From Reporter Issue 102

A reader asks:
We have moved here from the U.K. where we had problems with "cowboy builders". We're worried about the same thing here. How can we avoid this?

Our response:

Make sure that your builder is legally set-up in France. If he's a company (EURL, SARL, SA) he'll have RCS and Siret numbers. Ask for these and check on www.societes.com that they are indeed his numbers. An artisan (not a company) will have a "carte professionelle". Ask for a photocopy. Registered builders will have obligatory insurance ("assurance decennale") to cover against defects and shoddy workmanship. Avoid using anyone who will not give you a land phone number. Do not employ a builder (or gardener, or plumber, or electrician, etc) not legally set up in France — if there's a problem, you'll have no end of trouble getting things put right.

Get a signed written estimate ("devis") before any work. Don't assume that the lowest estimate is automatically the best value. A good builder will often write in a contigency percentage for unforseens.

Ask for references and, when possible verify them. It's a good idea to seek out recommendations from other homeowners. (You can try our on-line forum for this). Be wary of any builder who asks for a lot of cash up front. Some advance payment is normal but make deposits in stages as the work progresses. 

© Mike Meade 

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