Come to Ceret

If you are coming down to Ceret this Christmas, then have a lovely time. Take a moment to walk through the Medieval streets at night and take in the lovely simple Christmas lights.

Looking for something to do with the kids? The ice skating rink is back in town so hurry along and make a fool of yourself. go on you know you want to.

I wonder whether we will join the first swim of the year at Argeles sur Mer, when all commers are welcome to go for a swim in the sea.

Maybe you can go for a day out at Les Angles, I hear that the snow is already fantastic this year.

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas

Snow in the Uk

I have just been back to the UK do some work and have had to travel around to different clients. I seem to have spent more time sitting in the car than sitting in meetings and then at the end of the day I have to decide whether to stay in an hotel or trudge back home. With the weather the way it has been , you might suspect that the hotel was a no brainer but unlike our neighbours in France, the only way to stay in a decent hotel is to chop off your arm and your leg....So still spending far too much time in the car.



Here in the Roussillon, we know where to keep our snow. Flying back tomorrow and can't wait.



Speeding fines to cross EU borders

DRIVERS of foreign cars will no longer be immune from the flash of speed cameras or other motoring offences.


Transport ministers from EU countries have agreed to share the details of motorists whose vehicles are caught breaking foreign driving laws.

Seven offences will be covered by the new rules; speeding, jumping red lights, drink driving, not wearing a seat belt, using a mobile phone while driving, misusing the emergency lane or hard shoulder, and driving under the influence of drugs.
The new rules will come into force before the end of 2013.

Ministers have agreed in principle to release the names and addresses of the registered vehicle owners to the police authorities of EU states where an offence was committed.

Further details on how police forces will use this information in terms of prosecution and how registered owners (who may not be the person who committed the offence) can respond , will need to be finalised.

French transport minister Thierry Mariani said France, as a major centre of tourism and a nation that borders eight other countries, would benefit from the measures.

Mr Mariani said that, on average, 25 per cent of driving offences were committed by motorists with foreign plates, a figure that rose as high as 50 per cent during the summer and 75 per cent in border areas.

EU figures reveal that, although foreign vehicles represent just five per cent of traffic across the union, they account for 15 per cent of offences

Another great weekend at Domaine Treloar

The Flight of the Kiwi


at Domaine Treloar

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A little reminder that this Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st November 2010 from 2pm til 7pm at Domaine Treloar we will be tasting vertical flights of our red wines from the first take-off in 2006 to the much-awaited 2008.


• Three Peaks

• Le Secret

• Tahi

Along with some Christmas treats, we will be offering the following specials:

• Rosé on sale at € 25 a carton

• 3 Peaks at the One Block Grenache price

• 15% discount on all other wines available

How to set up a gîte business

WITH more than 43,000 property owners already inside the Gîtes de France network, providing 56,000 holiday homes, it has obviously been easy enough for thousands to get going, so what are your first steps?


You will already have checked whether your property is attractive enough to draw in holiday-makers and thought about marketing, etc, but the first few steps to setting up your gîte are surprisingly easy.

First, visit your mairie and let them know what you are planning, as there are hygiene and safety obligations. Although this may seem obvious advice in France, many people ignore it when starting up and it is difficult to rectify later. In addition, last December the government passed tourism legislation making it compulsory to register a meublé de tourisme with the mairie, an offence punishable by a fine of up to €450.

You should get a form Déclaration en mairie de location d’un meublé de tourisme to fill in. The two-page A4 form asks for basic identification details, the size and capacity of the gîte and when you plan to rent it out. You should get the second récépissé page back, with the mairie stamp.

Some mairies in tourist areas demand a taxe de séjour, which is intended to boost tourist facilities in the community. It is set by the mairie, but by law can only be between €0.20 and €1.50 per adult per day. Children under 12 do not pay.

The mairie may also put you in contact with the Direction départementale de l'equipement, which may run checks on safety.

The size of the operation you will be running is the deciding factor for whether you need to tangle with with French bureaucracy. It will also determine whether you are going to apply for any grants that are available. The conseil général will have information and, in certain areas, the conseil régional, too, but they will demand that the business keep going for up to 10 years.

One thing some owners have forgotten is insurance: you should get assurance responsabilité civiles tous risques. However, this will not cover any damage caused by a visitor. The tenant is responsible for any damage caused and it is recommended you insist visitors coming from abroad have travel insurance.

If you do not expect to make more than €23,000 a year and the gîte income is less than 50 per cent of your total household income, there is no need to register as a business or sign at the Chambre de Commerce. This also means you do not need to pay social charges.

If you expect to make a living out of your gîte, think again. The average annual income for the 43,000 gîte-owners in France is about €10,400 per gîte, and that includes many people who have several gîtes.

Generally, rural gîtes will be rented out for about a third of the year and the income can vary from an average across France of just over €400 in the high season to €280 out of season. These are average figures: in some strong tourist areas, high-season rental income can be double.

If you do make a success of it and make a decent amount of money, you will have to think about new business and fiscal regimes.

If your turnover goes above €23,000 a year, you must register at the Chambre de Commerce. You can set up as a Micro-BIC (bénéfices industriels et commerciaux), which has an upper limit on turnover of €76,300, but also comes with allowances of 71 per cent of costs associated with the gîtes.

Gîtes de France says it gets about 2,500 new rural gîtes a year and the average investment is e58,400.


While there is no legal definition of a gîte rurale, Gîtes de France see them as rural homes that can host a family holiday or for weekends.

Fitting into their environment, they are houses or stand-alone buildings with outside space, and should have what a family would need for its stay.

Expats who have bought a house with a couple of outbuildings that could be turned into holiday properties often see them as an ideal way of making some money. However, some areas have become overloaded with gîtes.

Here you need something to make your gîte stand out; whether it is something simple like a hammock, barbecue, boules court or access to woods, or something more expensive such as a swimming pool (make sure you abide by the safety rules).

Marketing is the key and the image you put across to the customer is what attracts them to come and stay.

A website is essential, either your own that of groups such as Gîtes de France, which you pay to join. You can check how popular the sites are by doing a Google search (just as your customer would) and find the highest ranked sites.

You should also contact your local tourist office to be put on to their local listings – charges will vary – but you may also get on their accommodation website for the area.
 
If you are looking to start renting or creating a gites business in the Languedoc -Roussillon area, then get in touch with the property specialists at Ceret Property
 

Connexion edition: October 2010

Christmas is a coming

Please help get the word around by passing on the message



Ceret Property Sales, long and short term rentals vacations france

Ceret Property Sales, long and short term rentals vacations france