October 2026
“MIDNIGHT AT THE LOST AND FOUND”
Hey Ricky, now mine is empty
How about one for you
We could sell it out together
Seems tomorrow’s overdue
Captain video, done went home
One pilot laid to rest
And dragon ladies talk that talk
About who loves who, who loves best
Silver bullets in the jukebox
Spin another round
Everybody at the back of the line
It’s midnight at the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Lost souls in the hunting ground
A remedy for all your ills
At the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Midnight
Have a double, it’s gettin’ late
You’ll get home, just rely on fate
Place just finally came aliv
Good old boys just arrived
Stools keep changin’ faces
And the night just slips away
And like a long distance love affair
Soon you’ve got to pay
Silver bullets in the jukebox
Spin another round
Everybody at the back of the line
It’s midnight at the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Lost souls in the hunting ground
A remedy for all your ills
At the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Midnight
Hangin’ on barely, hitch a ride away
Belly up and bury, boy, all the hurt you feel today
Hangin’ on barely, hitch a ride away
Belly up and bury, boy, all the hurt you feel today
Silver bullets in the jukebox
Spin another round
Everybody get back in line
Last call for the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Lost souls in the hunting ground
A remedy for all your ills
At the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Lost souls in the hunting ground
A remedy for all your ills
At the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Lost souls in the hunting ground
A remedy for all your ills
At the lost and found
Midnight at the lost and found
Lost souls in the hunting ground
A remedy for all your ills
At the lost and found
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
Midnight (at the lost and found)
I was fortunate to see Meat Loaf on stage in Paris. I believe I own all of his records. His 1980s albums sold poorly and received unfavorable reviews. He was always a storyteller who used exaggeration, passion, and sometimes even mythical references. Midnight at the Lost and Found was his third studio album, released in April 1983.
The vast majority of American people appear to be feeling lost as they witness what is happening to their country and nervously anticipate what might happen next. One could even use an allegorical image of the country ending up in the lost and found, waiting for someone to pick it up and restore it to functional condition.
Like most Meat Loaf songs, this one deals with teens’ anguish, lifestyle, arcade games, and fear of what their parents will do if they come home too late. I read those lyrics while transposing them to what is happening today in the USA. When I try to go deeper than the frenetic polls everybody has been commenting on, I sense that Americans feel they are losing the country they cherish, and I see this on both sides of the aisle. It is about much more than winning or losing the November midterm elections. From what I see, since living conditions can change literally overnight, making and implementing plans and looking to the future have become terribly difficult. The image I have is of needing to go to the lost and found office to find the predictability that used to exist but has been lost.
Of course, the midterms offer a radical choice. What happens during the next two years will differ a lot depending on which side has the majority in Congress. The Democrats propose radical policies and changes that they think are needed. That alone, even if it improves the situation, means there will be big changes that perpetuate the uncertainty and make it difficult to look forward.
As far back as I can remember, as I was growing up in the 1960s, the USA embodied the future. With each new invention, each new literary trend, each breakthrough, etc., we Europeans looked to the USA to see the appliances we would have in our homes, the movies we would see (often many months later), the next literary style, and much more. But in the last decade or so, the USA has lost this leadership, which is rarely talked about, probably because it was most visible to those of us living in Europe.
Standing at midnight at the lost and found, we desperately need light.
EXPLAINING FRANCE TO FOREIGNERS
There are thousands of topics that need to be explained to foreigners in an attempt to facilitate their integration into France. The current technology-driven society makes it more difficult to see and therefore experience, but the legal obligation of the French administration is real. The administration serves and protects the people. That is what is written in the lawbooks, though personal experience can be vastly different. This is radically opposed to the American view of government, especially the federal government and its agencies. I have seen countless situations at the prefecture and other places where a civil servant’s cold and distant reaction creates fear and distrust in foreigners, and this aggravates the problem.
The opposing approaches in the USA and France stem from the genesis of the two countries. The United States of America achieved its existence through a war against an absolute authority that curtailed the freedoms of the people living there. Even today, the assumption is that government actions, by definition, limit the population’s freedom and liberty.
France became a modern society during Napoleon’s reign. French people had their freedom secured and protected by the codes passed and implemented at that time. Their rights were codified and judicially protected. When France was a kingdom, the population had few rights, as the king and aristocracy made the rules, and the claims of aristocrats in a court of law always prevailed. From the 19th century onwards, France has lived with the certainty that the written rule of law blocked those same aristocrats and the previous rulers from infringing on people’s rights.
One place where this is clearly visible is the tax office. A French tax inspector is a tax adviser to the public. Tax offices are open to the public in the morning, and there are waiting rooms for people who come seeking help. It is common that taking tax officials’ advice results in people paying less in taxes, learning what claims exist, and even having their previous declarations revised in their favor. Tax inspectors are civil servants; they serve the public by applying the law regardless of the outcome. A similar situation, albeit less obviously, exists with URSSAF, CAF, CPAM, and CNAV – in short, all the divisions of the French administration that allow the public to come to their offices to meet with the civil servants.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR ALL FRENCH RESIDENTS
The French logic regarding unemployment payments for people who lose their job is often seen as idiotic at best by foreigners, especially Americans. For example, it is safer to renew an employee carte de séjour while unemployed than to change employers. The French administration considers that changing employers implies a higher level of risk than keeping the new job. The administration has the right to disqualify the new position because it does not comply with the requirements linked to the person’s carte de séjour.
Being unemployed – which, in the French administration’s view, means being the victim of dismissal – and receiving the related subsidies is a legitimate status, and since there is no new employee contract to review, renewal is automatic. But note that the card is for one year, and the following renewal must involve an employee contract, even if the applicant still has the right to receive unemployment.
Imagine the disbelief of a fired American being told that receiving unemployment benefits, not finding a new job, improves the chances of keeping their immigration status, and so they must register with France Travail as soon as possible. President Macron, throughout his two terms, has pushed to unify the French administration as it relates to work. This is quite visible, as there is now an integrated public health care program. All the different health care regimes linked to specific types of work have been merged into CPAM. All social charges owed by independents are paid to a single organization, URSSAF. Those are just a couple of examples.
In light of all this, and specifically the goal of unifying various procedures and centralizing services to one provider, I would like to explain unemployment benefits for self-employed people. At first, this may seem a total contradiction in terms. But just think: someone closing their business also loses their source of professional income, leading to significant hardship that can be alleviated.
The terms and conditions for a self-employed person to obtain the right to unemployment benefits may sound like nonsense. For instance, you might think that someone who manages their business well and closes it with no outstanding debt – i.e., a good steward of the business finances – would be rewarded. Not at all; that person is excluded from benefits, while someone who is declared bankrupt or has become insolvent is entitled to benefits, provided they comply with other requirements.
In short, the procedure is like the one for employees. Employees who quit their job are not entitled to the unemployment benefits delivered by France Travail, but those fired for incompetence, gross negligence, or worse are just as entitled to unemployment benefits as those laid off for economic reasons. Similarly, in the self-employment procedure, someone who closes their business clear of debts is seen as triggering the closure, which the administration considers to be like quitting the job. But someone who is forced to close their business is seen as analogous to an employee who is dismissed and thus should be assisted.
I can see some logic in employees being assisted by France Travail when they are dismissed. But from a business point of view, the procedure regarding the self-employed is insane. After having been in business for almost 30 years, I do not know anyone who has benefited in that way, and not just because hardly anyone knows about it. This is fascinating to me, because I saw it mentioned in a recent email message from URSSAF. Here is what the message said:
Votre couverture en cas de cessation d’activité involontaire
En cas de cessation d’activité involontaire et définitive, vous pouvez bénéficier, sous certaines conditions, de l’allocation de travailleurs indépendants (ATI) (liquidation judiciaire, cessation en cas de non-viabilité économique…). Cette allocation est versée par France travail.
Translation:
Your Coverage in the Event of Involuntary Cessation of Business
In the event of involuntary and permanent cessation of business, you may be eligible, under certain conditions, for the self-employed workers’ allowance (ATI) (e.g. court-ordered liquidation, cessation due to economic unviability, etc.). This allowance is paid by France Travail.
CAISSE D’ALLOCATION FAMILIALE
AND ALLOCATION PERSONNALISÉE AU LOGEMENT
The caisse d’allocation familiale (CAF) issues almost all personal and family subsidies. One such payment, the allocation personnalisée au logement (APL), is among the best known, as it affects a large number of people. Your taxable income and the amount of your rent determine whether you are entitled to a subsidy. And remember, the number of children in a household has a significant impact on the amount of taxable income.
Over the years, the CAF has strengthened its control over tenants’ situations, helping to avoid scams. This has had an unexpected consequence: the CAF is in direct contact with landlords to make sure the rent is being paid and also to review several aspects of the obligations of the owners, such as declaring rental income and complying with rent control legislation, even though the CAF has an official relationship only with tenants.
One of the many messages I’ve received from the CAF illustrates this supervision:
Demandez à votre bailleur de déclarer le montant de votre loyer du mois de juillet 2026
Votre bailleur n’a pas déclaré le montant de votre loyer du mois de JUILLET 2026. Cette information est indispensable pour nous permettre de calculer le montant de votre aide au logement pour l’année 2027. Sans cette déclaration, votre aide au logement sera interrompue.
Translation:
Ask your landlord to report the amount of your rent for July 2026. Your landlord has not reported the amount of your rent for JULY 2026. This information is essential for us to calculate the amount of your housing assistance for 2027. Without this report, your housing assistance will be suspended.
THE SHIP STUDIO IS AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL IN NOVEMBER 2026
The SHIP studio is available as of November 1, assuming the current tenant does not extend the lease. When people contact me about renting it, I send them to the website. I hope it shows how cozy the accommodations are. The monthly rent of 1,400 euros is all-inclusive. While I continue to favor rentals lasting between two and six months, under certain conditions I have accepted one-month rentals.
https://www.jeantaquet.com/home-in-paris
Best regards,
QUESTION
WHEN THE ANEF WEBSITE IS NOT WORKING
Last year, I had no problem with the ANEF website and got the carte de séjour a couple of months later. This year I have been dealing with this website for months, and I cannot get in: it asks me to change my password because the current one is incorrect. So I do, and the site does not recognize the new one. It does not matter how many times I have tried. I called their phone number, and I was told just to change the password since the procedure is safe. Clearly, it is not, and they do not believe me. When I go on their dialogue page, I explain, and their answer is to explain to me how to change the password. No one is paying attention to my problem. How do I contact someone, a human being, who actually reads my message and is willing to help? Is there anyone?
ANSWER
The first thing to learn in France is that a French person’s first reflex is not to believe you at first. You have to convince them that the situation is real. This reaches particular heights within the French administration, especially the prefectures and offices working with them. Right now, you are telling them to fix their problem, and they answer that there is no problem because you have not shown that it exists.
So their answer means something significantly different from what you understood. They are basically asking for screenshots of what you are experiencing. Start with the first step: enter your French foreign ID number, which is at the bottom of your carte de séjour, then screenshot the invalid information screen, then the request to change your password, then your screen showing the email allowing the change, then the screen with the two slots filled in, then back to the beginning, entering your French foreign ID to get in, then the invalid message. The critical piece of information is the date and time on each screenshot. This way, the chronology of the screenshots is obvious and proves there is a problem.
That communication will be reviewed, although I do not know when, nor can I assure you that their initial answer will be satisfactory, especially if it is an AI answer. But eventually, a real person will look into it.
It is important to give them all the information they need. Otherwise, they will ask you to send more, which means sending everything you sent the first time, plus everything they are now asking you to send. If you just send the additional information they ask for, their answer will be that your file is incomplete. You need to think like they do to figure out what they need to fix your problem. This has always been a major problem with the prefecture. They expect us to be mind readers while working on the lists, as well as in the instructions they give to the public.
QUESTION
RENT CONTROL IN PARIS
I moved in August 2024 and endured poor living conditions. It is a top-floor Paris apartment under a zinc roof. The skylights were very old, and one was leaking rain. It was extremely costly as a result until November 2025, when it was changed. This summer I had temperatures exceeding 40°C, suffering sleep deprivation, headaches, and other health effects because of inadequate roof insulation.
The landlord has offered me 630 euros in compensation for over a year’s worth of constant issues, and a window is still to be fixed, but they keep moving the appointment. They refuse to have another energy rating assessment as requested by the housing authority (ADIL).
My goal is to receive fair compensation.
French landlords must provide a logement décent (decent housing). This includes:
protection from weather,
adequate ventilation,
proper thermal performance,
housing that does not present a risk to health or safety. (Service Public)
If the apartment is poorly insulated and becomes dangerously hot every summer, particularly during increasingly frequent heatwaves, you could argue that it no longer meets the standard of decent housing. This argument is becoming stronger as climate adaptation becomes a recognized issue, although there is not yet a clear legal rule setting a maximum indoor temperature. (Le Monde)
If they refuse and the conditions are severe, you can:
send a formal written request,
contact the local Commission Départementale de Conciliation,
ultimately, ask a court to determine whether the dwelling remains decent under French housing law.
I am paying more than the rent control maximum because the apartment had supposedly been fully renovated and in better condition than the average. Considering its condition, this is not true. It is a furnished rental, and they claim that it is prime-quality furniture; this is not true because I saw it in the IKEA catalog. They claim that there is 20m2 that were not measured in the surveyor’s report. The ceiling in that space is too low and should not really count in the calculation of the rent.The landlord and the agency are crooks. Can you help?
ANSWER
This is a typical case where the saying “Pick your fight” applies. In some situations, there are so many wrongs that you must prioritize to get anything done. You must also be clear about your goals and stick to them for the entire process.
You have two claims:
1 – The leaking skylight, the poor condition of the others, the excessive cold in the winter and heat in the summer made living there atrocious until they repaired the windows, and still awful because you are just under a zinc roof.
2 – You can prove with objective and measurable observations that your rent is significantly above the Parisian rent-controlled amount.
The latter claim is by far the easier legal fight, including taking it to court if needed. The Paris Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) has an office dedicated to fighting these abuses. You do not need a lawyer to file with them. So you should organize your fight with two levels of complaints:
The main one is about the rent, and you must prepare the best documentation possible showing the flagrant abuse. This should be easy.
You also document the poor condition of the apartment that existed for over a year, violating your right to live peacefully and comfortably in the apartment.
Let’s be clear: if you choose the latter route, you are in for a fight lasting months or even years, albeit with an excellent chance of winning. On the other hand, collecting damages from the landlord and agency can be quite difficult and will add to the duration of the procedure.
This is why most Parisian tenants stay away from this type of rental; if they find out later about the problems, they move as fast as possible. In most cases, fighting in court takes so much time that they consider it not worth it.
That said, if you move out, do it the right way, protecting your rights. The immediate consequence is to document absolutely everything and be extra careful during the various steps of the moving-out procedure; this means what happens before and after giving back the keys to the apartment. The reality is that moving out will weaken your position most of the time because you will not have the energy and the tenacity to carry the court fight out.
Your immediate focus should be on lowering the rent ASAP. If you obtain a significantly lower rent quickly, it means the opposing party accepts defeat, and you can hope for some compensation for the poor condition of the apartment. The other outcome is that you hit a wall and will be fighting hard and for a long time. Then you could decide whether to move or not.
A side comment: I advise you to stay away from the Commission Départementale de Conciliation, as it is de facto the starting point of a court procedure. Only go there when you are ready for a fight in court. Do not be fooled by the word “Conciliation.” If the other party disregards decisions issued by City Hall, there is no chance that you will reach an amicable negotiated agreement with them.
DISCLAIMER
Please forward this message to all those who would be interested in its contents. The information contained in this newsletter is intended only as general information. I strongly urge readers to seek professional guidance concerning the legal and tax matters mentioned. This newsletter is intended as a general guide and is not to be taken as professional advice.