Royal Mail points to France

IF the Royal Mail’s postal redirection service is anything to go by then France is the most popular place for people to head to when buying a home abroad.

The postal service claims more than 13,000 people asked for their post to be redirected to a French address last year.

Just under 10,000 people used the service for addresses in the US, with Spain the third most popular destination with 8,400 requests.

Fraser Chisholm, of the Royal Mail, said: "Because it is based on redirection data, the index gives a strong signal on whether property is being purchased to live in, rather than purely for investment purposes.

"As such, it provides a real insight into the countries that Britons want to call home."

None of the supposed hot spots for property purchases such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia or the United Arab Emirates registered more than 1,000 redirection requests.

"The British are making clear distinctions between good investments and where they call home and recognising that the two are not always the same," Fraser Chisholm said.

The relocation index is based on the Royal Mail's redirection service for UK home movers and covers the period between February 2005 and January 2006.

In that time, over 70,000 households requested international mail redirection. August to October proved the most popular time for redirections, accounting for nearly a third of the 2005 - 06 total.

Comments

[Mrs. Helen Eatwell]

Is there anyone living in or near Cognac who is proficient in French who could help me to improve my spoken language? Thanks.

[Jocelyne (2 Coquelicots French course)]

Hi Helen,
just in case it could help you, we are based in South Brittany and the Mediterranean coast, consult our website www.2coquelicots.com ! Near Cognac, I can not help you I am afraid.
Cheers
jocelyne