News Digest: Storm Ciaran Aftermath, Second-Home Tax Bills Sent Out & Armistice Day in France

Storm Ciaran and Storm Domingo swept the west coast over the weekend, causing damages and disruptions throughout western France. The Normandy, Brittany, and Hauts de France regions were among the worst hit, with record-breaking winds of 193 km/h recorded in Brittany, but almost all of the west coast was affected. Power outages affected some 1.3 million properties across the country, and around 126,000 homes were still without power yesterday morning (Monday). Many schools in Brittany also remained closed yesterday due to damages.

The storm’s devastating effects also sadly claimed three lives, including an Enedis engineer in Brittany, a truck driver in Aisne, and a 70-year-old man in Le Havre. Homes were also evacuated in Brest when a nearby crane was broken in two during the storm, and there remain many incidents of damaged buildings, uprooted trees, and train cancellations due to debris on the tracks.

Thankfully, the worst of the weather looks to be behind us, but eight departments (Pas-de-Calais, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Corrèze, and Gironde) remain on high alert for flooding.

If you’re a second-home owner in France, then you should receive your annual Taxe d’habitation bill today. The tax bills will be available online from Tuesday, November 7^th for those who pay annually or November 20^th for those who pay monthly, while postal bills will be sent out tomorrow (November 8^th) for those who pay annually or from November 20^thfor those who pay monthly. The deadline for payment is December 15^th.

From this year, the Taxe habitation is no longer payable on any properties serving as a primary residence. Homeowners were asked to submit a mandatory Declaration d’Occupation earlier this year stating whether their properties were being used as a primary residence or as a second home.

As the Toussaint holidays come to a close (schools reopened across the country yesterday, November 6^th), it’s time for the penultimate jour férié of the year. Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day or Veterans Day in anglophone countries, marks the end of World War I and is commemorated on November 11^th. Unfortunately for French residents, it falls on a Saturday this year, so there’s no day off work, but the event will be marked by wreath-laying ceremonies, most notably the grand ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris.

Read more about Armistice Day in France.

Don’t forget to send in your questions in advance for next week’s visas and residency webinar! I’ll be joined by Richard Hammond, founder of French Connections HCB, and Fabien Pelissier, founder of Fab French Insurance, on Thursday 16^th November, at 2pm (London time) or 3pm (French time), and we’ll be devoting as much time as possible to answering your questions, so now’s your chance!

You can send your questions directly to me at [email protected], and don’t forget to register for the free webinar, too – you can do that here or click the button below.