I am a 35 years old London school of Economics (LSE) graduate working with the united nations development program (UNDP) Edinburgh Scotland and i just got a transfer to France. I am single, non smoking and i do not keep pets so i am sure you would not have a problem with me.
I would be in the France in 2 weeks time but would really appreciate it if you can hold the apartment for me till i get there. I would prefer to pay for the 3 month upfront cause i travel a lot and might not be available all the time to pay monthly. But if paying for the 3month upfront is a problem, then perhaps we can figure out a way to do a month to month payment. I would also bring all proof of employment (letter of employment and letter of transfer) with me, and show them to you on my arrival. If the rental is still available, i would like you to take it off the market and further showing. Please let me know so that we can make further arrangements for a holding deposit to be sent to you so that you can secure it for me till i arrive. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Greg
Fortunately I immediately smelled a rat so have not replied but it just goes to show.
So yes Fiona, this is the norm, having been relocated myself though it has always been the company that sorts out initial housing so maybe your company should get involved. Once you are here you can then find somewhere more suitable and I would always have more confidence in someone I have met face to face than a faceless inquiry.
All the best.
Mike I don't think this really has anything to do with the EU - just France.
Ditto with Human Rights Commission, nowt to do with the EU despite what people think.
Britain is also seemingly prepared to ban or restrict Polish workers, so where's the difference?
Anil try working through 'Australia' and 'Austria' where most PO workers have never heard of the former (seemingly!)
My thoughts exactly. The EU is supposed to be one big happy family, no boundaries etc...yeah right.
I agree- also the fact that ferry fares are due to go up dramatically due to low emission costs and issues may well make it possible to find cheap such deals. In Brittany you can rent for well under 500 euros a month all year.
"I knew they liked their bureaucracy but did not expect it to stop us from renting a house". Well spotted, Fiona! There ARE a lot of good things about (living in) France -- but French rigidity (bureaucrats playing safe) isn't one of them. It's frustrating, annoying -- and often you feel "they don't want you there". However, one needs to work around these petty requirements. I would myself start thinking in terms of six months' deposit with the agent or your French bank (bank accounts are easily opened from the UK) -- and a certificate to evidence this deposit... I suspect that the insurance company will accept that with a bit of persuasion by the agent/landlord.
My real frustration in this and similar other French rigidities is that the bureaucrats etc. don't take any notice of the fact that Scotland is in the EU (or perhaps it's in Africa or Asia)?? Free movement of labour and capital is at the heart of this E Union. But will the French system/practices accept/ever realise this when it comes to "others" moving to France? In my view, it's this rigidity in the French psyche that's holding France back -- economically & culturally. Unless the French system comes to term with the "new" (is it 60 years old?) reality, the rest of us will have to learn to work around their rigidities, some of which are patently absurd. French people are good on a personal level -- and they have learnt how to work their system. I sympathise with your frustration: we have all been there in some context or the other, ore than once! I do feel, though, that it will all work out OK in the end for you/your move. It sounds an exciting move! Good luck.
I believe that there is a way of getting a guarantee such as you need through a notaire. You can get a free consultation with a notaire and I think it would be wise to make such a visit.
That’s what I would do.
I have some sympathy for the landlords. Soooo difficult to evict in France.
A short-term solution might be a gîte–often you can find reasonable off-season lets. In my area, not near you, unfortunately, two-bedroom gîtes go for <500€/month off-season. Good luck!
No blacks, no Irish, no pets, no kids, it's like Notting Hill in the 50's!........ to be honest the only problems with tenants round here are FRENCH ones who seem to spend their time complaining, demanding improvements. I have knowledge of a British landlord who hasn't been paid one month's rent since the first month and the tenant has security until 31 March. The tenant even tried to order fuel oil on the owner's account. Local garage took the tenant's car off him for unpaid repairs. My tenants in London have not in the main been British and the only one we had trouble with was British! Suggest you rent a place off a British landlord if you can find one. Don't forget 35.5% of the rent goes to the government!
We had problems, we found a flat and like you did everything but I was not accepted, I could evidence everything needed but because I was coming from Switzerland (albeit I'm a Brit) it was a problem. I tried to get a French bank guarantee but this would cost 120% of the amount guaranteed, we'd get this back but still steep. In the end I paid 1 years rent as a deposit and this was accepted.
Hi Fiona,
I have two or three thoughts to present to you, which may or may not help.
1) Yes the French will have warning signs up all over the place to rent a property to someone working in another and not resident in France. Understandable really? When we returned from the Middle East to Paris (French wife) it was impossible to rent anything, so we ended up buying a small flat which we then sold three years later when we moved on. Not the ideal solution but a possible.
2) having spent a lifetime as an expat and usually on Contract, I found the contracting company were usually able to assist in this area (finding and guaranteeing), but why would they do that in another country? Why not rent in Luxembourg where you are working?
3) Assuming it maybe too expensive then have you thought of the Belgian option? The E40 Motorway takes you direct from the Channel through to Brussels, Liege and Luxembourg. Renting in Belgium is easy and Belgium and Luxembourg are tied at the hip far more than Luxembourg - France. Plus my experience is that the Belgian area is much more attractive than the French side.
As I say just a few thoughts.