On 4th September 2017, we completed our house sale in front of the notaire, M.Bernard.Olivier, in Quillan. SW France. He said that he would transfer our funds on the following Friday, to date, 13th September we have received nothing. On top of that, a vote in the house of commons lifted the value of the pound and instantly lost us some £5100. I keep emailing without reply and am trying to complete on our new house purchase in the UK, but M.Bernard has our money!
Is there any complaints procedure or governing body we can contact regarding this mans lack of action?
Robert Hird (Now in the UK).
Either that, or it’s somewhere in the banking system.
Notaires tend not to keep up with their emails, they get so many. A phone call to his secretary would probably be a better way forward.
Dear Anna Watson,
Thank you for your reply. Have chased up our immobillier, Century 21, who
says Bernard will transfer our money either Wednesday or Friday, yeah
right! After a vote in the commons on Tuesday the exchange rate went from
1.08 to 1.11 overnight, costing us some £5100!
He has form for this, having done the same to our friends, holding on to
their money for some 5 weeks, and only handed over the money when she went
into the office and caused a scene, with Bernard threatening to call the
Gendarmes!
Wondering if there is a governing body to whom we can complain.
Your missing hypothetical £5000 could easily magically reappear by the time the money does enter your account. Mind you as I don’t need to change any more money for a month or so the pound will probably stay relatively strong till just before then.
Robert, It is my understanding that Notaires in France are by law allowed 28 days in which they have to transfer monies to a client.
Good luck with the exchange rate.
Thank you for your input. Was not aware of this legal delay, certainly not
right. When we bought our house in France the notaire in Carcassonne paid
everyone as we sat aroung the table, a cheque for the Immo and one for the
seller and a bunch of keys for us.