Are you legal?

Here is some information for any of you out there who are either running a gite complex or just renting your house out for the occassional week.

The clock is ticking for owners of holiday homes and gites in France to register their property with the local mairie before 1 July 2010 deadline – homeowners could face a fine from €45 to €450 if they fail to do so.

Following the introduction of a tourism law, which was passed in July last year, anyone who runs a gite or a furnished holiday let in France must make a declaration to the maire in the commune where the property is situated. Also, if you are planning on running a holiday rental, you should register before commencing business.

Complete the two page form – Déclaration en mairie de location d’un meublé de tourisme – Cerfa 14004-01 (pdf download).

The form needs to be sent to the mairie in the commune where your property is located who should sign, stamp it and return it to you.
 
What if you don’t register?


The speculation is that in addition to fines, anyone running a gite/accommodation not registered with the Marie could be closed down. It’s very simple for the tax authorities to search online French holiday rental portals to check who has conformed. Is it worth the risk?
 
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I love rock and roll

I always think that this is the week that the summer season really begins. I say this of course just one day before midsummer's day.
Well tell me when the summer weather arrives, because we are now ready for it.


Yesterday just about the whole of Ceret came out to play. It was La Fete de la Musique, which started at about 20:00hrs though of course did not really start until about 22:00hrs.


There was the usual mix of the local talent doing Karaoke outside a cafe, a keyboard player playing musac in La Place des neuf jet and then a good selection of serious rock bands dotted around the town. There was a great atmosphere as classics from Bowie, U2 and Nick Kershaw! boomed out across town.


For those who prefer a gentler form of melody, there was a local flamenco troop wandering through town and various impromptu classical concerts outside private houses.


So I say bring on the summer, La fete de St Jean and the Feria


If you need accommodation for any of the up and coming celebrations then come and visit us at Ceret Property

I chose the wrong week to go to the UK

This is a rare opportunity for you lucky ones who will be around, so rather begrudgingly, Ceret Property are delighted to support our friends at Domaine Treloar.

Next Monday morning the editor of Decanter online UK will be visiting the winery, something we are really excited about and we will be opening a lot of our wines from vintages which have now sold out using our private library of stock along with the latest vintages for him to taste. 

Although the old vintages are no longer for sale we thought it would be an amazing opportunity for you to taste these wines – some 3 years in a row.  This may not happen again for some time.

We would therefore like to invite you to a private tasting of our wines anytime from Monday afternoon from 2pm onwards and all day Tuesday at our winery.   If you would like to bring a friend or family who are not clients already of Domaine Treloar there will be a €5 charge for them. 

You are more than welcome to bring a picnic and buy wine from us to drink in the winery grounds.

We are also extremely pleased to be rated in Jancis Robinson’s favorite 30 wineries in the Languedoc Roussillon in the FT this week and to have received excellent reviews for all our wines on Janicis’s website. The article is only available to her Purple Pages subscribers but you can read her reviews http://www.domainetreloar.com/reviews.htm.

Maybe I should pull a sicky

Can Vicens

Had a great evening, kindly hosted by our friend Jonathon and Rachel at Domaine Treloar and the new owners of Can Vicens (Bar a Vins) in St Jean pla de Corts.


The bar has recently opened, giving a new exciting option to our dining needs in the area. This is the first wine bar to open in the Ceret area and also compliments the wines with tapas style assiettes catalanes.


We spent the evening matching the lovely wines from Treloar with selected dishes from Can Vicens.

Round 1.
Choice of the new Rose of Treloar 2009, Vin de pays des Cotes Catalanes or Muscat de Rivsaltes 2006 AOC Muscat de Rivsaltes.
This was accompanied by a selection of Charcuteries.


Round 2.
One Block Muscat 2008 Vin de pays des Cotes Catalanes
Accompanied by a delicious Crab tapas


Round 3.
Le Ciel Vide 2008 AOC Cotes du Roussillon
Accompanied by Pan Tomate and delicately sliced Serrano Ham


Round 4 (and still standing)
Motus 2007 AOC Cotes du Roussillon
Accompanied by a platter of manchego and local goats cheese


Round 5.
Muscat de Rivesaltes 2006 AOC Muscat de Rivsaltes
Accompanied by a delightful dessert of fresh fruit salad, ice cream and a red fruit coulis.


The food presentation and quality was a joy to find and a little different to the usual run of the mill. The Bar a Vins is a real find and we are delighted to have found somewhere new with its vaulted ceiling, fun decor and selection of local produce. The Ceret Property team recommends you visit this Bar a Vins


The wines were as usual absolutely delicious. We have yet again ordered a few cases.  


A little more info about the wines


Muscat de Rivesaltes
A late-harvested, fortified sweet aperitif and/or dessert wine. It has a beautiful floral aroma and a rich honeyed palate with dried fruits and nuts.


Rose of Treloar
Made from 100% Syrah, this off-dry, fruity wine is made for easy-drinking with friends in the sun. I don't believe in complicated Rosé!


Le Ciel Vide

Named after a Bruce Springsteen song about September 11th, this unoaked red is made from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Carignan. It is the most approachable of all our red wines with crunchy forest fruits and an earthy, smoky character from the Aspres terroir. Drinkable upon release for up to 5 years.

Motus

A Mourvedre-dominated red wine aged in oak barrels for 2 years. It has a distinctive leathery, almost animal, aroma, great fruit concentration, structure and aging potential for a further 10 years. Probably our most popular wine among wine-afficianados.

One Block Muscat

One Block is so named because living one block from the World Trade Center on 9/11/01 was the catalyst that caused us to change our lives. Dry, aromatic white wine made from 100% Muscat a Petits Grains. It has aromas of white blossom and limes and a long silky palate with peach flavours and a mineral edge.

All in all this was a Knock out evening, with thanks to all at Ceret Property

Watch out Watch out there's a ......... about

Found a few scams for you to watch out for over here in sunny old France.

1. Fool's Gold; France

If you're walking the streets of Paris and someone appears to have found a gold ring at your feet, congratulate them and keep on walking. The ring is a plant and the person who pretends to have found it will use just about any sob story to get you to buy it off them.

2. Tourist Scam in Nice,France

We visited Nice in May 2010 and were returning back from Gare SNCF Nice Ville(Main Train Station) to our hotel. We took the tram from the Gare Theirs(nearby tram station) and noticed some two 'grubby' looking guys following us at a distance.

After alighting from the tram we decided to stop at a bank branch to withdraw money.Unfortunately(or fortunately) the ATM did not accept our card. Very soon one of the guys came in and started shouting at us. I have heard about the scam and shouted "police" and "thief". The bank staff came to our help. He was telling them we had picked his pocket! Of course, the bank security sent him in his way. We however waited a little longer. Then, his colleague came, but had to beat a hasty retreat. Advice- Avoid areas near station. Trams are very crowded in Nice. Use buses they are cheap, frequent and not crowded.If taking taxis to/from Nice airport tell the driverbeforehand u need a receipt with his taxi number, (the 4 digit number written on roof next to word "Taxi"), they won't overcharge.

3. The flat tyre trick

How it happens
Cruising along on the motorway, a helpful soul in another car gestures to your back tyre to tell you it's gone flat. When you pull on to the hard shoulder to take a look, they draw up behind you to offer you help with the tyre, which seemed all right before you pulled into the last service station. They might rid you of the puncture, but while you are struggling with the jack, their accomplice will also relieve you of any valuables in the front of your car.
Variations: Some thieves don't even bother with the tyre charade but simply wait for you to slow down at traffic lights and open your car door, seizing any bags they can grab. Where: The south of France, Spain and anywhere your car - your own or rented - marks you out as a tourist.

4. Travel Scam #1 - £109 for an All-Inclusive Trip to Spain or Southern France

This sounds too good to be true right? Well of course it is. What happens when you call to book the trip? Nothing will be available on the dates you want at the magic price point, but for another £300 pounds you can get the hotel you want at the date you want.

Similar scams often offer extremely low prices which are then increased, excessively, with hidden fees.

Travel Scam #2 - Free Vacation to the South of France or Spain

A free vacation is a lot better than a £109 vacation, right? Well be sceptical again. Behind these "free" vacations are tough, high pressure sales presentations for timeshare properties. The worst part about timeshares is they are virtually impossible to get rid of once you buy one and as a result.

5. One for the owners

Had a phone call this afternoon from a nice chap telling me that he was looking for a rental property in our area to add to his list of adverts for army and police personnel looking for holidays. I pointed out that I don't rent my property, I am a B&B, he said "never mind we take them as well" obviously had done his homework! My first question is of course how much will it cost, the answer £149 and bookings were guaranteed. I asked what was their guarantee which turns out that if you don't get an enquiry via them they will give you next years advert free. Personally I never commit on this sort of thing over the phone so I asked him to email me details (I am still waiting). I then go and do some research. Well strangely enough when you start typing their name in to google it tries to second guess what your looking for and gives you suggestions, top of the list was 'Force Travel Club Scam' which immediately sets the old alarm bells ringing. Further investigation reveals that the company behind this has set up several versions in the past all of which have gone bankrupt. I'm not going to bore you with all the stuff I found, you can see for yourselves by simply following this google link force travel club scam Needless to say its a scam of some sort so if you get a phone call from them I suggest you put the phone down and definitely don't part with any money. By the way they told me that they found my details through Visit France and sort of implied they were something to do with them. I phoned Visit France who categorically denied any link and were rather annoyed (putting it mildly) that they had used their website to contact people and in implying a link. Their website does indeed exist and does have properties on it but then it would do because they tell you the website name so you can go and have a look to see who else is advertised in your region and what the website and adverts look like. Keep safe this summer

Six of the best

Ceret Property is delighted to introduce 6 new properties that have arrived on our books this month.

L' Avenue, for this summer only


House on the outskirts of Ceret with garden, above ground swimming pool and jacuzzi.

Cellarmasters House, Available all year


Village house situated on the edge of Trouillas village with it's own garden and parking. Trouillas is a lively village with a fantastic bakery, chemist, village store, 2 doctors, pizzeria, cafe bar, small Tuesday morning market

La Petite Maison, looking for a winter let


Delightful 3 bedroom house, set within a large farmhouse with mature gardens and swimming pool

Boulevard Arago 1, Available all year


Completely renovated apartment in the historic town of Céret.

Boulevard Arago 2, Available all Year

Pretty 1 bedroom apartment in the centre of Ceret

Arles House, Here for the summer and a little of the winter 


Refurbished with Roof Terrace Set in the Medieval Quarter of Popular Village
Ideal for Mediterranean Beaches, Skiing, Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding
Sleeps 8 (4 Bedrooms)




















Ceret Property, more than just rentals

I say that's just not Cricket

Cricket and the English summer, Lords and the birth of this great game..........


Rubbish........I was somewhat nonplussed when I came across this poster.

I found this on Wikipedia.

Early years

One of the many theories about the origin of cricket is that France could be a possible birthplace of the game. A mention of a bat and ball game called "criquet" in a village of the Pas-de-Calais occurs in a French manuscript of 1478, and the word "criquet" is an old French word meaning "post" or "wicket"^[3]. However, it is equally possible that this could be an early variant of croquet. It must be remembered that most of France during the 14th and 15th centuries was under English occupation in the Hundred Years War and so any cricket references in France at this time are probably due to the game having been introduced to France by the English occupiers ^[4].

Horace Walpole, son of former British Prime Minister Robert Walpole mentioned seeing cricket in Paris in 1766.^[3]

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) were due to make the first ever international cricket tour of France, in 1789, however this was cancelled due to theFrench Revolution. This match was finally played in 1989, as part of the bicentennial celebrations of the revolution, with France beating the MCC by 7 wickets. ^[5]

The first documented match took place in the Bois de Boulogne between Paris Cricket Club and Warwickshire Knickerbockers in 1864. Paris Cricket Club published a book explaining the game the following year ^[3].

Read more.........

Promoting the Roussillon

Well not quite....You know how we at Ceret Property like to help promote things that are going on in the roussillon.
Well this time I am going to promote the sale of my car (cheeky)

For Sale – 1997 Land Rover Discovery 3.9 turbo

Left Hand Drive

Petrol

3.9 litre engine

210 000 km

European set up

7 Seats

Air Conditioning

UK Plates

UK registration 1997

Priced for quick sale €3950.00

Good condition throughout.

For further information, call 06 31 97 09 04 or email peter_woollard@yahoo.com 

She's a bit thirsty its true but you try to find a 4x4 for under €5000 in france