# Buying a Park home in France



## barryd

Ok probably a daft idea that will come to nothing but here goes.

Anyone know the best site for looking for a park home / mobile home in France?

A while ago Raynipper posted some on a French property website but I Cannot remember which one.

Its just an idea but I wondered about selling this place, buying a lodge or similar on a site in France and living there for maybe half the year and touring the rest.

I seem to remember there were some real bargains compared to similar in the UK.

I thought I would flog this place, buy a couple of rental properties for an income and just naff off and retire. 

I could buy a small proper house but whats the point? They seem like a real headache as well unless you get one thats ready to move into.

Any thoughts?


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## Glandwr

Me thinks you have been smitten by La belle France. Careful she is a fickle mistress whose charms are shown first :wink2:

However IF you decide now would be the time to do it as far as exchange rates go.


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## salomon

Like everything...Le boncoin. Search for mobil home. There are hundreds !


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## barryd

salomon said:


> Like everything...Le boncoin. Search for mobil home. There are hundreds !


I dont know what that means. Ive tried searching but cannot find the two sites that Ray linked to a while back. Ive even been on google.fr and its not bringing up anything of much use.


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## Glandwr

barryd said:


> I dont know what that means. Ive tried searching but cannot find the two sites that Ray linked to a while back. Ive even been on google.fr and its not bringing up anything of much use.


http://www.leboncoin.fr/


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## barryd

Glandwr said:


> http://www.leboncoin.fr/


Thanks, I found that, Doesnt work. The site Ray linked to had thousands of the blooming things but can I find it either on the UK google or French google. Nope. Cannot find anything.


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## salomon

I am on leboncoin. Type " mobile home ". Categories ..immobilier. I asked for aquitaine but just choose the region. Loads on there.


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## olley

Seems to be a few on here: http://mobilehomesfrance.com/ http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/list/3608/rest-of-europe.html?keyword=mobile homes france


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## barryd

salomon said:


> I am on leboncoin. Type " mobile home ". Categories ..immobilier. I asked for aquitaine but just choose the region. Loads on there.


Aye! That seems to work thanks. I just got loads of rentals before.

Im not really interested in UK sites as they will be asking over the odds. The French dont like to pay much for anything so thought I would get a more realistic deal on a French site. 

I wonder what the life span of such a property would be. I know static caravans usually dont last that long but I was thinking of something a bit better than that. Something that will last 20 years plus.

Then again Statics are so cheap once its worn out you could just get another one I suppose.

Is it a daft option or worth a punt? Site fees dont seem that bad.


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## salomon

I have a friend who lives in Montpelier. His land has no building permit so he has 2 mobile homes in an L shapes which he " attached". He lives there permanently and put them up a good 10 years ago. They are like new. He has redone the roof felt but that's about it.

There is no reason why they should not last a good while if you treat them nicely. Worth a punt for early retirement ...


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## ChrisandJohn

What does Michelle have to say about it?


Chris


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## HermanHymer

I bet she hasn't heard about it yet!!! All sorts of things cooking in that head. But Barry don't discard the idea of a small house there are some very, very reasonably priced ones.


Best thing is to think about WHERE in France. Issues to give serious thought to at the outset are the winter weather - it can be hellish cold even for a Northerner in the hinterland. Then some departments are hellish expensive. Others have high % of holiday homes and are largely deserted and shut up in the winter. Some are totally overrun by 'Parisians' and their 'ilk' in the summer hols. Some have a high % of expats which can be either a pleasure or a curse. In other areas they have a barely disguised aversion to Brits. Last but not least, don't forget about a place to park your MH.


Which part of France is your favourite?


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## Pudsey_Bear

A small house will increase in value generally, a static will'nt.

We keep mulling this over, we looked at *this place * we've visited the factory twice, the quality is excellent, and I suppose they could be moved to France as easy as anywhere, drag your arse over Bazza, have look at one up close, you can even stay over on their land to be there bright and early.


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## adonisito

The Spanish ones are even cheaper ! Think 10,000 Euros, and 4000 a year fees. That's near Alicante. You can have the van parked outside.


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## barryd

Michelle is interested in the idea but my biggest issue with her is getting her to actually commit to anything.

I like the idea of buying a bit of land and putting something on it, even a static. I dont like the idea of being on a campsite. A small site / development would be ok. Soloman, does your friend have services to the vans? Electric, mains water etc. Im guessing this would either be expensive or not allowed. Would be interested what the rules and regs are in France for this kind of living as land is cheap enough.

Im not fussed about making a profit on a house to be honest so dont care if it depreciates. Something that lasts us until we are ready for the nursing home or funny farm which every comes sooner would be ok. Im not sure I would spend the winter in it as I think it would be better to take the van down to Spain or Morocco. Im not entirely sure how much time we would spend in it at all.

If I was going for a house all I would want is a 2 bedroom small house that needs no work in the middle of nowhere. Similar setting for the static / chalet really.

The situation at the moment for us is I am never going to make the sort of money I used to and will be lucky just to break even or worse over the coming years so if I can figure out a way of retiring early from a job I no longer enjoy then why the hell not? We have no kids or dependents so I would like to check out of this world eventually leaving nothing to anyone! 

As said though, any schemes I ever come up with seem to never come to fruition! This one might though.


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## cabby

we thought about doing this, but unfortunately illness has made us cast the idea aside. Choose your location first then take it from there.Remember that maintenance could be a nightmare or a rip off.
Get plenty of advice fro our colonial members.:wink2::wink2:

cabby


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## Mrplodd

I would be VERY cautious about buying "In the middle of nowhere" 

At present you have no mobility problems but just suppose something happens and you are unable to drive!! 

I would be more inclined to look at somewhere that has good public transport.

Also I cannot stress strongly enough that if buying anything in France the need to employ a "Notare" to ensure you don't buy a pile of grief. The rules are a bit different in Franceland!!


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## barryd

Thanks everyone. Been looking at houses now as well. There are some real bargains completely renovated for under €100K which at current rates is just over £70K! 

Still like the static / chalet idea though but on my own land.


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## GEMMY

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/in-France.html

tony


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## Easyriders

Please be careful, Barry! Most "Park homes" (in the UK and in Europe) are sold to make a profit for the site owner, many are not open all year, and most do not have security of tenure. You can lose a lot of money being forced to resell.

You'd be better off buying a cottage or a flat, you could rent it out for some income when on your travels. If you want to do this, look for stuff that is popular in season, but quiet otherwise. Would suggest France, Spain or especially Portugal. The pound is your friend at the moment!

If you buy a small place with land in Portugal, however decrepit, you don't need planning permission to put a "chalet" (a posh mobile home) on the site. So you could live in the chalet while you do up the property, then live in one and rent out the other, Simples!


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## Hawcara

If you purchased a large enough place, you could set up a cash deal campsite for those persons on here. Not to make real money, but perhaps enough to pay the weekly food bill. That is, totally off the record.


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## barryd

Hawcara said:


> If you purchased a large enough place, you could set up a cash deal campsite for those persons on here. Not to make real money, but perhaps enough to pay the weekly food bill. That is, totally off the record.


Ha Ha! Good idea. Ill start an Aire!

I think Ive given up on the idea of a park home although a lot I looked at in France were open all year. I like the idea of my own land but have no idea what the ins and outs of putting a static on it would involve both practically and legally.

I notice some bits of land for sale do have services.


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## Penquin

Buying in France is VERY different to in the UK......

If you see somewhere advertised you would expect to pay about 20% less than it is advertised BUT, the buyer pays the estate agents fees (usually 7.5% of the price) and each side pays their own notaire fees (another 7.5%) so you can see how things stack up.......

The notaires are superb - the vendor and the purchaser has to go through the compulsory survey page by page and everyone has to initial every page, but getting things put right afterwards is extremely difficult..... so do not do the second part of the deal until everything expected to be done has been....

There are fairly new rules about fosse septiques and their installation - and all house sales have to abide by the new regs. but many don't and it is the purchasers responsibility.....

When the sale is agreed 10% deposit is paid to the notaire and that money cannot be touched, it is important to have a get out clause in the contract such as "dependent on mortgage" which gives time to ensure everything is OK, the time limit otherwise is VERY short and the deposit is only refunded if the sale does not go through due to such a phrase as I have already suggested.....

Property prices in rural France are cheaper than the UK and land is much cheaper BUT it takes on average 3 - 4 YEARS to sell a house.... we know of one near here that has been on sale for 8 years (except for 3 months last winter), it started at 750€ and is now open to offers around 400€ but there is no interest at all........

Life in France is also expensive - health cover in particular has to be arranged and if under UK retirement age you have to pay for the cover either by being employed or being self-employed through your own French registered business - but that now requires a compulsory course for one week, all in French and costing around 200€. You are then liable to taxes which seem low but another one keeps coming along when you least expect it.....

If you decide to run a company the "Code d'emploi" is smaller than it used to be (thanks to M. Hollande), it used to be a book about 15cm thick, it is now down to 10cm - M. Hollande had it printed using a smaller font (and I am not joking) and if you end up employing 50 people there has to be compulsory committees to decide everything from the type of loo roll, to the type of coffee and the colour of the chairs - hence many companies will not go above 49 employees.

I could horrify you by many more true accounts of living in France (such as the interminable problems re-registering our MH, but that is enough for now......

In other words think very carefully before making such a move, life is much easier as a tourist than a resident IMO.

But there are many good things about living here (but no space to add those...)

Dave


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## barryd

Penquin said:


> Buying in France is VERY different to in the UK......
> 
> If you see somewhere advertised you would expect to pay about 20% less than it is advertised BUT, the buyer pays the estate agents fees (usually 7.5% of the price) and each side pays their own notaire fees (another 7.5%) so you can see how things stack up.......
> 
> The notaires are superb - the vendor and the purchaser has to go through the compulsory survey page by page and everyone has to initial every page, but getting things put right afterwards is extremely difficult..... so do not do the second part of the deal until everything expected to be done has been....
> 
> There are fairly new rules about fosse septiques and their installation - and all house sales have to abide by the new regs. but many don't and it is the purchasers responsibility.....
> 
> When the sale is agreed 10% deposit is paid to the notaire and that money cannot be touched, it is important to have a get out clause in the contract such as "dependent on mortgage" which gives time to ensure everything is OK, the time limit otherwise is VERY short and the deposit is only refunded if the sale does not go through due to such a phrase as I have already suggested.....
> 
> Property prices in rural France are cheaper than the UK and land is much cheaper BUT it takes on average 3 - 4 YEARS to sell a house.... we know of one near here that has been on sale for 8 years (except for 3 months last winter), it started at 750€ and is now open to offers around 400€ but there is no interest at all........
> 
> Life in France is also expensive - health cover in particular has to be arranged and if under UK retirement age you have to pay for the cover either by being employed or being self-employed through your own French registered business - but that now requires a compulsory course for one week, all in French and costing around 200€. You are then liable to taxes which seem low but another one keeps coming along when you least expect it.....
> 
> If you decide to run a company the "Code d'emploi" is smaller than it used to be (thanks to M. Hollande), it used to be a book about 15cm thick, it is now down to 10cm - M. Hollande had it printed using a smaller font (and I am not joking) and if you end up employing 50 people there has to be compulsory committees to decide everything from the type of loo roll, to the type of coffee and the colour of the chairs - hence many companies will not go above 49 employees.
> 
> I could horrify you by many more true accounts of living in France (such as the interminable problems re-registering our MH, but that is enough for now......
> 
> In other words think very carefully before making such a move, life is much easier as a tourist than a resident IMO.
> 
> But there are many good things about living here (but no space to add those...)
> 
> Dave


Thanks Dave. I was hoping you would post.

All useful stuff. I wouldnt be thinking of running a business it would purely be a retirement / holiday home. At what stage to you become a resident though? If you were only there half the year or less are you resident or not?

I think the thing to do is probably decide on 2 or 3 areas and just go and start looking. I think I should sell this place first though as Im probably wasting my time otherwise and that of course requires serious commitment from Mrs D. Dont hold your breath on that one.


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## Penquin

You are resident if this would be your primary residence, as such you are only accepted as resident once you have established all the pre-requisites including health cover.

BUT if you are out of the UK for more than 90 days your Doctor can strike you off and you can lose entitlement to use the NHS.....

Many people spend part of the year here, and part in the UK, some use children's addresses as their base (they may well have advanced the finance for the house anyway....), others us accommodation that they then let - but that can now have effects on the level of tax that you pay on the income as the present Government are removing the tax advantages of doing such a thing by removing the personal allowance for those living outside the UK.

Some people use health insurance from the UK + the EHIC card to cover their stay here (with crossed fingers as the health insurance would probably not be effective for such a purpose......) but medical cover is better than in the UK - more Doctors per 100,000 people and much easier and quicker access to specialist care (appointments usually within 2 - 3 weeks), you have to pay up front for most medical items and then eventually get a % back from the Government if you are resident and extra from top up insurance if you have it. A visit to a GP costs you 23€ at the time, 70% comes back within ??????? and the remainder (less 0.5€) from the top up. BUT some groups that people register with are currently being investigated by the French Government for failing to return money (we are currently about 800€ out of pocket and it may be nearly twice that....... due to the organisation through which we are registered.......)

Such things make retirement "interesting".....

If you are on a Park Home, they can normally only be occupied for part of the year - they stipulate how much, it may be as much as 52 weeks, but may be much lower as the Park is closed if the owners decide it is not economic to open (and many close on 1st September). Some also insist that the unit is replaced every 5 years at your expense using their sole company to provide and install the new one.....

and customer service as it exists in the UK is virtually unknown here....... as of course is the Health and Safety concept.....

The Police have much wider powers based on Napoleonic law which more or less tells you what you CAN do rather than what you can't as in the UK....... and the Gendarmes are effectively a military based organisation with a mind set to match......

Do I sell it well? Next time you are around this part, come and visit us and we can discuss at length and I can happily show you a earby Park Home estate....... and some very happy residents....

Dave


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## Kaytutt

If you buy a static caravan or a lodge directly from the manufacturer to site on your own land they are dramatically cheaper than buying one to go on a site as the commission element for the site owner is loaded on at the source (by the manufacturer)

I did some serious looking into this a while back as I may have had the opportunity to site a lodge on some land owned by the family. A Carnaby lodge that was priced at £80k+ actually worked out at closer to £50k if siting on your own land and if you are VAT registered and there is a business reason for doing so you can also claim the VAT back on all the white goods built in


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## barryd

cheers Dave, much appreciated. I had forgotten about the new tax rules for ex pats. Am I right in saying that there is now no £10K Allowance for income made in the UK if you are an ex pat? If so its really unfair. Its not like you would even be using the health services or other tax paid services. How the hell do they justify it? So basically if I have an income of £10K on rentals Im giving the government at least £2K of it! Unless Im still resident of course.


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## salomon

In short Barry, I would avoid being resident in France if you can. We are resident in Andorra which suits us fine.

My friend has all services to his land. It will depend on the commune. Many people buy land, have permission for a static and just wait for a building permit . In general the mairie will issue a few building permits every year . I know many people who have done this. I also know people who have built houses sans permit....and even got permission to build extentions to houses that should not have been there in the first place !!
Buying land and putting a mobile on it with services is realtively easily. Cost of services depends how far away they are I imagine. But France is not uniform..the layers of government and whi decides what can vary from place to place. If you are serious, brush up your French starting now. It will serve you well. I refused to buy our second house here ( enormous, constant maintenance etc) unless my husband learned to speak French properly. I was so fed up of being dragged out to the plumbers merchants to ask silly questions with our first house . 
So unless you have a very patient and willing volunteer....French is a must.


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## barryd

Thanks. From doing some digging it would appear that in 2011 the rules changes somewhat but its still open to interpretation and what the local Mayor has to say. Link here http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/mobile-homes/

It would seem to me that your on dodgy ground siting a mobile home permanantly on private land in France unless its there next to a renovation project. My worry would be even if you kind of "get away" with it and nobody is bothered that some day you may come unstuck, have to move it and then be stuck with some land that you probably cannot sell and a static you then have to move.

Interesting one about the lodges Kay and the VAT (I am currently VAT registered) but the whole point of this is so I can bin all that. Im pretty sure these park homes are just a complete money spinner.

By the time you have purchased the land, got services in and a van sited you could probably get a half decent house. I found these yesterday all in areas I would be happy to live.

House for sale in Treignac, France : Detached breezeblock and slate "pavillon" property(68 sqm), built in 1980, situate...

House for sale in Montbazens, France : A cosy little house with garage, fully renovated with good quality finishings and ...

House for sale in Sousceyrac, France : House floor located a CALVIAC. House comprising kitchen amenagée, bathroom, toile...


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## salomon

Its a more sensible option. Much more clear cut.

But the Lot is a little too close ...Correze I am sure would suit you better:grin2:


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## barryd

Cheek! Nah I'm going to move next door to Dave Penquin as he now has a pool and no doubt a super drinks cabinet.

One thing that's playing on my mind regarding health it's almost certain I'll need two knee replacements in the not too distant future. Wonder how I will stand with that.

Mind you whenever I am away in southern France I generally lose weight feel better and my knee problems all but go away! There is no ignoring it though at some point they are going to need doing here or abroad.


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## salomon

Thats what worries me. I think Dave is about half and hours drive north of us....and we have enough people raiding our cellars and mucking up our pool !

Get your knees done while you are still you are still young enough to benefit. My old Dad left it way too late :-(


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## Penquin

We have a friend who has now had both done in the last 6 months and is doing superbly, the first just before Christmas and she was up and moving on crutches within hours and without within weeks, the second has just been done but she fell down into the cellar and has set herself back a bit but is still doing well.

She hose the dates of the operations and the first was within a few weeks of being told it was needed - the French Health Service is much better than the NHS in many ways (I'll duck at that point) and does not seem to be suffering in the same way as the UK......

I know I am much better cared for now than I was in the UK ........

@salomonwhere abouts are you? We are not far from Villeneuve-sur-Lot.....

Dave


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## barryd

Well oddly the surgeon up here said the opposite. Said I was too young and I being quite active I would wear them out in less than five years and you can only have it done 2 or 3 times. 

Mind you up here they will do anything to get out of actually "doing" anything.


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## GEMMY

Here you go Barry,

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-50801453.html

Cheap as chips, ready to go :smile2:

tony


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## salomon

Dave, we are at St Vite, between Libos and Tournon. We are marked on the map ..Salomon


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## barryd

GEMMY said:


> Here you go Barry,
> 
> http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-50801453.html
> 
> Cheap as chips, ready to go :smile2:
> 
> tony


Wow! Thats superb. Would make a cracking Aire! Little chalet for us, service point, maybe some leccy and you could get 30 vans on there. Fiver a night, retirement plan sorted!!! 

Does look ideal. Pity its ooop Norf though.


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## Bobthebass

barryd said:


> One thing that's playing on my mind regarding health it's almost certain I'll need two knee replacements in the not too distant future. Wonder how I will stand with that.


Nowhere near a radiator that's for sure (sorry I couldn't resist that).


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## aldra

salomon said:


> Dave, we are at St Vite, between Libos and Tournon. We are marked on the map ..Salomon


Bad move

We may just turn up
Aldra


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## salomon

aldra said:


> Bad move
> 
> We may just turn up
> Aldra


:grin2:

Well its not like we havn't got any space..


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## Penquin

and if they do "just turn up" you are in for a great time - they are lovely people, absolute salt of the earth and always welcome when they are in this area, I would be prepared to share them, but only if they intend to spend longer around here.

We always look forward to their coming and we hold Shadow responsible for our Bob.....








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one of the best things that has happened to us since we got our MH, Shadow beguiled us and we did respond......

so we owe him a great big thank you too......

Dave


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## barryd

Shadow, The Hound from Hell is kind of adorable. So is Bob though by the looks of it!


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## salomon

Bob is lovely 

Our 2 love the camping car..


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## aldra

Bob is beautiful

I love collies, intelligent lively dogs

We had one once upon a time

Called her penny, but she wasn't impressed, upgraded her to tuppence, and tuppence she remained
She adored our first long haired german shepherd Odin, he made three of her but she remained the boss

Saloman what breed are your two??
Can I be cheeky?
They seem to be restrained on a collar clipped to a seatbelt

They should be on a harness when travelling so their necks are not damaged in a collision /sudden braking

They prob are and are just secured there when you stop

But some people do just clip to collars 
Which may protect passengers from flying dogs

But puts pets at risk of crushed windpipes etc in an accident
The chest is better able to withstand the pressure and acts more like a seatbelt

Sandra


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## aldra

barryd said:


> Shadow, The Hound from Hell is kind of adorable. So is Bob though by the looks of it!


What do you mean " kind of""

He didn't attempt to eat you did he??

Mind you you were pickled in Leffe

And he's a wine dog

He is so well loved by all he meets

Out walking, in the house he adores people, but

In the garden

We have double gates to protect the unsuspecting

8 stone of barking german shepherd hurtling towards you is not good

In the van

He is sworn to protect from anything and everyone
A real pain in the neck

But we cope by having a garage and wire doors
Never tie him up outside

He is always controlled near the van

And he is such a gentle giant when he is off duty Loves and I mean loves people in wheel chairs, has to say hello, how are you??

he is a pain

But he is our pain

And he adds much to our lives

Sandra


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## salomon

They are just secured like that when we stop...they have more freedom that way, but not too much !

Now, Diego , a Catalan Sheepdog ( on the right) is not secured when we stop because he is a good boy.
Gaspard the standard schnauzer is a very different story. He ate the floor once...climbs all over the walls if he wants to. He is such a clown though. No one can stay annoyed with him for long. 

Diego spent a while travelling free as he caught his dew claw in the seatbelt housing and tore it out. He was rather petrified of the seatbelt for a while but hes OK now. They have their ruffwear harnesses which they like. 

When I am packing up the bus ready for a trip they get rather hyper. They adore travelling . We fetched them both in the bus when they were puppies so they have literally known it from day 1. 

And they are the best guard dogs ever. They even guard our neighbours house..whether they like it or not !!!


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## barryd

aldra said:


> What do you mean " kind of""
> 
> He didn't attempt to eat you did he??
> 
> Mind you you were pickled in Leffe
> 
> And he's a wine dog
> 
> He is so well loved by all he meets
> 
> Out walking, in the house he adores people, but
> 
> In the garden
> 
> We have double gates to protect the unsuspecting
> 
> 8 stone of barking german shepherd hurtling towards you is not good
> 
> In the van
> 
> He is sworn to protect from anything and everyone
> A real pain in the neck
> 
> But we cope by having a garage and wire doors
> Never tie him up outside
> 
> He is always controlled near the van
> 
> And he is such a gentle giant when he is off duty Loves and I mean loves people in wheel chairs, has to say hello, how are you??
> 
> he is a pain
> 
> But he is our pain
> 
> And he adds much to our lives
> 
> Sandra


Ok. Totally adorable. Although I usually count my limbs after a visit.


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## aldra

salomon said:


> They are just secured like that when we stop...they have more freedom that way, but not too much !
> 
> Now, Diego , a Catalan Sheepdog ( on the right) is not secured when we stop because he is a good boy.
> Gaspard the standard schnauzer is a very different story. He ate the floor once...climbs all over the walls if he wants to. He is such a clown though. No one can stay annoyed with him for long.
> 
> Diego spent a while travelling free as he caught his dew claw in the seatbelt housing and tore it out. He was rather petrified of the seatbelt for a while but hes OK now. They have their ruffwear harnesses which they like.
> 
> When I am packing up the bus ready for a trip they get rather hyper. They adore travelling . We fetched them both in the bus when they were puppies so they have literally known it from day 1.
> 
> And they are the best guard dogs ever. They even guard our neighbours house..whether they like it or not !!!


Brilliant

I am a bit over the top

I really can't understand people who love their dogs

Don't bother to secure them

And if theydo use a collar and strangle them in an accident

Unsecured they are a flying death trap

And much as I love shadow

I don't love him more than the people travelling in my van
I try to keep him and anyone in the van safe
Aldra


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## salomon

Absolutely. Number one thing is that they are secured...harness preferably.

I do t get why people feed them rubbish either, but that is a bug bear of mine, i have have come to the conclusion that many oeople feed themselves rubbish so they do the same for their dogs. I just despair of them eating sawdust, poor things. Ours would starve


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## Penquin

Bob has a harness and is attached to the seat belt mounts "just in case", as Sandra correctly says, a loose dog is an accident waiting for somewhere to happen, no-one would travel with their children loose, so why do so with a dog?

But sadly, it is all too common a sight to see dogs wandering around as their owners drive along with the dog completely unfettered......

Dave


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## aldra

He is not allowed on the seats

His harness and seat belt gives him access to the floor , His water, and he can come close enough to us for reassurance 

To close to go demented at people on zebra crossings etc

But that's another story

Aldra


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## cabby

Looks good, maybe we could buy it and possibly a few other pitches and set up an aire, yes, but how long would it take to get through all that red tape.

cabby


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## barryd

Who are these people or Bots perhaps that are bumping these old threads? VS struggling to get traffic perhaps? 

Having said that I had a good laugh at my old thread. How things have changed in seven years. Brexit scuppered a lot of it I guess but I can't believe I was considering a park home. A house maybe but not now I guess. I don't think we will ever move now from where we are in the North Yorkshire Dales. The two years of lock down for a kick off made me appreciate just how wonderful it is right outside my front door.

Sadly the old knees are worse than ever so that would have been an issue as warned in the thread. 

I had all sorts of daft ideas back then. I think a few years previously to this thread I had a plan to row a dinghy from the English coast to the med through France. 😂 Actually it's the sort of thing I did once upon a time.


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## raynipper

It's still not insurmountable Baz. Long visas and residence permits.

Ray.


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## Penquin

Prices remain below what they were then,although some properties are increasing. The Parisian exodus has increased since CoVid and with the improvement of the railway system by new high speed lines and cheaper fares at ungodly hours.

There are still lots of Brits around although from our experience many have gone back and many more are trying to sell and do the same. Carte de Sejour cards are being issued at a phenomenal rate, recent article said 24,000 for the Aquitaine Region since last year.


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## barryd

raynipper said:


> It's still not insurmountable Baz. Long visas and residence permits.
> 
> Ray.


Nah. Can't see it now. Never say never but I think back in 2015 I was looking for a way out where I could retire for good with no money worries in my late 40s and as we love France so much it was the obvious choice. A few years before that it was full timing in the van I was obsessed with. Fast forward seven years and I think I'm happier with my lot. A new van would be the best move forward now to start touring France and Beyond but at the same time I got back into biking and I'm now considering a 1000cc monster. I have Englands best biking roads outside my front door. Something else we discovered in lock down.

Lake District is 45 min away. Isle of Arran in scotland 3-4 hours, Flamborough 2 and a bit.


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## raynipper

Terrible place full of drunks and loud music plus you have to bring everything in a suitcase and pay for the privilege. And thats just the Greek half.

Ray.


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## patp

We, too, flirted with ideas of decamping to warmer climes. Several friends took the leap and are now either back or trying to get back. One of them left a near million pound home to set up in France but came back to a much more modest set up here. Much as we might moan there are things that still fill me with joy about living where I do. The weather here, in Norfolk, is a big bonus.


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## raynipper

Yellow lines would stop me coming back. Amongst other things.

Ray.


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## raynipper

Language is everything. Integration is the next step. Then realising its not always like the UK. 
But the rewards are quality of life, socialising frequently, space, roads, medical treatment, low tax, etc.

Ray.


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## GMJ

If/when we come into some money we have talked about getting a place in Spain and applying for residence there as they appear to have 2 residence schemes, neither of which would be too onerous to achieve. I think we would keep a place in the UK as well and certainly tour northern Europe in the summer months due to the excessive heat.

All probably a pipe dream but nice to think about anyway


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## raynipper

Yes G. My wife is always complaining we didn't keep a bolt hole in UK.
With hindsight it might have been a good idea and profitable. But the original idea of selling all our properties in UK was 'No More Tenants'. Little did we know. 

Ray.


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## patp

During our long stays in Spain we spoke to many who had taken up residence. They told us that most of the elderly end up going back home due to dissatisfaction with the health and social care of the elderly. Then you have to think what might happen if you could not drive to escape the heat?


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## raynipper

We know 12 couples who were in our close circle of friends who have now sold up and returned to UK. Most having a property in UK to move to which helps.! Ironically two said for health treatment even though they have had superb health treatment in France.?
We do hear the odd complaint about neighbours, traffic, space, roads, bureaucracy, costs, etc. 

Ray.


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## patp

The people in Spain were happy with the actual medical treatment but complained that the hospitals required family members to provide social care while they were in patients. Of course, for some, this was impossible. Things like washing the patient and providing pads etc were the responsibility of the carer. Of course there was always the language barrier worry too.
Some younger friends moved to France a couple of years ago to renovate an really large, old property. They, too, are back and returning to the tried and tested way of just having a little bolt hole for holidays. Much safer


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## GMJ

I think by keeping a gaff in the UK it would allow any movement back if things were not to our liking/health issues etc. We could then sell the place in Spain.

I would suspect that we would spend winters in Spain and then around May - Sept touring/visiting the UK. The place could then be rented out to family and close friends for the peak months for cheap holidays.

As I say, probably just a pipe dream but nice to think about


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## raynipper

How about this at €300,000....? And very habitable.

Ray.


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## GMJ

A tad big for us when in our dotage Ray...


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## patp

Could always ask Ray to come and cut the grass though 😁


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## barryd

raynipper said:


> How about this at €300,000....? And very habitable.
> 
> Ray.


It would be a bit like buying an old Rolls or BMW 7 series Ray. Cheap as chips but the maintenance will be crippling.


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## GMJ

Yes...take your 300k and raise another 300k I reckon!


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## raynipper

Yep, a money pit. Remember the film.

Ray.


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