[France2023]

Hi,

My Father had a second home in France, once he used to go there on a regular bases. But could no longer travel and stayed in England. Sadly he passed away last year and we are now going through the process of dealing with his estate. And none of the family are familiar with the french laws or speak french so we are finding incredibly difficult to deal with the french estate. We have been in touch with the Notaire who originally dealt with the purchase and the ball is now rolling. And we are trying to work everything from the UK we sent her keys recently and she said the locks are broken, so that needs to be fixed, the house is in an awful state with the roof collasped and his van is on the property. So I'm really hoping for some sonud advice here. The Notaire said that the property needs to be emptied and we must remove the van and they can't do anything without the grey card. From the pictures she sent us the van looks to be full of his belongings and it needs to be emptied and towed away. My Father did not have one of these grey cards, so we don't know what to do. Can we get this completed on his English Registration document, or does anyone know how we can get it emptied and dealt with. My Father did not visit his place in France for about 15 years and no other family member has been there, the property is in Normandy france. The Notaire also said that the valuation cannot be above 15,000 euros and has given us two figures one at 19,500 and the other at 17,900 euros which I don't understand. I would appreciate any help or advice you could give me. Or you need further information please let me know.

Thanks

Kevin

 

[BackinFrance]

Hi,

My Father had a second home in France, once he used to go there on a regular bases. But could no longer travel and stayed in England. Sadly he passed away last year and we are now going through the process of dealing with his estate. And none of the family are familiar with the french laws or speak french so we are finding incredibly difficult to deal with the french estate. We have been in touch with the Notaire who originally dealt with the purchase and the ball is now rolling. And we are trying to work everything from the UK we sent her keys recently and she said the locks are broken, so that needs to be fixed, the house is in an awful state with the roof collasped and his van is on the property. So I'm really hoping for some sonud advice here. The Notaire said that the property needs to be emptied and we must remove the van and they can't do anything without the grey card. From the pictures she sent us the van looks to be full of his belongings and it needs to be emptied and towed away. My Father did not have one of these grey cards, so we don't know what to do. Can we get this completed on his English Registration document, or does anyone know how we can get it emptied and dealt with. My Father did not visit his place in France for about 15 years and no other family member has been there, the property is in Normandy france. The Notaire also said that the valuation cannot be above 15,000 euros and has given us two figures one at 19,500 and the other at 17,900 euros which I don't understand. I would appreciate any help or advice you could give me. Or you need further information please let me know.

Thanks

Kevin

too late for you to decline the inheritance so you are in a very bad situation.

 

[Poloss]

There are companies specialised in emptying properties.
www.normandie-debarras.fr is one of them.
If there's nothing of value, it'll cost you.
However, if there are valuables the company will discount an eventual resale price and may well charge you nothing.

In any case, the key words are "debarrasse - maisons"
"vide-maison" is when house owners sell their belongings before moving.

 

[France2023]

too late for you to decline the inheritance so you are in a very bad situation.

The Notaire has Just started the inheritance process at a cost of 2,200 euros
Could you please elaborate, as I don't understand your reply.

Thanks

Kevin

 

[France2023]

There are companies specialised in emptying properties.
www.normandie-debarras.fr is one of them.
If there's nothing of value, it'll cost you.
However, if there are valuables the company will discount an eventual resale price and may well charge you nothing.

In any case, the key words are "debarrasse - maisons"
"vide-maison" is when house owners sell their belongings before moving.

Thank you for the information

Kevin

 

[Nomoss]

My Father did not have one of these grey cards,

The Carte Grise "Grey card" is just the nickname for a vehicle registration document.

I believe BackinFrance is referring to the fact that it is possible to refuse an inheritance.
There is a time limit for this, but maybe you can ask the Notaire if there is still a way for you to do this.

 

[France2023]

The Carte Grise "Grey card" is just the nickname for a vehicle registration document.

I believe BackinFrance is referring to the fact that it is possible to refuse an inheritance.
There is a time limit for this, but maybe you can ask the Notaire if there is still a way for you to do this.

Thank you for replying and your answer, its still confusing to me as I don't understand this inheritance proceedure.
Could you please explain what this all means. what happens if we refuse the inheritance? Do we still have the right to sale the property
What is the importance of this? I'm sorry but this is all new to me


Thanks

Kevin

 

[Nomoss]

You obviously need professional help.

My only suggestion is to ask your solicitor to help you find someone who understands French law and finance near where you live.

This is just one company which may be able to help you, there are many others

https://www.blevinsfranks.com/

 

[Bevdeforges]

Just to clarify a bit - under French law, an heir has the right to refuse their inheritance - probably most often done when the deceased died leaving large debts or other obligations unsettled (because in France you inherit both assets and liabilities). If you want to sell the property, obviously you have to accept the inheritance (but if the reason you want to sell it is because of debts in the estate, that could be a reasonable "out" for you).

You may want to take a look at the notaires.fr website which contains quite a bit of information on "succession" (the French term for inheritance) - in English, even, if you use the button in the upper right part of the page. There is also a section that explains the laws regarding real estate transactions which may be of use to you.
Home | Notaires de France
That should give you an idea of how these things work before you have to consult with an attorney. And, the website does have a listing of notaires which (I believe) includes an indication of languages spoken. It could be worthwhile for someone in your family to make a trip to France to meet with the notary. You always have the right to have a translator with you (actually, you'll want an "interpreter" to translate the discussions for you) so that you understand what is going on.

The French inheritance laws are pretty cut and dried and you may find that an English speaking notaire can clarify matters for you. Or, you may be able to find an interpreter (or translator) with some considerable legal background who can provide explanations as well as translation.

 

[ccm47]

All towns have a "casse auto" which will take the van away for you. Some have web sites, almost all have mobile phone numbers so you can contact them in writing. These days the free translation software programs such as deepl are so good that all you have to do is write down your problem in English, choose French as the language to translate to and then copy and paste into a text message.
In the case of the van they will need to know the registration, and the registered owner details at the very least. After that I'm not sure as we could take our dead vehicle down to ours ourselves.

 

[France2023]

Thank You everybody for replying and trying to help us in the right way. There are actually five heirs, just not me and we already have a solicitor based in the UK who is dealing with the English estate, but they are not getting involved with the French estate. They said that they would deal with the UK assets but not the French property. I have done quite a bit of reading on the french inheritance but it seems
its to complicated. If anyone on here can give me information on this inheritance it would be very much apprecited, as I would like to know where we stand regarding this,and try to understand the figures. I understand now if we choose to decline the inheritance that the heir has nothing more to do with the property. And if all heirs decline the inheritance what happens to the property? It would seem from what you are telling me that we might as well give the property away.

Thanks

Kevin

 

[Keri22]

I am uncertain why you state the French side of finalising the estate is complex. Sucession in France is, as Bev says, is rather cut and dried. You say that there are 5 heirs on the English side of the estate. But as far as the French property is concerned unless these are also, like you, the children of the deceased, or his legal wife, they will have no rights. (Grandchildren step up also where their parents are deceased) What can change that is if your father owned the French property as an SCI (a sort of company ownership) or possibly if he registered his intention and a will with a notaire that the house should go to others. This later approach is a rather recent development and it does not seem likely on the facts you have provided.

As Bev advises, the official Notaire website that is in English is a resource you should read and understand. This section is particularly relevant. French probate : An inheritance settlement | Notaires de France

 

[France2023]

I am uncertain why you state the French side of finalising the estate is complex. Sucession in France is, as Bev says, is rather cut and dried. You say that there are 5 heirs on the English side of the estate. But as far as the French property is concerned unless these are also, like you, the children of the deceased, or his legal wife, they will have no rights. (Grandchildren step up also where their parents are deceased) What can change that is if your father owned the French property as an SCI (a sort of company ownership) or possibly if he registered his intention and a will with a notaire that the house should go to others. This later approach is a rather recent development and it does not seem likely on the facts you have provided.

As Bev advises, the official Notaire website that is in English is a resource you should read and understand. This section is particularly relevant. French probate : An inheritance settlement | Notaires de France

Yes sorry, I was refering to the reply from Backinfrance, it made me think that we would incur a heavy tax bill or a big inheritance tax bill. And yes we are all his children. My Father did not leave any debts in France that I'm aware of. Maybe I just got a bit frustrated from the comment. I am trying to read all I can regarding the situation. Thank you for your help.


Thanks

Kevin

 

[BackinFrance]

Yes sorry, I was refering to the reply from Backinfrance, it made me think that we would incur a heavy tax bill or a big inheritance tax bill. And yes we are all his children. My Father did not leave any debts in France that I'm aware of. Maybe I just got a bit frustrated from the comment. I am trying to read all I can regarding the situation. Thank you for your help.


Thanks

Kevin

Apart from property taxes yet to be charged, it seems to me from your description of the prop3, that the house itself is a major liability. The roof has collapsed and you say it is in very bad condition. Fixing that in order to sell it would cost more than the estimated value of the estate. Even demolishing the house (for which you need permission from the Mairie) and removing the rubble would cost you more than the land would be worth.

Speak to the notaire and find out whether you are still within the time limit to decline the inheritance and do so as soon as possible.

 

[Keri22]

The property in France may be indebted if your dad failed to pay the taxes that are imposed on homes. There are two of these and the notaire will find out. There may be water/electricity/gas bills that were unpaid. Note that pursuant to French law EACH child of the deceased gets to keep 100,000 euros of the value of the deceased's home free and clear of any taxes. Unless the property is worth more than 500,000 euros there will be no tax to pay. Have a browse through this website too, although always check with the notaire that anything stated is still current law. Calculation of Liability to French InheritanceTax in France

Perhaps you should come to France and check out the property.

 

[BackinFrance]

Note that Keri22 means free of death taxes.

 

[Keri22]

Note that Keri22 means free of death taxes.

Yes, I should have clarified. I really think the poster should review the actual property in situ.

 

[France2023]

Thank you everyone for your help and advice. Backinfrance are you stating that we will get a property tax bill, does the law state in France that the property needs to be repaired before selling. I can post some pictures of the property and yes we are also thinking now that we need to go over there and have a close look and talk with the Notaire. We were trying to avoid travelling to France for health reasons and complete this from the UK.

Thanks

Kevin

 

[BackinFrance]

Thank you everyone for your help and advice. Backinfrance are you stating that we will get a property tax bill, does the law state in France that the property needs to be repaired before selling. I can post some pictures of the property and yes we are also thinking now that we need to go over there and have a close look and talk with the Notaire. We were trying to avoid travelling to France for health reasons and complete this from the UK.

Thanks

Kevin

If you want to sell the property it is highly unlikely that anyone would want to buy it if it is in the condition you previously described. At best it could take a long time to sell. The condition will only deteriorate if you don't do something to protect it.

 

[Nomoss]

Your postings before my reply above did not mention there being more than one heir.

This is a reliable and very good description in English of French inheritance law French Inheritance Laws in France

Without visiting the property you should not be so keen as suggested to decide it has very little value.
Depending on the location it could be worth more than you think - it might be in a town popular with tourists, or be on land which is valuable or sought after for other reasons.
We had a friend whose seemingly low value house was purchased together with others to build a large supermarket.