I received a letter from the Impots folk… which made no sense, so I telephoned the number given… long story short, there is a query about the size of my dwelling… I advised her that nothing had been added, but she insisted on verification.
Seems that in the past… folk would declare “a figure” as liveable space and no-one would bother to check… last declaration for my property was in the '70’s.
Today’s visitor was the Géomètre, come to measure every nook and cranny. It was clear to him (and anyone who wishes to look) that the building has undergone no alterations/enlargements since 1845… when two buildings and an open barn were transformed into one single dwelling …
I showed him the Expertise (for woodworm/asbestos/lead etc) which listed every single room and corridor… making it very clear that the building was not just 2 rooms…
He did say that it would be useful if, at point of Sale, the Notaire could check/confirm that the calculation of living space of the building registered with the Impots folk was actually correct… but, sadly, that is not the norm…
Thankfully, as I am seen as the “innocent party” there is to be no fine and no demand for back-payment… phew… 20 years would have come to a sizeable sum…
But my Taxe Foncière will be increased as from next year… drat and double drat…
On the other hand… I have paid a cheaper TF for the past 20 years… yippee
Just a word of warning… to all new buyers… check with the Mairie when the last valuation was done… and/or ask the Notaire to confirm the figures.
My TF has only ever increased
I know we have a village that is well served, but personally my finances groan at having to pay almost 1000 euros a year…
True to say Stella that this village has a lot going on.
My house is currently rated as two dwellings ie house & gite.
The only way to “remedy” this is to make them one by creating an opening between them as they are adjoining…
More work in the planning stage that I don’t presently have time for
We pay €1 070 TF annually for our home, which is a lot, but the house is very large and in a formerly rather grand part of a small but economically salient town. We knew it was going to cost us when we bought it, but wanted to go out with a small bang rather than a whimper .
The house is therefore a bit of a folly, and it’s unlikely our kids will be interested in inheriting it, although one never knows these days. It might seem a bit cavalier to say so, but the expense has been worth it, and we have no regrets. The property built in the 1840s survived the ravages of WW2 in the Bocage which was generally pulverised to smithereens. We love it.
Yes but we also pay Taxe d’Habitation (which I’ve been brought to believe is equivalent to Council Tax) as well as Taxe Foncière on the same property. TdH is €840 per annum, and we pay €840 per annum in French Income Tax as well. Total tax burden €1680+1070=€2750 pa.
That’s a very tidy sum for a retired couple whose combined age is 156. I’m not complaining but just suggesting that life for elderly people in France is no cake-walk. We also pay for GP visits and routine prescriptions here, and have to buy top-up mutuelle insurance at €67 per month to cover emergency hospitalisation.
Ha ha… seems I am not the only person receiving this slightly alarming letter… the Mairie has been contacted by quite a few folk… asking what is going on…
OK… I’m told it is simply “our turn” for the Impots folk to check/blitz our area/Commune … not only with inspectors doing the tour… but with the use of aerial photos … they’ve turned up un-declared pools and all sorts of stuff…
I am advising my UK folk to be honest… now is the time to own up if they’ve made a barn habitable… or whatever…
As you say… you knew the costs when you bought… (as did we, or so we thought).
Imagine how you would feel, if it ever turned out that your “value” had been misrepresented in earlier times… and now with the “correct” value… the Tax was going to be increased by some horrible sum.
This is what the Impot folk want to avoid… nasty shocks for innocent folk…
By the way, your house sounds delightful, I think you posted pictures some while ago…
I thought ours was exceptionally high, TF & TdH at 2,700€, but it seems not so thanks everyone you’ve made me feel much more cheerful about it! (Bank account still doesn’t like it, but that’s life)
A friend is looking for a new house in Macon, and saw a nice house fairly central that seemed remarkably good value but had been on the market a while. The reason? The Tax Foncière was over 20.000 a year as huge garden that was within constructible zone so rated very highly. Not sure that house will sell any time soon.
You took the words out of my mouth! It is still annoying though, my TdH is 1500 so that puts me at 4000 a year all in - but as I said we get very little in return.
Oh drat… improvements can really chase the figures sky high…
You won’t be the only one cursing the Maire, if he is raising the percentages… let’s hope he gets voted out next time around.
Our commune is “poor” and the council have kept percentages at minimum for some time now. That will probably change though, when TdH goes out the window… they’ve got to get the income from somewhere…
and/or ask the Notaire to confirm the figures.
.
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Let’s not turn this into a competition… 