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Your French Holiday Home Garden . . . or is it the beast?

‘Congratulations!’  

So, you have now acquired your French holiday home let in La Charente.  But, it requires a list of internal and external building works as well as modernisation and painting and decorating before you can bring your property to the French holiday let market.  So, what to do first?  What is the main priority in your lengthy ‘To Do’ list of work?  The ‘Garden.  

The garden is an important marketing feature, especially for guests looking to eat ‘Al Fresco’ in a well-maintained garden whilst drinking fine French wine beside a crystal-clear water swimming pool. But, unlike building works and painting and decorating, which can be rapid to carry out and complete, a garden takes time to plant, mature and to establish in order to portray that homely welcoming quality to appeal to guests. Indeed, some old English and heavily scented Damask roses – a favourite amongst English holiday guests – may take two years to flower, if bought cost-effectively as bare root in Autumn. Trees and shrubs also may take two to three years before making an impact on the landscape so as to reveal their true colours and glory.  Nature may be a difficult business partner to rush in your buy-to-let investment.

You may take the approach to ‘buy-in’ mature plants and trees to speed up the process in bringing your gîte to the holiday let market.  Although this may appear to be advantageous, there are several disadvantages.  The main disadvantage is the effect the approach will have on your property’s yield and your return on investment.  Paying more for less may reduce your holiday let yield.  Although an attractive garden is an important feature in enticing prospective guests, it may not substantially increase the property’s return or capital gain.  Further, there is the consideration of loss and waste.   Buying young plants or bare root roses may minimalise loss as the plants will become accustomed to their new environment.  In turn, waste is avoided and the likelihood of reaching a mature garden cost-effectively is increased.  The financial loss of garden plants can be considerable if careful planning and preparation is not carried out.  Moreover, it may be a hidden loss as the gradual disappearance of plants may be unnoticeable.  The replacement of plants will reduce your return and property yield.  Therefore, factor in the replacement of plants in your property maintenance services to help assess an accurate return on your holiday let investment.

Remember . . .

Stay on top of the garden, particularly during the growing months.  Nature is always waiting to reclaim her space!


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Charente Holiday Home Purchase or French Summer Holiday Time?

Holiday home rental return and property management cannot happen until you have acquired your Charente holiday let.  So, is summer time the right time to French property hunt?

The French holiday let or La Charente second home purchase sector experiences a wealth of people during the summer season.  From buy-to-let investors looking for a low purchase high yielding gîte during the mid and high seasons to second home purchasers wishing to develop an old French property as a long-term personal investment, the French property sector becomes a competitive marketplace.  

French Property – Market Competition

Naturally, competition for French buy-to-let property does not only come from the UK holiday property hunters, but also from French city dwellers and other European countries which border onto France together with non-European countries.  Strong demand in desirable locations may push prices higher during the summer period as property agents and private sellers seek to secure the best price possible for their sale.

If you are considering a French property purchase during the summer holidays, then try to carry out some initial French property research prior to the high summer season.  It may be advantages to go direct to a seller than through an estate agent in order to negotiate a favourable purchase price.  Search on the Internet for ‘biens a vendre’ in your desired French location which will reveal many properties of which you may not be aware.  Whilst property hunting in France, look for the traditional private seller sign – a capital ‘A’ joined to the side of a capital ‘V’ meaning ‘A Vendre’ – For Sale – and showing a telephone number.  If you are in our service area and you do not feel that your French is good enough to speak to your prospective seller, then contact us.  

If you decide to use a French immobilier – an estate agent – through whom you find your ‘Coup de Coeur’ buy-to-let gîte, then try to re-negotiate the agent’s commission or suggest that the commission is shared with your seller.  It has not been uncommon to find sellers paying agents’ commission instead of the purchaser.

Undertaking a property survey and appointing a surveyor may appear unusual in France.  However, it is prudent to appoint a surveyor to ensure that your property purchase is free from costly defects which may transpire into a loss on your property investment.  As most surveyors would agree, the best time to view a property is in the cold wet rainy weather when the extent of a property’s problems may become apparent.

Discovering old French properties for sale and being struck with ‘Coup de Coeur’ whilst on holiday against the background of fine French wine, a never-ending selection of French cheese and a sense of ‘La Vie en Rose’ may quickly turn to a French property nightmare.  Therefore, be prepared to reject a property if it is economically beyond budget or requires costly repairs or maintenance – another French gîte purchase awaits.

Happy French property hunting!

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French Property Holiday Home but non-Resident Charente Gîte Owner?

Being a non-Resident French holiday home and gîte owner in the Charente may be profitable not only in high season, but throughout the year.  However, to yield the rentable income from your French holiday home, it is necessary to exercise regular property maintenance and to carry out repairs. Naturally, undertaking property maintenance and repair to your French home holiday may become challenging if you are non-Resident in France.  Moreover, in recent years, due to the changing climate, the Charente region has experienced strong winds and regular storms during the winter months which require regular property checks to ensure that property damage has not occurred which may be detrimental to your gîte rental income.  If you have a property manager, then it would be prudent to request weekly property check visits with video footage and a property check report sent to you for peace of mind.  In addition, winter wet weather tends to create a smell of dampness, if holiday home properties have been sealed by shutters and are not regularly aired. Therefore, a weekly visit from your property manager would also ensure that your French home holiday is opened up once a week.  

As a holiday let owner, you are probably already aware of the importance of planning ahead for the holiday season.  If you do not have the latest photographs of your French holiday home for marketing, then ask your property manager to attend the property on a bright sunny day for a photo-shoot in order that the photographs may be uploaded in good time to the gîte booking websites. 

Another important annual maintenance task to carry out in early March will be your French holiday home garden.  Any camellias and magnolia grandiflora in the garden will require a Sequestrene plant feed to prevent the yellowing of leaves which may not be attractive to potential guests seeking a gîte rental.

Although the winter weather may seem to give the impression that the high season is months away, the month of March is a busy month for the French holiday home let market.  

Do not get left behind – contact your property manager today with a list of to do tasks!

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Buying French Property? Learning French or Learning France?

Buying a property in France?  

So, following your dream French property purchase, what is the most important investment you should next contemplate?  Learning French and, more importantly, learning the French system. 

French Taxation – Working from Home

Language and cross-cultural communication may be important factors to consider. However, the ownership of French property entails responsibilities and liabilities which may bring you into a complex French administrative and legislative system demanding slightly more than general French linguistic ability.  If the purchase of your gîte is for holiday let or to operate as a chambre d’hôte, therefore, a return on your investment, then the payment of French tax will be an important consideration. Additionally, if you aim is to live in France and to work from home, then you may be liable for annual Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises (CFE) as the use of your property will also be regarded as a form of business premises.  French taxation is one of the complex systems to which you and your property purchase may become exposed depending on your aims.

Fosse Sceptic

Should your French property purchase be that of a quiet, quaint, countryside gîte with the installation of a fosse sceptic, then it will be important that your property complies with the frequently changing current standards. If you are in the process of your French property purchase and the fosse sceptic has not be updated to current standards, then you may wish to negotiate a discount on the sale price with the vendor. A fosse sceptic may cost 20,000 Euros or more, therefore, it may be worthwhile to renegotiate the sale price in light of a new fosse sceptic installation.

Property Maintenance and Renovation – Tax Credits

On the other hand, if your French property purchase is to be your home, then you may benefit from tax reductions on energy-saving improvements.  The installation of new energy-saving windows, doors and shutters may attract tax credits in the renovation and maintenance of an older French property. Therefore, it may be worthwhile understanding the French taxation system and establishing the type of tax credits available for your property and when to carry out energy-saving works. 

Before proceeding with your French property purchase, if it has a swimming-pool or extension, then ensure that the installations have approved planning and that they comply with planning requirements.  And, it goes without saying, . . .

Always seek professional legal advice before signing any papers, no matter how strong the ‘Coup de Coeur’ may be!

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Buying Property in La Charente?

Planning to install your swimming pool or build your extension?

Then, Plan, Plan, Plan!

 

Whether you are an up and coming British Expat planning to leave the UK for France, build your dream house in France or buy a holiday home in France, then don’t forget to plan.

Although many properties in France’s La Charente appear to offer a vast amount of land to build your dream whether that swimming pool to attract your holiday guests, an extension for Cordon cuisine courses or a simple patio to enjoy the daily Charentaise sunshine, French planning restrictions may turn your dream into a nightmare if you fail to follow French rules.  Indeed, don’t take it for granted that, because your voisin, neighbour, has built a garage without permission, you may do the same.  Your voisin could receive a fine and/or be asked to demolish the structure no matter how professionally built with quality materials the build may be.

Is obtaining planning a difficult process?

Obtaining planning may not be a difficult process, although it may be challenging if you do not speak adequate French.

First approach your commune’s Marie.  If possible, contact the Marie’s Secretary who will possibly give you a copy of the ‘Extrait du Plan Cadastral’ together with the necessary papers to start your planning process.  Alternatively, go online to:

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R2028 – ‘’Déclaration préalable (construction et travaux non soumis à permis de construire portant sur une maison individuelle et/ou ses annexes)’’ and click ‘Telecharger le formulaire’ to receive the 8 Page Application Form.  You may not need all the pages for your build project and the Marie’s Secretary may remove the pages that aren’t required as the application covers most builds in France.

Once you have download your application form, then complete the form:

Add your Plot Number

The plot number should be your property’s official purchase papers.  Alternatively, the Marie’s Secretary should be able to let you have a note of your plot number.

Photographs

Take photographs of the surrounding location to your proposed build and its actual location. These photographs may consist of other buildings, roads and agricultural land. You will need 2 to 3 colour copies of the photographs, although check with your Marie’s Secretary as more copies may be required.

Location Plan

Draw a location plan – a scale of 1:1250 to fit on to a piece of A3 paper may be acceptable.  The location plan should outline roads, nearby and attached buildings.  Also, show the direction of ‘North’ on your location plan. 

Block Plan

‘The Block Plan’ is sometimes referred to as the ‘Site Plan’ which is a more detailed location plan.  Draw your Block Plan in a scale 1:200 – 1:500 showing the direction of ‘North’, boundaries together with dimensions, any trees on the site as well as nearby and attached buildings as well as roads adjoining the site.  Highlight on the plan your proposed build project together with dimensions.

Floor Plans and Elevations

Draw your proposed build’s floor plans and elevations in a scale of 1:100.  If detailing is required to show a specific item, then a scale 1:1 to 1:100 may be needed.

Elevations

Proposed North, South, East and West Elevations may be necessary detailing the proposed materials to be used together with dimensions.

 

Once you have completed your Application, then do not forget to take a copy of the paperwork together with coloured photographs and drawings for your records.

Once you have submitted your completed application to the Marie’s Secretary or office, you will be provided with a stamped receipt with an allocated planning number for your submission.

If you are working to a limited budget, then you may wish to carry out your planning proposal drawings.  However, it may be more cost-effective to contact an architect or drawing service to work on your behalf for proposed build.