After the external structural work was begun (roof tiles rain down) and the rebuilding was finished (a phoenix arises from the rubble) – it was time to work inside the pig pen. The OH who is the Gov’nor when it comes to building, instructed me, the apprentice, to do the painting of the horrible black, [...]
The éco-prêt à taux zéro is an interest-free loan of up to €30,000 to improve the energy efficiency of your property. The French Government has pledged to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse emissions and the eco loan concept supports this. Eco loans are available from high street banks and are completely interest free to residents [...]
Having removed the roof from the old pig shed (and survived being knocked out by a roof tile dropped on my head) – we now had an empty three walled shell. It was time to move the hot tub in! Yep – the pig shed was earmarked for an Italian hot tub bargain that I had [...]
We (that is me and the Other Half) decided that we would get the structural work done on this old French house before we did any of the internal works and that included some of the out buildings. We started by renovating the barns which came with the house – one of which is in [...]
In France there are two property taxes to pay – Taxe d’Habitation and Taxe Foncière – both are forms of a council tax. The Taxe Foncière is payable by property owners – whether they live in the property or not. The Taxe d’Habitation is payable by the residents of the property – whether they own [...]
There are two property taxes to pay when you have a French property – the Taxe Foncière and the Taxe d’Habitation. The Taxe Foncière is the responsibility of the owners of a property. The Taxe d’Habitation is the responsibility of the occupiers of a property – whether they own or rent. Payment of the Taxe [...]
If you are buying a property in France with a view to renting it out or running gîtes or chambre d’hôtes (B&B) there are some key points to consider: The market Is there a market for a rental property where you live? Check with the local tourist office to see what is available in the [...]
It is hard to know exactly how many gîtes and chambre d’hôtes there are in France – certainly more than 50,000. That’s a lot of accommodation for people to choose from. The good news is that France is the world’s no. 1 tourist destination with almost 80 million visitors a year, so you should [...]
You have the gîte, the life in France you’ve yearned for and now it is time to make the dream a reality and start to earn some income. There are two undeniable truths about running a gîte in France: Hard work – you need to keep it clean, tidy and in tip top condition [...]
Property auctions in France are not as popular as in the UK or US – in fact a very small percentage of properties are bought and sold in this way. The majority of property deals are through estate agents (immobilliers) or Notaires – lawyers who are authorised to conduct conveyancing law in France. Auctions [...]
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The papers are currently full of news about proposals to mount wind turbines on the beaches of Normandy – including at least one of the D-Day landing beaches. Some newspapers are calling it an “invasion” – emotional words, and this is a very provocative subject. The proposal is to erect 75 of the huge [...]
The Good Life France talks to Roger St Pierre – an award-winning writer who has visited every one of France’s 94 metropolitan departments as a cyclist, journalist, author and Francophile… Roger, who The Good Life France is honoured to include amongst its very talented group of writers, tells me he taught himself French by [...]
Well, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that the sheep across the road has gone to the great pasture in the sky. When I bought my house nine years ago it came with a sheep! The lady who owned the house before me had let the man across the road [...]
The allure of the good life in France and the charms of the beautiful town of Beziers ensnared British expat Mark Binmore who runs the highly successful Maison de l’Orb, a beautiful B&B. Mark told us that he lived in London since the early 1990s, worked as a pub landlord for several breweries, is the [...]
Expats in France Donna and Dave Faulkner fell in love with Deux-Sevres in the Poitou-Charentes region when they visited friends who lived there. When Dave was unexpectedly offered a job – they said goodbye to Britain and jumped head first into life in France in their new home which needed a bit of renovation as [...]
British expat Sue Aitken lives in south west France and runs Blackhen Education – a business that she set up after planning to move to Spain to be a teacher. She and her partner travelled through France on their way to jobs and a life in Spain but they fell in love with [...]
How two Brits met and changed their lives with a move to France… Chris was a veteran of 30 years in the Metropolitan police, running his own outdoor activity business specializing in mountain biking, walking and climbing, father to three grown-up children and mentor to many more. Charlotte was a classic single “Social Butterfly”, [...]
I was recently asked to write about expats in France, people who leave their homes in all areas of the world to go to France to live. I thought back over the years about the many expats I’ve met, interviewed (I am a journalist not just a crazy person going round firing questions at [...]
