Practical

My wife and I are British residents who own a holiday flat in southern France which we have not included in wills drawn up in England. We assume, by default, French inheritance rules will apply to this property after our deaths. If that is the case, our two daughters should inherit but we want our only grandchild to inherit instead. Can we make such arrangements entirely within French law?

... not just Halloween!

Life expectancy has increased over recent decades in developed countries. Assuming we are healthy and of sound mind, living to a ripe old age does have appeal – more time to enjoy your retirement years in France!

Are there firms which insure French residents for the excess on car rental insurance in France?  J.H.

Sponsored feature: Therapist Melissa Martyn reviews the results of the Mental Health Foundation’s 2018 study which was an online poll undertaken by YouGov, and had a sample size of 4,619 respondents. This is the largest known study of stress levels in the UK.

Patients are risking their health by ordering medicines from foreign-based websites, experts have warned.

I am a retired Irish citizen and will be retiring to France – I’m an ‘early retiree’ so don’t have a state pension or S1 form yet. Will I be able to join the French Puma healthcare system?  H.S.

Bills for the homeowners’ local property tax – taxe foncière – are coming up for payment on October 15, but in most cases should not have risen steeply compared to 2018.

My wife and I are British residents who own a holiday flat in southern France which we have not included in wills drawn up in England. We assume, by default, French inheritance rules will apply to this property after our deaths. If that is the case, our two daughters should inherit but we want our only grandchild to inherit instead. Can we make such arrangements entirely within French law?

We have been told it is a legal requirement to “upgrade” the facade of our home in France every 15 years. Is this right?

Low mortgage rates have driven up prices for older homes in France by more than 4% in a year, according to a price index by LPI-SeLoger.

Lunch menus at schools across France will soon feature at least one completely meat-free day every week.

An initiative using the learning of English as a science experiment is proving successful in French schools.

The unemployment rate in France went down earlier this year for the first time in six years. It means that it has dropped from its record of 10.5% in 2013 to 8.5% (March-June 2019 figure). But the rate is still one of the highest in Europe, although behind Greece, Spain and Italy. We look at two schemes that France uses to get people into work, including a network of 110 “pretend” offices where 7,000 people go to “work” every day across the country.

Paid maternity leave for independent workers has been lengthened so that it now covers the same number of weeks as for salaried employees.