I’ve found someone who deals with business and tax implications. I’ve spent all evening reading about it, but ours is such a complex issue with a lot of moving pieces. I’m just listing down all the questions I need answering.
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I’m sure it’s unnecessary to mention that you should get advice from a qualified professional. There are plenty of unqualified people practising as “hand-holders” that it’s best to avoid!
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That’s great. Baby steps and you’ll get there.
I’m going to assume that you have double checked that this person’s qualification and experience are appropriate and relevant to France? So cross-border experiences as well as French business structures, taxes and so on. And direct experience of navigating France administration?
Sorry to be a bit of a nanny, but have encountered some horrid messes where people have been poorly advised and didn’t ask the right questions.
One of the characteristics of French bureaucrats is that they will be super helpful and answer the question you ask, but absolutely won’t volunteer anything that you might need to know. So you ask “can we do x” and they’ll say sure. But won’t mention that this is conditional on other things that you didn’t ask about, and only permitted in situations that don’t match yours.
I will shut up now. Enjoy, it will be an exciting adventure.
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Hi, so I dont think I can post a link to her bio here? But her history is that she worked for BGE for 10 years as a Business Advisor and has run her own business from 2009.
She has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from French and English Universities and prior to working at BGE she worked as a marketing manager in UK and France for various international businesses, mainly in software and banking.
Looks pretty sound on the face of it. I am busy working on my list of questions so I can make sure I get the answers I need. I think we can iron out all the basics and then at least we can look at properties with a more informed view.
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You can if you wish. I think it must be this lady: https://www.startbusinessinfrance.com
I’d be looking at what insurance she has and her business reference numbers (SIRET and SIREN) and look up what she’s registered to do (for example, someone registered as a roofer is not registered to do drains). I can’t see she mentions that anywhere.
NB that’s a very un-nuanced explanation of the system. Others know much more!
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If it is Valérie she is totally sound. Although I am surprised she would take on such a broad question. Usually she specialises in freelance and small business issues
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She looks solid. In one of her blogs I noticed one point that wasn’t actually wrong, but wasn’t quite right. Apart from that seems to have the experience needed.
Activité de ASTON VALERIE
|Code NAF ou APE :|70.22Z (Conseil pour les affaires et autres conseils de gestion)|
|Domaine d’activité :|Activités des sièges sociaux ; conseil de gestion|
|Forme d’exercice :|Libérale non réglementée|
(@Porridge you look at the mentions legales at the bottom of every website. )
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Yes it is Valerie, I was actually looking up the new rules for gite businesses that Jane and Simon mentioned and her YouTube video came up, I liked how she presented the changes, it was straightforward and easy to understand.
Its specifically about how to transfer the business over and separately look at the gite business and how we might work this alongside it.
I’m thinking for the Equestrian Business that we run in the UK we’d be classed as a micro-entrepeneur. As I understand it - being an ecommerce business - we would be able to turn over 188,700 eur and would then be able to deduct 71% flat rate for costs and would then be taxed on the remainder. Regarding the Social Taxes on one calculator I used it didn’t charge us any - it was on the impouts.gouv website but I cant find the link (I’m thinking thats due to our ages I’m 57 my husband is 55) but if not as I understand it, its 12.3%.
The Gite business is a little more complex, since with multiple gites we could fall foul of the 77,000 euro limit for classified gites.
Anyway, this is really what I would like Valerie to advise on as it could change our requirements in terms of what type of property we look at.
Ouch! Anything to do with equestrian activities is classed as agricultural and falls under the Chambre d’agriculture. Who are not known for simplicity. All still doable but you have added an extra layer of complication to unravel. Not sure whether if no live animals involved you can bypass this or not.
This is just the first thing that I found to explain.
https://www.ifce.fr/ifce/connaissances/webconferences/economie-et-filiere/tout-savoir-pour-creer-son-entreprise-equine/
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Hi its retail https://www.pinkequine.com/ 
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Phew! Think that should be ok.
(Nice stuff , should go down well here if you ever go “real”. Maybe you should aim at living in a horse centre like Saumur? )
These are the cotisations thresholds.
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Thanks for the info, regarding a real shop, we have one here in the UK at our home, so it would be nice to have one in France, but I think first steps would be to get the business operating from France.
We have sold product into France from the UK online, but not much! We could open a whole new market, but we’re already heading towards the upper threshold for the micro-entrepeneur, and to be honest are just looking for an easier pace of life in France, so we aren’t too motivated for growth.
We live near Nevers, know it well and I would advise not. Have you looked at economic and demographic stats? The whole of the Nievre is struggling with dropping population and the town has little to draw tourists. Depite it being on ths EV6. You didnt mention the EV6. Poor shops, no interesting restaurants, …theres one good artisan bakery, Decathlon and lots of the big usual big brand shops outside the centre. Sorry. One campsite by river but not fantastic. Every July there is a week of street festivals, but cant think of any reasons we have visited aprt from it being our nearest main station We moved to the Nievre near the Morvan as we could buy a little holiday home pre-brexit for under £40,000. In a small remote hamlet in 2008. The Nievre was the cheapest dept to buy property. We have since moved permanently 15miles away to the Saone et Loire to a small town with shops and a running and cycling club etc -and to be nearer the EV6 (we cycle tour and chose the town for its eco tourism and promotion of cycling. It’s also further upstream of the Loire where safer to canoe ans swim in the river. But of course we chose our present town for rather different reasons than typical holidaymakers booking a gite. Nobody we know, French or English has heard of Nevers! Sorry to sound so negative. It seems a rather depressed town - a shame.
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It’s all looking very encouraging, @Denise_Field !
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Move in next door to Monsieur @Porridge in northern Vienne… 
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Thanks Jo, we’ve written off the Nevers property. It was such a beautiful property so a real shame!
We found one that suits us size wise its in Montignac-de-Lauzun near where @SuePJ is I think. It has 4 gites, 3 pools and a big enough house, but it is literally out in the sticks. We looked at the properties 2024 bookings and she does seem pretty busy seasonally, but not year round. That isnt necessarily a deal breaker given the restrictions now in place.
It has a similar amount of land to what we have in the UK so thats a plus, but again not essential.
We found one in Narbonne, but that was sold, and there is one in Carcassone which needs a lot of work and might not be suitable for the retirees.
There are a lot of lovely properties but for one reason or another so far, they are getting crossed off.
But a useful distance from Bergerac airport (35 mins) and Bergerac itself (40 mins)
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I did check flights from Bergerac to the UK and couldnt find anything come up, I can find them from Bordeaux or Toulouse though. Do you find many people will travel from the UK to your location?
My business model has been entirely based on UK guests - until Covid that is. They fly/hire into either Bordeaux or Bergerac - Ryanair from Stanstead flies into Bergerac.
British Airways flies from London City and there are some seasonal ones
Or our guests cross the channel and drive down.
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That’s a great idea, Maybe wouldn’t be that popular with le Cadre noir 
but a great fit for many Saumurois. And Saumur is a beautiful city, with many attractive villages nearby along the river East and West.
There are a few British people there, and British stuff is quite appreciated.
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