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Phone scams, gardening, insurance claims: 5 French practical updates
Our roundup of recent practical articles you may have missed
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Many older electrical installations in France have security faults
‘Electrical installations age, like cars, and you need to call an electrician to check them’, the national electrical safety observatory warns
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House ruined by wood-rotting fungus - ‘French insurance will not pay’
Fungus can be swept in through windows and vents and lead to extensive damage. Insurers consider it homeowners’ fault
French silence now means ‘non’, not ‘oui'
The principle of tacit planning acceptance from authorities has been overturned in the case of mountain pasture chalets or summer buildings. Four months of silence now indicates refusal rather than approval.
A new decree states that applications for such mountain properties, which are popular with holidaymakers, that are filed after February 1 must be formally approved within four months – otherwise they must be considered rejected. This is the opposite of other planning rules.
