THE KNOWLEDGE MOVING DAY WORRIES W See all these
professionals at the French
Property Exhibition in London in January
requires advanced planning on your part if you want to spend time there. Potential for problem guests:
Not all guests will treat your home with respect. There’s always a risk of property damage or disturbances that could upset neighbours. Market fl uctuations:
Depending on the global and local tourism trends, there might be periods where bookings are low, impacting your potential income. While using your second home in France as a holiday
rental can be fi nancially rewarding, it’s essential to consider the operational and emotional aspects. Balancing personal use with guest bookings, handling maintenance, and understanding local regulations can be demanding. Before deciding, perhaps spend some time talking to other homeowners in the area who rent out their properties. This can provide you with a clearer picture of what to expect and help you make an informed decision.
e’ve bought a main home in Normandy and downsized to
a second home in the UK. We have some concerns about the removal of some of our belongings to France. Firstly, we have a lot of antiques and precious mementoes and we're worried about damage during transit. Also, our French home is down a narrow lane – will a removals lorry be able to get to our house?
GARY BURKE of Burke Bros Removals replies (
burkebros.co.uk): When it comes to entrusting your valuable possessions with a remover, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your goods will be well cared for. Specialist items or those needing extra care (paintings, mirrors, musical instruments, antiques, family heirlooms, fi ne art or wine collections etc), can be packed in special cartons with protective materials approved by the British Association of Removers (BAR). Items can also be ‘export
allowed to extend your house, create new windows or modify the roof. There are two types of
approval and they have diff erent examination times. All the works impacting the exterior of your property will at least need a déclaration préalable. It will take two months to be approved. Bigger modifi cations
(extension, new-build, demolition, for example), will need a permis de construire which will take three to four months to be approved. Both will require you to detail
the proposed modifi cations, in plans and elevations, show the
existing condition of the building with photographs, and describe materials and design in a heritage statement.
wrapped’. This is a method normally used for international shipments to give the highest level of protection during transit in a shipping container, but it can also be used for a move from the UK to France. The furniture is wrapped in a soft protective bubble blanket and taped with specialist strong export wrapping tape. This off ers a higher level of protection than with standard blanket wrapping. There is also the option of
having wooden crates made for individual items to protect them during transit. These are specially made to fi t the piece of artwork or furniture to ensure maximum protection during transit. Discuss anything which
requires special attention or that that you’re concerned
Get in touch!
Ask your questions about French property or life in France... Email:
karen.tait@francemedia.com Alternatively, you can post your question on our Facebook page
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: January/February 2024 89
Gary Burke
about moving with your remover well in advance. They will advise you on how they will take care of these items and give you an idea of cost. Moving with an accredited
member of the BAR, who work to a regulated code of conduct is important. The BAR, for example, off er training courses to ensure all removals operatives are professionally trained in loading and packing items ready for transport and a BAR company will have the best trucks and equipment for the move and will also use the correct protective materials. It’s also important to
discuss the access at the French property with your removal company early on. If the property can be found on Google Earth, this will be a useful tool for the moving company to gauge access. Sometimes a shuttle service from the removal vehicle to the new home will need to be arranged. The surveyor will be able to advise you on this. If the removal vehicle can
access the property, as a guide, we advise that a moving van requires about 50ft of parking space. The closer the van can park to your property, the better for a more effi cient and safe removal of possessions. Equally, the removal
company should be notifi ed of any internal features of the property such as small doorways or spiral staircases and so on which could aff ect the removal crew’s movement.
© SHUTTERSTIOCK
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