Yes, petit pois!
Full time through winter in search of new life
- Thread starter dawsey
- Start date
Yes, petit pois!
Been said before but I have to say it again. Mange tout, mange tout!
Many thanks. We’d love to send pics but can’t do much until we’ve bought the place I’m afraid. I’m still waiting for a NI number, we can’t approach the banks until I can prove I’m allowed to be here, so have to continue twiddling our thumbs back in the aires, currently on one in Champigny Veude in Loire which is also a busy car park. A huge swan lives on the pond though and there’s one of those baguette vending machines in the car park. What a great idea they are! Also it’s been mostly raining the last couple of days so no issues with the van getting too hot
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OK today we had our 1st meeting with one of the French banks. We’d prepared the ‘dossier’, translated CV’s, draft business plans, details and evidence of the apporte, competitor analysis and details of the site itself and analysis of the last 3 years accounts. 3 hours of detailed discussions, after which he said he would green light a formal application, but as we are asking to borrow so much money (best part of a million) the decision has to be made by head office in Nantes.
So we thought yay - we are good to finalise the business plan, sign the ‘compromis de vent’ next week when we are expecting the confirmed residence, medical cover via French NI numbers etc then formally submit the application. Sadly we got a call on the exact same day from the processing centre on the NI numbers, more tests, more forms, more information needed, stuff now needed from NHS which is no longer shared (two guesses why) so it’s a new application and straight to the back of 6-week queue again.
Bugger.
So we thought yay - we are good to finalise the business plan, sign the ‘compromis de vent’ next week when we are expecting the confirmed residence, medical cover via French NI numbers etc then formally submit the application. Sadly we got a call on the exact same day from the processing centre on the NI numbers, more tests, more forms, more information needed, stuff now needed from NHS which is no longer shared (two guesses why) so it’s a new application and straight to the back of 6-week queue again.
Bugger.
It's not a no though so..... 
Foot in the door !
Yes, the NI delay is just a slight complication in that our understanding is the banks won’t allow us to progress with a business loan application unless we can prove fiscal residence, and for that we both need a NI number, it’s one of those box ticking/form filling things, the French seem to me to be chronically beaurocratic but their systems and processes aren’t always properly thought through, developed or flexible.
Now to see if we can find a way around this…
Now to see if we can find a way around this…
Today we signed the Compromis de Vent legally hard biding us to buy the campsite. It’s the same as ‘exchange’ in UK. The only thing now is to organise finance. It’s funny how exchange happens before you organise a mortgage in France, it seems that getting a mortgage loan is just taken as read. We had to agree a rate of interest cap after which we could still withdraw, I went for 3.5% but the notaire and vendors weren’t too convinced this would be possible so we agreed on 3.75%.
I also got my temporary French NI number, meaning we are now sufficiently resident to borrow money. Having signed the compromis it’s time to approach the banks formally.
Getting a French NI number meant getting an S1 from UK to confirm any emergency health care costs will be refunded by UK until I start paying social charges. So I first called my old GP surgery in UK, after about 3 days I got through and they had no idea what an S1 was. So I did some googling and found it was either HMRC or NHS business services. I tried HMRC first. They were adamant it had to be NHS business. So I called them, they were adamant it had to come from HMRC as we are working age. 2 further phone calls to each organisation and no progress made, when the HMRC guy suggested Gov.uk and online application for S1. Great I thinks, so I set up an account, obtain a personal tax number, complete the process or registration and then I’m in - fantastic!
So, job one, apply for S1, question 1: are you employed or self employed. I’m neither and there had to be one or the other answer together with company details. More phone calls and I’m directed to the ‘help with S1’ page. I look it up, to paraphrase: “getting an S1 is a bit complicated for EU right now. Things might change after Brexit” - page last updated September 2019.
After more phone calls in France asking if they really must have an S1, they clarified. “ah yes, we see the UK is for some reason unable to issue them to working age people”, then, “don’t worry, ask them for a letter stating they will refuse you NHS cover - we can use that”
So, back to NHS business services, yes, it seems that that can issue what’s called à ‘statuary letter’ which basically says that the UK is not responsible for my health care and will not reimburse any costs !
So that’s what I had to do to get my temporary French NI number. Allow the UK to wash its hands of me…. despite that I only stopped paying tax in December, and still have a UK tax return to do for the last tax year.
I hope we don’t get in an accident in the camper before we complete the purchase
We now have to formally apply for the business loan, which we will start on Monday. Here you have to apply to as many banks as you can at the same time, go to the meetings, make your pitch, take all your plans and documents, then you see what they all offer (assuming they do) and choose the best deal. I suppose it’s good that they have to compete for your business. We are told it’s going to take around 2 months to get formal offers as it’s holiday season.
Fingers crossed 
I also got my temporary French NI number, meaning we are now sufficiently resident to borrow money. Having signed the compromis it’s time to approach the banks formally.
Getting a French NI number meant getting an S1 from UK to confirm any emergency health care costs will be refunded by UK until I start paying social charges. So I first called my old GP surgery in UK, after about 3 days I got through and they had no idea what an S1 was. So I did some googling and found it was either HMRC or NHS business services. I tried HMRC first. They were adamant it had to be NHS business. So I called them, they were adamant it had to come from HMRC as we are working age. 2 further phone calls to each organisation and no progress made, when the HMRC guy suggested Gov.uk and online application for S1. Great I thinks, so I set up an account, obtain a personal tax number, complete the process or registration and then I’m in - fantastic!
So, job one, apply for S1, question 1: are you employed or self employed. I’m neither and there had to be one or the other answer together with company details. More phone calls and I’m directed to the ‘help with S1’ page. I look it up, to paraphrase: “getting an S1 is a bit complicated for EU right now. Things might change after Brexit” - page last updated September 2019.
After more phone calls in France asking if they really must have an S1, they clarified. “ah yes, we see the UK is for some reason unable to issue them to working age people”, then, “don’t worry, ask them for a letter stating they will refuse you NHS cover - we can use that”
So, back to NHS business services, yes, it seems that that can issue what’s called à ‘statuary letter’ which basically says that the UK is not responsible for my health care and will not reimburse any costs !
So that’s what I had to do to get my temporary French NI number. Allow the UK to wash its hands of me…. despite that I only stopped paying tax in December, and still have a UK tax return to do for the last tax year.
I hope we don’t get in an accident in the camper before we complete the purchase
We now have to formally apply for the business loan, which we will start on Monday. Here you have to apply to as many banks as you can at the same time, go to the meetings, make your pitch, take all your plans and documents, then you see what they all offer (assuming they do) and choose the best deal. I suppose it’s good that they have to compete for your business. We are told it’s going to take around 2 months to get formal offers as it’s holiday season.
Fingers crossed
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I have mentioned my interest, few posts back and did quote you. You didn’t seem to pick that up, so I thought you not interested.Well, there will be jobs from the second we take over. We are keeping back a significant pot to invest to turn round the site as quick as possible. There will be thousands of things to do, from making up new pitch number signs (all are rusty) to refitting out the shower blocks, tiling etc, to tree surgery, grass recovery (it’s all been left to go to scrub and weeds, any ideas?), pitch levelling, planting of many many new perennials around the chateau and the grounds (Bea wants loads of flowers..). I will recommission the huge old well and use it for irrigation, then there’s stone masonry, pointing, rebuilding 17th century walls etc etc.
I’ve experienced, to a point, most of the general building type things (I worked for a general builder as a labourer for a time when I got kicked out of school), I/we have done up houses in UK large and small, so are not afraid other than the obvious worries about time and cost. We will need to be employing crews to help us get stuck in, I can’t graft like I used to be able to, now too old and knackered to continuously put in too many hard shifts, I’ve spent too many years going soft in an office….
Thank the stars that the Eastern Europeans are still available to employers in France. I can employ them, but the French, like most of the countries in western Europe (and unlike the UK was and still remains) are super strong on policing ‘black market’ work, so it’s ‘cards in’ and suck up the heavy employer social charges. It will still work/be worthwhile though, if I can find a Hungarian or Polish winter crew. The work ethic of those eastern europeans is far beyond any west Europeans (esp the French), as anyone who has ever employed any of them would affirm.
If anyone with any particular skills out there fancy a relaxing late autumn, winter or spring free holiday in return for a days work/help (or supervising/guiding/teaching keen but inexperienced and mistake prone young grafters) with literally hundreds of jobs we are completely open to it. I suspect there is some real heavyweight experience in many of the areas we have to get stuck into lurking on this forum…
mikebeaches
LIFE MEMBER
Sounds a bureaucratic nightmare, but congratulations on the Compromis de Vent!
Hopefully everything will continue to progress in the right direction and the banks will come good with funding offers.
Hopefully everything will continue to progress in the right direction and the banks will come good with funding offers.
Hey there, sorry if I missed something. I try to respond to kind comments. Could you remind us?
Many thanks MikeSounds a bureaucratic nightmare, but congratulations on the Compromis de Vent!
Hopefully everything will continue to progress in the right direction and the banks will come good with funding offers.
Think it might be this post
Full time through winter in search of new life
Having signed the commitment, we now heading back to the UK for a week. Going to see friends and family up in South Lakeland before we have to return to France for my mandatory suite of immigration interviews before being granted fiscal residence, which is needed to apply for borrowing. It...
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ah, OK. Send a CVThink it might be this post
Full time through winter in search of new life
Having signed the commitment, we now heading back to the UK for a week. Going to see friends and family up in South Lakeland before we have to return to France for my mandatory suite of immigration interviews before being granted fiscal residence, which is needed to apply for borrowing. It...
Early works will be pitch levelling, weed suppression and grass recovery, rebuilding of external walls, removal of render and repointing on (lots) of facades, redesign/refit of shower and toilet blocks, construction of vidange area, tree surgery, the planting of dozens of new trees, shrubs and flowers and tons and tons of woodwork, sanding, painting and general maintenance and decoration of everything from a chateau to radt of static caravans. We plan to tear into this run miserable run down old place from day 1.
We are over the weekend also going to develop a strategy to approach all the local agencies who are there to dole out government support for stuff like green energy projects. I’ve already calculated I can squeeze 30kW of solar voltaic on one of the south facing roofs, plus 10kW of solar thermal to heat water for showers.
In my very earliest posts I mentioned I wanted to also have an aire de camping car to cater for what I know are huge numbers of the folks who want somewhere secure and safe and with wash machines etc but sans the noise and expense of a full on campsite. Within a few km there’s a small ex municipal that’s currently privately owned and very ‘laissez faire’ run but would make a perfect allied ‘aire’ option - all just off the main route south. We will be cosying the marie to see if we can get 1st refusal when it inevitably comes up for sale. It’s usefully (for fishermen) right on the river bank but there’s negatives with that, the oft stink (the brits ain’t the only ones to sneakily dump sewage in rivers, I can say for definite..) and the hordes of bloody mosquitoes
Many, many thanks for all the thumbs up and support, despite my terrible grammar and spelling mistakes (most of which I swear are auto correct…
)There will be radio silence now for a while as we argue finance. Next post will be on completion to invite you guys to come try. You are a key customer demographic, Brits transiting France in campers. From earlier questions, threads and posts we have a handle on what’s important to you guys for a stopover. There will never be underfloor heating in the shower blocks though…
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Don't vanish for too long please. I'm finding this all fascinating. I suppose it's vicarious living! Wish you luck with the finance etc etc etc.
The real adventure starts when we assume ownership of the 20+ acres… we see light at the end of this whole ‘living on the road in a camper van’ thing. By the time we take ownership we will have lived in the camper for a year.
We are very much looking forward to swapping our camper van for our chateau…
Ha - there’s probably not so many that have said that
Nanniemate
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Are you trying to say 'vanlife' is not all its made out to be. I have to admit no matter how big/equipped a van is I like coming back to bricks. If only for the 45 minute powershower and no a 4 minute shower is impossible in my book unless in the vanThe real adventure starts when we assume ownership of the 20+ acres… we see light at the end of this whole ‘living on the road in a camper van’ thing. By the time we take ownership we will have lived in the camper for a year.
We are very much looking forward to swapping our camper van for our chateau…
Ha - there’s probably not so many that have said that
No, no comment on anyone’s way of life. We can only speak for ourselves, where we conclude that not working, contributing,
being able to travel beyond the confines of a van or being useful members of society just isn’t for us, being of working age and with energy and a willingness to work and develop. But then again we knew that living in a van for us was only ever going to be a short to medium term thing. We would probably feel very different if past retirement age. Each to their own.
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When we were full timing we sometimes stayed in a hotel in interesting citise like Barcelona and Nice. It was good to get away from the motohome for a couple of days and to experience restaurants and bars etc in a different way.
I see one or two of you are noticing the worlds most detailed advert for a camper van… in MHF classifieds
I doubt very much it will be of any interest to most of the well heeled members of this forum, this the ad is just for your amusement really (and for you to understand what an advert by someone who REALLY knows their van should look like….. When it’s posted on ebay I do know that our van will sell to the ‘vanlifer’ contingent easily.
Still, if there are recently retired MHF members that come from similar background to me and can see a gift horse staring, then Helga might just have a chance to continue her adventures on MHF… Open to negotiation but you will have to be very, very good… (or just catch me on a good day).
I doubt very much it will be of any interest to most of the well heeled members of this forum, this the ad is just for your amusement really (and for you to understand what an advert by someone who REALLY knows their van should look like….. When it’s posted on ebay I do know that our van will sell to the ‘vanlifer’ contingent easily.
Still, if there are recently retired MHF members that come from similar background to me and can see a gift horse staring, then Helga might just have a chance to continue her adventures on MHF… Open to negotiation but you will have to be very, very good… (or just catch me on a good day).
UptheGas
Free Member
Think you need to add a bit more detail to that advertI see one or two of you are noticing the worlds most detailed advert for a camper van… in MHF classifieds
I doubt very much it will be of any interest to most of the well heeled members of this forum, this the ad is just for your amusement really (and for you to understand what an advert by someone who REALLY knows their van should look like….. When it’s posted on ebay I do know that our van will sell to the ‘vanlifer’ contingent easily.
Still, if there are recently retired MHF members that come from similar background to me and can see a gift horse staring, then Helga might just have a chance to continue her adventures on MHF… Open to negotiation but you will have to be very, very good… (or just catch me on a good day).
No interest to me but looks a good buy for someoneI see one or two of you are noticing the worlds most detailed advert for a camper van… in MHF classifieds
I doubt very much it will be of any interest to most of the well heeled members of this forum, this the ad is just for your amusement really (and for you to understand what an advert by someone who REALLY knows their van should look like….. When it’s posted on ebay I do know that our van will sell to the ‘vanlifer’ contingent easily.
Still, if there are recently retired MHF members that come from similar background to me and can see a gift horse staring, then Helga might just have a chance to continue her adventures on MHF… Open to negotiation but you will have to be very, very good… (or just catch me on a good day).
I see one or two of you are noticing the worlds most detailed advert for a camper van… in MHF classifieds
I doubt very much it will be of any interest to most of the well heeled members of this forum, this the ad is just for your amusement really (and for you to understand what an advert by someone who REALLY knows their van should look like….. When it’s posted on ebay I do know that our van will sell to the ‘vanlifer’ contingent easily.
Still, if there are recently retired MHF members that come from similar background to me and can see a gift horse staring, then Helga might just have a chance to continue her adventures on MHF… Open to negotiation but you will have to be very, very good… (or just catch me on a good day).
If it was an auto I would have bought it, then again if it was an auto it would be more expensive….
Looks a great van….
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Anyone else seen the aftermath of the last week in France? - It was everywhere not just the big cities. We were in Tours a couple of days back and they have made a bit of a mess. This is the market and bus station in the little town of Chattelrault. We are parked up in what I guess would be called a little banlieu. They have smashed up their own neighbourhoods, their own bus station, looted the shops of their own community.
Stonemags76
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So pointless, & nothing whatsoever to do with the poor boy who was killed!
Stupid.
A little update:
4 full monty applications for finance made with four seperate french banks . 4 meetings, four presentations, four formal submissions.
now waiting to be called for further interviews etc. It’s like applying for a job.
We moved onto the site on a pitch a week ago, and have spent a week getting to know it. With every day that passes I am getting closer to wanting to back out as I see the amount of work to do, the state of disrepair, lack of maintenance of absolutely everything. There are chronic ivy and stink tree infestations, all grass is dead, all equipment is knackered, all showers toilets walls fixtures and fittings are crumbling. All mobile homes worn out, all other accommodations worn out, swim pool completely worn out. It’s like standing at the bottom of mount Everest. Clients for camping seem mostly Brits and Dutch. There’s a sprinkling of other Europeans. In the mobile homes and glamping accommodations it’s all French. Dutch in safari tents. It’s all one night stays. The restaurant is appalling, the showers filthy, the bar non existent, the staff mostly bone idle, unmanaged and all seem to absolutely take the mickey.
There are so many Brits here that it’s almost certain one of you guys will pass through.
I’m having huge second thoughts. I just don’t know where to start with turning round this place.
4 full monty applications for finance made with four seperate french banks . 4 meetings, four presentations, four formal submissions.
now waiting to be called for further interviews etc. It’s like applying for a job.
We moved onto the site on a pitch a week ago, and have spent a week getting to know it. With every day that passes I am getting closer to wanting to back out as I see the amount of work to do, the state of disrepair, lack of maintenance of absolutely everything. There are chronic ivy and stink tree infestations, all grass is dead, all equipment is knackered, all showers toilets walls fixtures and fittings are crumbling. All mobile homes worn out, all other accommodations worn out, swim pool completely worn out. It’s like standing at the bottom of mount Everest. Clients for camping seem mostly Brits and Dutch. There’s a sprinkling of other Europeans. In the mobile homes and glamping accommodations it’s all French. Dutch in safari tents. It’s all one night stays. The restaurant is appalling, the showers filthy, the bar non existent, the staff mostly bone idle, unmanaged and all seem to absolutely take the mickey.
There are so many Brits here that it’s almost certain one of you guys will pass through.
I’m having huge second thoughts. I just don’t know where to start with turning round this place.
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