PeterOR

My OH & I are currently in Brittany, and plan to visit various parts of the country in our caravan in order to get a "feel" for places where we might like to settle. Once we find an area we like, we plan to rent a house for several months in order to experience living there, before committing to buying a property. However, we have heard several warnings about the difficulties of renting in France, and wonder if anyone could advise on the best way of finding a rental property without getting totally tangled up in paperwork! We are both retired and receiving UK pensions.
Any advice gratefully received.
Peter

EuroTrash

Obviously it will depend a lot on the location you choose and the time of year, which are both unknowns at the moment.
However there are several threads on this, I think it was discussed quite recently, and no magic formula has been discovered since then that I know of. If it's out of season in a touristy area you might be able to do a deal on a gite that has no other bookings. If it's near a big town, try Airbnb. Failing that, ask the locals - estate agent, mayor, man in the bar, lady in the boulangerie, anyone you happen to get chatting to or can find an excuse to approach; if you explain your situation they might be able to help a future neighbour. Put an advert in a shop window, you never know. Going through agencies and professional landlords would almost certainly hit a brick wall. You could look for non pro rental adverts in the usual places, leboncoin/seloger etc, but local knowledge would probably be 100 times more effective since you'll be there on the spot.

Enjoy Brittany. 12 years ago I was there doing exactly what you are doing now. Whereabouts in Brittany are you at the moment?

scrubbedexpat056

Hi,
I mentioned my renting experience in Port St Louis in another thread and can confirm what EuroTrash says. No letting agent would look at us, but a local barman told us of someone trying to rent out a studio. We spoke to them and they went to their agent to see if he would do it officially. He declined so they rented to us privately. As to the barman, I have noticed bars around France offering rooms to workers. You wouldn't want to stay in one of them as our barman pointed out about his own accommodation, but they probably know of other rentals in the area.

dmu

Hi, do you mean furnished? "Normal" rentals are unfurnished, but, as said, you may find a furnished gîte or BnB in one spot for a number of months (duration of lease to be discussed with the landlord). Don't exclude an appartment in your search, it would only be temporary, you'd have more to choose from, and you'd experience life in the area as well as in a house! Good luck in your search!

south_bound

I would back up the replies above. I have occasionally helped out with finding accommodation for people who do not have the right documentation to prove income, even extending to those who pick up temporary fixed term CDD type contracts and only want the accommodation to last that long - mainstream agents and landlords are afraid that they won't get them out when their contract ends and they can't continue paying the rent. There are plenty of places that do short term furnished rentals for migrant workers or as mentioned above,tourist rooms and gites that are willing to negotiate long term rates for a few weeks or months. I work in construction and our sub-contractors move teams around the country all the time, including non-French workforce and the first thing they do is go to the local bar, not for a drink but to ask about somewhere to live (of course they buy themselves a drink to help grease the wheels). They invariably find what they need even in the smallest of villages, whether it be 6 to a room for the basic migrant workers or a nice studio flat for the supervisors and engineers (all depends on their budget). How much of this is declared to the authorities is anyone's guess.

PeterOR

Many thanks for your reply, EuroTrash. We are in Cotes d'Armor at the moment, near Frehel, planning to move down to Morbihan next week.
Peter

PeterOR

Thanks to all for the advice. One thing I forgot to mention in my original post - we have our dog with us, so I guess that will make things more difficult

EuroTrash

I don't think it will be an issue as long as it doesn't try to bite your potential landlord. Find a French couple without a dog. All my neighbours have them.
I saw an amazing sight on a motorhome aire once - French van arrived, chap got out and installed a little set of steps by the door, and tiny dogs started emerging and trotting down the steps, 1-2-3-4-5 of them. They scampered around and yapped for a while, and presumably did their business, then he called them and back up the steps they trotted, 1-2-3-4-5. He removed the steps and off he went. All seemed a bit surreal.
I'm not a doggie person but even if I was, I think sharing a motorhome with 5 of them would be overdoing it a bit.

dmu

It depends, really, whether it risks dirtying upholstery and bedcovers. Our late dog always sat on a mat on the floor or on his bed, and I, in fact, still draw the line at our family's dogs climbing on sofas and beds without a dust sheet when they visit! You should always mention your pet when contacting prospective landlords and, as ET says, most rural folk have a dog anyway and shouldn't mind the extra laundry involved!