palio_pat

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and no doubt i will be asking questions that have been asked time and time again so please bare with me. My partner and I are looking to sell up over here in the UK, ditch the reasonably paid (but tediously boring) jobs and relocate to the SW of France with a view to rent out a gite in France and hopefully rent an apartment back in London. The move is spurred more by the climate and quality of life more than anything. I'm early 40's and my partner is late 30's. I have been researching online a lot about the ups and downs of the idea and hearing much doom and gloom about the gite business. Just wanted to tap into your experiences as many articles that i have read seem to be a few years out of date. Dont get me wrong I know that this isnt going to be easy and ive been going out of my way to find out as much negative stuff as possible to try and keep my heart in check.

I look forward to your replies.

EuroTrash

Hi there.
The relative success of gites depends a lot on location and how good you are at marketing, which are two unknown factors at the moment. Some places have much longer seasons than others. Do you know the area well enough to make an informed choice? Have you worked in hospitality before?
It also depends on the economic climate and how much tourists are spending, which is a factor you have no control over.
You say 'a gite' and it is unlikely that the rental income from just one gite during the summer months, less social security cotisations and taxes and overheads, will keep 2 people all year round. Several gites would give you a better chance but even then.
If you're feeling lucky then by all means save up and give it a go, your lives will be enriched by living the dream even if your bank account isn't, but don't burn all your bridges in case you end up desperate for the security of reasonably paid if boring jobs and the relief of not having to worry over every bill that comes through the door.
If you are going to be buying property together it would be wise to make your relationship official, and you also need to consider inheritance issues if either of you has children that don't belong to both of you.
I couldn't work out what you mean about the apartment in London, have you got one and you intend to rent it out, or do you want to rent one?

dmu

+1
I'll add that you could consider a town with a spa open all year round which is more likely to ensure a regular income, but even so, for two people to live on?.... The clientèle in that case would mainly be French "curistes", so you must speak adequate French to deal with them and all the red-tape involved. Google "réglementation gîtes" for example to have an idea of the regulations for running a gîte in France. Bureaucracy reigns....

palio_pat

Hi Eurotrash, thank you for your prompt reply. The apartment would be purchased off of the sale of the house we currently reside in. We are fortunate enough to have a fair amount of equity to be able to purchase a small flat here in London, therefore not burning all our bridges. The remainder would be used to purchase in France (albeit on a tighter budget)
We are not overly familiar with the region and its a plan for the future (say 5 years time). But i want to use this time to discover the Langeudoc and Rossilion more and to study market trends, property trends and so on. My better half says its all a bit belt and braces but that's just me.
We've both had some experience in the past in hospitality in one role or another in the past and my job certainly sees me dealing with different clients on a regular basis. Marketing wise its not something either of us have been immersed in but we are grafters and quick learners.
I was aware that at least 3 gites would be breadline living but the London flat we were hoping would help cover some of the money front whilst we dipped our toe in so to speak with the gite rental. Its a lot of maths and calculations at the moment, as well as keeping up with Monsieur Hollandes policy changes towards expats.
Reading other peoples experiences and opinions is always good for me to hear.
Kindest regards

dmu

http://www.gites-de-france.com/obtenir-le-label.html
is the official site which gives info as to how to be affiliated to the organisation. I haven't downloaded the pertinent documents and FAQs, but they should give you food for thought!
Legitimate hotels are complaining about low standards of illegal gîtes (= unfair competition) and regulations are becoming stricter...

EuroTrash

You've clearly given this some thought.
I have a very soft spot for Languedoc-Roussillon myself so spending time discovering the area can only be good but do spend time there in winter as well, and imagine yourselves living here out of season when the weather ain't great and there are no clients in your gites and it's all a bit dormant.
Also, if you think it's going to be a bit breadline, make sure you do the tax calculations very carefully and leave yourself a margin for new taxes and increases. Don't forget that when you live in France you declare your worldwide income to the fisc, and although your rental income from the London flat will have been taxed in the UK you will probably still be liable for CSG in France on that and any other earned/unearned income from the UK, which I believe at the moment is 15 per cent starting from the first €. It's bills like this that can make the difference between having enough bread to live on, and not.
Your flat in London plan should be a good safety net just as long as nothing bursts the bubble in the UK property market; you're on the spot so you're better placed to judge, but from what we over here read in the papers, it sound horribly as if the boom-and-bust cycle has been set in motion again.
So one way and another, the economic landscape in both countries can change a lot in 5 years.

mikelincs

I just hope you aren't hoping to get UK TV when you mpove, well not the BBC at least, as there are threads all over BE from Med countries bemoaning the loss of the signal.

bigglesworth

I am not sure that the ability or not to see endless talent shows, property porn, garden makeovers and repeats of Dads Army would be a sound reason underpinning a move abroad.

dmu

.... the climate shouldn't be a factor, either. The flooding along the Atlantic Coast and PACA is just as bad as that in the UK, although the Languedoc-Roussillon hasn't suffered in that respect. We've simply had continuous rain since the perishing cold spell in November. Rather like last winter but less cold on average.... Just miserable....
Better weather in the south of France is a myth!

Chatter Static

This isn't the Spanish section

Blackladder

Whenever I see questions like:
where can I find an English speaking doctor, where can I find an English piece of beef, where can I buy English spare parts for my Aston, the answer is: England.

Chatter Static

What about le Crème anglaise?

bigglesworth

French Toast?

Chatter Static

Funny enough thats todays breakfast

bigglesworth