I’ve received a form for taxe d’habitation. I’m not quite sure how to complete the form. Would anyone be able to help me? I’ve attached a photograph of the form.
In the first box with the previous owner’s details, should I fill out the form as indicated in red and then fill out the box below with my details? The property is vacant for the majority of the year and relatively unfurnished. The property requires renovating. I’m not sure whether to indicate that the property is my second home (as I live in the UK), or to tick the box that says the property is unfurnished and vacant?
I’ve also attached the second page of the letter, which details the different levels of tax applicable. I’d appreciate any help.
It IS your second home… in that you can (and do??) visit from time to time… but “live” elsewhere.
so, yes,
maison secondaire… and if you do stay there, it is habitable… and relatively unfurnished is not on offer… you’re actually saying "partly furnished… "
Yes, I understand that it’s my second home. The properties facilities require updating– connecting to mains water, septic tank, updating electrics etc. I haven’t visited the property in over two years. The furniture is a lonely cooker. I will select the second home section for ease.
Many properties have remained unvisited for the last 2 years due to covid (amongst other things). Very sad…but, hopefully you will be able to visit again soon…
Basically, if you have water and electricity (even in need of updating) it is habitable…
If had no water and no electricity… you might have an arguement for uninhabitable… but, even so… as you’ve said… it’s “vacant for the majority of the year” which means it’s NOT vacant for the other part of the year…
That’s correct, yes. I hope to visit again soon. The reason for my confusion was due to the second page, which has a section about properties being empty from 1st January, 2020 to 1st January 2021 being subject to TLV/THLV tax.
If you say it is vacant then you will be hit for vacant home tax! Even if you haven’t visited it, it is your second home and available to you to use as basically habitable. So not vacant.
You’re OK to be confused … these forms have so many possibilities it can drive one mad.
But you are “maison secondaire”… hurrah. leave it at that… the other stuff doesn’t apply.
We rarely left it more than three months between visits - sometimes only a few weeks.
Since 2020 the visit calender has been:
Feb 2020
April 2020 - cancelled Jul 2020
October 2020 - cancelled
Feb 2021 - cancelled
April 2021 - cancelled
May 2021 - cancelled Jul 2021 - made it but cut short by a week Oct 2021
Jan 2022 - cancelled
Feb 2022 - cancelled
Maybe Easter 2022, fingers crossed.
I guess we’ve actually done better than some but only 4 visits in more than two years is very depressing.
Jane/Stella - please don’t get me wrong, I realise I have been quite lucky to get those four visits but that doesn’t stop me feeling sad that I have not been able to get to France more.
Just had mine through and my property is not habitable, last year i used the services of SOS ANGLO they are very helpful i sent them a scan of the form they completed and submitted it & are doing it again for me at present, they also sorted out my tax Fonciere and only charged me about 6 euros i will be using them to set up my electric and water contracts, just google them they have a website with the services they provide and charges,
Thank you for your response. I’m not sure whether the government would consider the property habitable. I’ve read that properties in much worse state of repair are considered habitable. When I’m able to visit I stay with relatives. The property isn’t connected to potable drinking water, the septic tank doesn’t conform, the electrics are dangerous and the roof is leaking. The only “furniture” is a small camping gas stove/cooker. I personally wouldn’t want to stay there. I have stayed on the property before in a caravan though. It’s all rather confusing. For ease I’m going to pay the second home tax to avoid any confusion.
I think one of the tests (which also applies to whether a new build is considered “habitable” and needs to be notified as such) is whether the property is considered hors d-eau/hors d’air - in other words with windows and roof fitted it becomes habitable.
reference here:
I’m sure you’re correct as you’ve gone through house building, and I notice you said ‘one of’, but I think if it came down to it one could argue very strongly that even if water and air tight, a house with no toilet or kitchen sink would not be ‘habitable’ by any means. I could see it as one of a checklist of a dozen things, but it really would be taking the mickey if it was given much importance really.
This is how you can show that your house is inhabitable and get exonerated from taxe d’hab and the tax on vacant properties.
Le fisc admet que les logements inhabitables, dont le montant des travaux nécessaires pour les rendre habitables est supérieur à 25% de la valeur du bien au 1er janvier, peuvent être exonérés de taxe d’habitation sur les logements vacants. Le contribuable peut apporter la preuve de l’importance des travaux à effectuer en produisant un devis établi par un professionnel.
