Finally some good news, the average mortgage rates have fallen to their lowest level in seven months, mainly due to lenders kicking off the New Year with interest rate cuts.

So is this a good time for you to contact our Mortgage and Financial Services Partner, if you are considering a mortgage to help fund a property purchase in France, you may wish to contact them to see if they can help and advise you, best of luck.

You can contact them direct here.

Could mortgage rates drop further in 2024?

A handful of mortgage lenders have announced further rate cuts, due to the predictions that the Bank of England base rate could start to fall in the first half of this year.

Some lenders have mortgage product rates below 4% for the first time since April 2023.

The lowest rate we have seen is now 3.89%.

Our Mortgage Partner is ideal for those of you who live in the UK and already own a property within the UK, dealing with the team at 'HERTS Financial Services' may be a much more attractive option than a French mortgage.

Kind regards,
Alex at Clé France.

If you have not done so already, check out our Property Guides here.

Change your subscription

Visas for second home owners one step closer.

Happy New Year and Happy New News...

So, it's the New Year and a bit of good news for second home owners in France, as the French parliament have approved the principle of an ‘automatic visa’ to enable more straightforward and longer stays.

But we aren’t there quite yet. The legislation, which is part of a broader bill on immigration, will now move on to the next stage, to be considered by the ‘Conseil Constitutionnel’. The Conseil has one month to deliberate, so a decision should be due around the 26th January.

Should the decision be favourable, the French Ministry of the Interior will then consult in order to iron out the practicalities of how the law might work.

In essence all UK citizens who own a second home in France would obtain a ‘long-stay visa’ right automatically and without having to make a long-stay visa application. The latter usually involves a long process online and in person, taking paperwork to an office, in order to obtain an official sticker in your passport.

So a small step forward, still some way to go, but perhaps there are now grounds to be a little more optimistic.

Watch this space...

Want to learn more about living in France Post-Brexit?

You can download our guide by clicking the button below.

Kind regards, 
Sharon Evans 
Co-Founder of Cle France.

Change your subscription

2024 Starts With A Breakout

Plenty of movement out of the blocks in 2024.

The Pound is looking good against the Euro having been stuck for the past 10 days. Looks positive going forward.

Against the Dollar, the opposite has happened.

The Pound has lost a bit of ground in the last few sessions, albeit the GBP/USD rate hit 5-month highs in the last week of 2023.

I would suggest it’s just a bit of profit taking.

In terms of 2024, we think interest rate cuts are coming.

With 2024 being an election year in the US there will be pressure to cut rates.

We expect the US to lead the way with cuts (late Q1 or early Q2) and as usual, the other central banks will follow the leader.

In general, the Pound has upward momentum heading into 2024.

That’s because a UK recession was priced in by many economists and traders, but consensus has changed.

So what next, what should you do?

Get ahead of the game and read our Guide to Foreign Currency Exchange.

Download the Guide Here - with no obligation of course.

I hope you had a great break over the festive period.

We’re back, rested and ready to go.

If you would like to speak to a member of our team, call us on 01872 487 500.

To find out the latest rates, click below.

Benefits of using Key Currency:

1. Great exchange rates
2. Quick and easy transfers
3. No transfer fees
4. Expert help and guidance
5. Authorised by the FCA

Current rates: 

Thursday 4th January 2024 at 11.00

£1.00 GBP = 1.1601 EURO

£1.00 GBP = 1.2705 USD

£1.00 GBP = 1.8863 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 2.0313 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6925 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 1.0805 CHF

• Want to Learn More?

• We have created a selection of Free PDF Guides for you to download covering many aspects of buying property abroad, visit our PDF Guides Page today or download our "Buying A Property in France" Guide PDF document.

• Want to Live in France Post-Brexit? download our "PDF Guide to Living in France Post-Brexit" document.

  

• Need to Send Money Abroad?

  • At Clé France / Key Currency, many of our customers have a need for currency exchange.
  • We are pleased to offer our customers favourable exchange rates on international currency transfers.
  • As a Clé France website visitor, you qualify for preferential exchange rates when you transact through Key Currency.

How to Save Money on your foreign currency transfers

• Key Currency can save you money by offering more competitive rates of exchange than your bank.
• Clients can typically save you 3-4% of the total transaction value, which can result in significant cost savings.
• All client funds are held in segregated accounts with top-tier banks keeping your money safe and secure.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Bonne Année à vous tous !

So what about some 'learning French' New Year's resolutions?

Une Bonne résolution de nouvel an...

Resolution 1: set learning French as a priority.

Fit it in between work, school, family, friends etc. we are all busy, all the time, these days and it can seem impossible to squeeze anything else in. But there are a number of easy ways to fit more French into your life so why not find someone else who wants to learn as well and start a conversation.

Resolution 2: Don't be shy.

Many French learners hesitate to use their French because it's not perfect, don't be one of them - keep practicing, mistakes and all and you will improve.

Resolution 3: Practice French every day.

The more time you spend practicing French, the more quickly you will learn and the better you will become, even if it's just by learning a word a day.

Resolution 4: Read in French.

Read the French news (online or off), read a magazine, a blog, a book, - try to read something in French at least once a week.

Resolution 5: Listen to French.

You don't have to go to France to listen to French - there are all kinds of opportunities on on the internet.

Resolution 6: Join a club or society.

Classes, meetings, internet learning, French movies & DVDs and other opportunities for more French practice are just around the corner, if you look.

Resolution 7: Watch French movies, TV & DVDs.

Make an effort to watch French TV once in a while, you can from the UK with SKY and other TV suppliers. French departments of local colleges sometimes put on plays, and independent cinemas are usually good for a French movie now and then. Join the local library who nearly always have a foreign film section.

Resolution 8: Get rid of mistakes.

If you're like me, there are some mistakes that you make over and over. Resolve to get rid of at least one a week, with regular practice and self-correction.

Resolution 9: Have fun.

French learning doesn't have to be boring - play French scrabble, read comics, listen to music.

Resolution 10: Plan a trip.

Why not put your French to the test? A visit to France on a viewing trip with us may be in order this year - Contact Cle France to set up your viewing trip.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

French Culture – New Year’s Traditions

On this deuxième jour de janvier (second day of January), I’d like to start off by wishing everyone une très bonne année! (a very Happy New Year!) New Year’s provides the French with not one, but two more chances to do what they do best . . . celebrate!

Like most festive French holidays, New Year’s (both le Réveillon et le jour de l’An / New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day) feature great food and, of course, Champagne!* Many French New Year’s feasts also feature a (or many!) big platter(s) of freshly shucked huîtres (oysters). Shipped fresh from the ports of la Bretagne (Brittany), les huîtres are a favourite of the French for the holidays

Les mois sans ‘r’

While oysters are now consumed year-round, historically eating oysters (and other seafood) in the warmer months could be dangerous for those living far from the shore (no refrigeration meant that delicate seafood could easily spoil in transport). Oysters also reproduce when the water around them gets warm (generally in mid-spring and summer months of mai, juin, juillet, et août / May, June, July, and August) and some find that oysters are not as good at this this time. These two facts resulted in a common French tradition of avoiding oysters in les mois sans ‘r’/months without an ‘r’!

Le saviez-vous? / Did you know?

Le jour de l’An (New Years Day) was not always January 1st. For centuries, the start of the year varied from country to country and even sometimes by region. In parts of France the new year once started on April 1 (and some say that the tradition of le poisson d’avril dates from this period). It wasn’t until the late 16th century, when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar we know today, that January 1 was officially established as the start of the new year (at least throughout the Christian world).

* While most wine-producing countries have some form of vin mousseux/sparkling wine (Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain; even France has vin mousseux produced in regions outside Champagne ), Champagne is only Champagne if it is produced in the French region of the same name.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.