How to get a rental property in Marseille...

It is really difficult to do anything in a timely fashion in France
and it is practically impossible to do anything without a lot of paperwork and hassle. Renting a house here is no exception. I think someone needs to give out some real advice, so before you decide to rent a house in Marseille - read on...

People are snapping up rentals before they are even on market - most houses get rented out by word of mouth and are never ever with an agent or in a paper. By the time the property gets on any on websites - it is usually already let.

I spent a few weeks viewing, I would see a house in the morning and be told that I must say yes or no by 12 midday or there would be no chance etc etc

THEN when we have finally found somewhere thats ok..
there is the dreaded paperwork:

These are the documents they want:

copy of passports for all adults to live in house
letter of reference from existing landlord
receipts of last years rent from existing landlord
copy of all tax documents
proof of last three years salary
copy of electric bill
copy of insurance
bank details
direct debit order
big three page form

and the dreaded - can only be a french thing -
BANK CAUTION* this i will explain in more detail:
to get the bank caution alone,
i have to handwrite some two page document and we both sign and send to the bank
the new landlord has to write a project plan for it and a long handwritten letter also which we both have to sign and send to the bank - then i give them a years rent (yes more than 15 grand) and they put it in a holding account at the bank in case we do a runner or dont pay for some months. AND its not free, they are likely to charge us a few hundred euros per annum for the pleasure of letting them have our money in a blocked account - i really dont like it! On top of this there is also a caution - a deposit of two months rent. AND WE STILL HAVE TO PAY THE RENT ON TOP OF THAT

Its madness - its like buying a place - to put 15 grand down in an account and be unable to use it?!? Only the french.

This is just to secure a new place to rent in france - headache mad paperwork - its taken me a few whole days to get this lot in order, copy it all and I will still wait a further week or so to find out if it will be accepted by the landlord's insurance company. It was quicker and easier and less paperwork to buy all of the houses we have ever had here. Much!

Meanwhile the current landlord is getting didgy and wants to be sure we will comply to french law, which we of course will, not by paying the 3 months notice, but by telling him that we can reduce the 3 months to just 1 (some loophole in french law that thankfully I have been able to find) as long as hubby has lost his job and got a new one, which thankfully he has!

Phew! - got to go and do a bit of filing now - all this paperwork creates a whole heap of paper and needs a fair few minutes of filing!

Fingers crossed for getting the bank caution and getting into the new house!!!

A day in the life...

A normal day so far in the life of marseille mum..

just going around doing and thinking and thinking and doing..

went to the post office to send off a couple of ebay shop items and collect some - collection ok - a deisel tshirt that i thought i had been knocked on and a G-unit tag that wasnt worth what i paid for it. The items to post ok except i had completely misjudged how much one would cost and decided to come back home and ask the buyer for a few pounds more to save any loss..

next stop bank - usually a very friendly place since ive been here but a new lady was training someone on the caisse and also chatting to her friend on her mobile, so took ages to ask simple question, which resulted in me needing to have an appointment to ask! will go next thursday (this is why some things take so long here!)

next stop car wash - nah maybe not - a bit cold still after the SNOW this week - YES SNOW - first time in 3 yrs they have had it YUK..

next stop geant to check out their cheap digi picture frames - fantastic buy bought 10 - will give some as presents and sell some... back to 1, 2, 3 euro shop (which im not sure why its called this as i always spend more than 20 euros when i go there!) - bought a million small items for presents and ebay shop and came out xx euros lighter as usual... struggled across the car park who's queue was now backing up into the main road through marseille and headed home...

ok so i didnt make the car wash - so, one large cuppachino and big spliff later - got my washing up bowl out and washed it anyway - its a 15 minute job really being a convertible its only like half a car to wash - fab - job done - took photos to sell it...

only now i need to clean the inside to get a few roof down shots... am pschying myself up for phase two with another coffee and another ...

ebays going ok but need to make more profit and quicker profits.. have a few d&g jackets for sale in the next couple of days so will have to see what prevails...

no more thoughts for right now, but i like this bloggy thing... living here with no one to chat to except myself some days gives me a little outlet... clears a space for a little more thought..

gone now
to do car interior (using pledge - hope thats ok)
get the roof down and take some pics
(im sure the people who live upstairs already think im mad so it wont matter to be putting the roof down on such a frosty day)

Still Pending practical frustrations!

Life in France always sounds so ideal... until you actually live it and then you have to realise the real frustrations presented to you with a country that barely manages work on a Monday and always stops between 12 and 2 every day, sometimes longer when its too hot.

When describing how french systems and administrative bodies in france work the words flow, momentum, continuity, actually getting anything done... are totally unheard of...

The practicalities of getting stuff done can be very draining.

Frustrating examples of the week - my daughter still isnt able to start the school yet - why? its all a paperwork issue...
i visited the mairies special office for people who want to register their children in schools here - this is back in December - around the 20th i think, they demanded a some paperwork, assuring me that they are open until 6pm on the friday and as long as i return with that and the special letter of radiation from her old school (which fortunately i had managed to get from the teacher on the last day of school there), yes as long as i return, they will give me the name of the school that has a place for her and all the stuff for her to start in January (TODAY)... So, i revert with everything that day before lunchtime, and they say sorry the person to sign the paper isnt available until January, i revert there again before school started (last week) to see if its been signed - oh sorry no not yet - i call today - the day she should have started at school and it MIGHT yes might get signed today....
my daughter is currently reading and writing and doing her own home schooling in her room!

The the bank - the bank who had some kind of mix up and decided to block my account before christmas, they arent sure why they did it and it was impossible for them - a small mountain branch to do anything about it - even when i phoned them the cashier said - im sorry im serving a customer you will have to call back in 10 minutes - the bank yes the bank said that!!!
I went to the local bank here and thankfully they were more than helpful and managed to deblock my account immediately. Needless to say i have changed my account - well am in the process of doing so - apparently it will take 2 to 3 weeks.

The notaire - he should be named and shamed really - Monsieur Lemarque of Belveze who took nearly four weeks to pay me the money from my house sale - who was very unattentive during the sale when i had questions that needed answering and eventually had to bypass him who was supposed to help me and go directly to the authorities concerned for help and n0w he has taken nearly a month's interest from my tidy sum - its no wonder these notaires dress from head to foot in versace huh! I have my money now and will never recommend his service to another.

EDF - after four phone calls to EDF to open my new account here they finally decide that they can manage it. WOO HOO!

France Telecom - 20 minutes passing from one number to another just to order a phone book - the direct number you need for that is 0810 810 767 - i hope i save someone 20 minutes.

There are countless other professional bodies who really should feature on this list but i need to open some more files and start some more frustrating processes now, like getting listed at the Doctors etc.

So now onto the niceties... im planning a holiday in February - looking for flights to the UK to use the family babysitting services and then my man and I are flying off somewhere warmer (without the kids) - can't wait!