[mersault]

Hello Everyone,

I am intending to move to Brittany in the next few months. (I love Brittany - been there and all over France many times). I have seen a house in a village called Plouguernevel in Cote d'Armor region of Brittany. I have looked at the street where the house is located and the village on Google street view. Village looks fine. The street is lovely. I am intending to actually visit for a viewing in next few weeks. My only reservation is there is a very large psychiatric hospital in the village. I live near a hospital here in UK with ambulance sirens going off all day so don't want to make that mistake again. The agent assures me there are no ambulances with blaring sirens - it's not that sort of hospital - patients have to be pre-booked for entry. I also have a concern about seriously mentally ill and violent inmates being close by. I know I sound like a NIMBY, but anyway the agent assures me the inmates are secure and not allowed to wander free in the town. Does anyone know this village and any thoughts on it, and on living near a mental hospital in France?

Secondly, I work as a franchisee for a company here in the UK. It is project mgt/office admin type work. In theory I can work anywhere in the world with a good fast internet connection. The company have said if I want to work in France that's ok with them, but they cannot advise me at all on tax/legal issues etc. My business is registered with HMRC, I am paid in Sterling, I pay tax to HMRC. All the companies that contract me are UK based. When I move to France will I have to register my franchise business in France (I assume yes) and will I have to pay tax twice (UK and in France). (I appreciate all current rules on reciprocal tax agreements will probably change anyway post Brexit in 2019).

Thank you in advance for any advice/thoughts/reflections based on your experience.

Andy

 

[Crabtree]

If you do any work in France and working remotely on a computer counts as work then you will be required to set up some sort of business entity in France.You may want to get proper advice from a company which specialises in EU tax law

 

[cirrus]

That’s about 100km from me but I don’t know it.
My best advice would be to stay close by in a B&B for a few days and see what happens, re noise etc.

 

[mersault]

thanks - yes good advice will stay for a couple of days.

 

[mersault]

thanks - yes i thought i'd have to register the business - will seek full advice before moving.

 

[suein56]

In theory I can work anywhere in the world with a good fast internet connection.

Now that might just be a problem so you will need to check it out as some speeds can be lamentably slow in Brittany. We live in a popular tourist area but are lucky to get to 6 mbps on a good day; can be down in the 4s when the holiday-makers arrive - as now.

Edit : if you can found out a local, very close-by telephone number then test out the available speed using this :
http://www.ariase.com/fr/haut-debit/cotes-d-armor/plouguernevel.html

Sue

 

[Smeg]

Now that might just be a problem so you will need to check it out as some speeds can be lamentably slow in Brittany. We live in a popular tourist area but are lucky to get to 6 mbps on a good day; can be down in the 4s when the holiday-makers arrive - as now.

Sue

Not so bad in..Plouguernevel......

https://observatoire.francethd.fr/

To the OP.

Are you really sure you want to move there ?

 

[mersault]

thanks Sue - that's good to know

 

[suein56]

Ah Smeg I have just put in our postcode into your site and come up with identical results ... ! It says we are going to have fast speeds soon - I should coco.

Sue

 

[mersault]

Not so bad in..Plouguernevel......

https://observatoire.francethd.fr/

To the OP.

Are you really sure you want to move there ?

thanks - i'll have to look into this. will see what net speeds are like when i visit

 

[SoleilCouchant]

I agree with the advice to go stay in the town to see what you "feel" or hear.

I don't know anything about Plouguernevel, but my first reaction is that I wouldn't let the fact there is a psychiatric hospital in the village deter you from going to the town at all. I wouldn't want my house to be right next to the campus, or facing it, or anything like that...but in the same village is okay.

For what it's worth, I used to work at a behavioral health facility in the US. I was in an admin building attached by a hallway to the main hospital area and residential treatment center. There were various incidents within the building, but I don't recall too many stories about people escaping and going on rampages or anything. I think the worst while I was there was one of the teenagers got into the parking lot and kicked/dented a car. But that was a car already on the premises. And there might have been one story of a guy escaping from before my time, but that's one out of the 20 years it was in business.

I guess my point is...personally I wouldn't be too worried about violent inmates escaping and causing problems. I looked at the site and it doesn't seem to be a prison for mentally ill criminals, etc. Yes, it has the hospital and then other things like long term care, transitional, etc. I'm not getting a strong "violence" vibe from it, though of course people going through a crisis might act out...but again, that would happen on the inside, not outside. Again, I wouldn't want to be right ON the campus or close to it. But the village itself I'd be fine with, at least sitting from where I'm sitting now.

As far as ambulances....I don't recall hearing screeching ambulances when I worked at the behavioral health place...at all? I think your agent is right that psychiatric hospitals aren't that kind of place. I mean, if a mentally ill person harms themselves in an urgent way, they'll be brought to a regular hospital first. Once healed, then quietly brought over to the psychiatric place...

BUT again definitely, if you can, go visit and get a feel for it too.

(edit: looking at street view on Google maps, the rest of the village looks really cute/scenic!)

 

[Bevdeforges]

If you do any work in France and working remotely on a computer counts as work then you will be required to set up some sort of business entity in France.You may want to get proper advice from a company which specialises in EU tax law

Most definitely. If you talk to the UK and French tax services separately, you'll get very different answers. The fact of the matter is that, if you will be resident in France, you're basically going to be considered "tax resident" which means you should be paying the Fisc and for French social insurance ("cotisations").

This may mean that you change from being an employee to being a consultant or contractor for your UK employer - and that can get complicated.
Cheers,
Bev