Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we plan to leave the basics for anyone who wants to run this as a chambre d'hôtes. For example, each room will be left with a bed, matresses (all new memory foam with toppers and covers), pillows, duvets, bedside tables. A full list is available. Oh, and we're also leaving the sauna.

Of course. Everything is negotiable.

We earn enough for two of us to live comfortably. There is not much left over but it's enough. I also teach and have other business interests and can do so because there is plenty of time left outside of the chambre d'hôtes. So the answer is yes but if you want extras you might need to have a side hussle. Remember that there is gtreat internet here, so working from home is definitely possible.

Yes, the system is quite simple. As a chambre d'hôtes owner, the simplest way to be self employed is an a micro-entrepreneur. There are other self employed structures but the beauty of being an ME is that you simply declare your turnover, do not need an accountant and it tyakes me 5 minutes every 3 months to make both our declarations. I can fill you in on more details if you are interested.

I would say it is higher than in the UK because we pay more into social security but then we get a great healthcare and benefits sytem out of that. The cost of food is also higher as are DIY materials (but that is lowering as more people actually get into DIY). I think my biggest surprise was the cost of electricity. France is very active in trying to reduce the amount of power being used and on your units you will be charged the full 20% VAT (called TVA here) plus other taxes and in fact you end up paying over 30% in all just in various taxes. But if you are prepared for that, then no problem. As an ME you cannot claim for expenses but other systems you can, so think carefully about which self employed status is right for you. I can offer plenty of advice on hot set up and run a business in France.