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Long Term Winter Lets.
During the Winter months (usually October until Easter) we offer our two gites
for long term (minimum one month) winter letting at a special rate.
Honeysuckle House - 2024/25 Winter season 875€ pcm
The rental cost per month includes internet, water charges and local taxe de sejour.
Electricity and logs for the wood-burner (Charged at cost pcm).
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Violets Cottage - 2024/25 Winter season 845€ pcm
The rental cost per month includes internet, water charges and local taxe de sejour.
Electricity and logs for the wood-burner (Charged at cost pcm).
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Long Term Let guests who are already staying with us have priority/first refusal over new enquirers
if they decide they need to lengthen their stay.
Minimum stay period 1 month October until Easter.
If these months don't quite correspond with the dates you require please contact us
as we may still be able to accommodate you.
Barn Storage
- Available all year round.
Approx. 60 sqm available.
5€ per sqm pcm.
Our
barn storage
is also available to all (guests, ex-guests, locals etc.) throughout the year.
Please call us if you require storage for a short term. You do not have to be staying here
although long term guests who are staying with us have priority during their stay period.
Please send an enquiry message or call us to see if we can help with your accommodation/storage requirements.
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Some of you may be wanting to change the scene from where you usually live or work for the winter months or
you are maybe looking to buy that special place to live or holiday in France.
It could also be a great way of changing the scene if you usually work remotely online from home.
We have a desk and some extra lighting that we can put in to create a peaceful work-space.
We have good wifi internet connections if you wish to work online or if you are house-hunting viewing properties and conducting online searches, contacting agents etc. it is all possible.
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A few things to consider when making your plans to move to France.
No doubt this has been a long term plan to come and live in France.
Maybe you have been holidaying here for years and have already decided on the area you want to buy a house in.
Then again you are maybe wanting to explore over a long period and want to visit different regions
before making your decision.
You will find that a lot of owners who make their gites available for winter letting only rent them from Sept/Oct time until they start their summer holiday lets (as we do) from around Easter onwards until Sept/Oct time again. This therefore gives you a window to come to France from around September until around April/May at the cheaper winter rental rates .
So to maximise the time you have to look for a house and to complete on the purchase, at the cheaper rates, it's worth trying to arrange to come as early as possible in the autumn. It's a lovely idea to think we'll have Christmas with our family and friends to say goodbye and then go in Jan or Feb but it could be a mistake if you can't find a house and complete on it in time and end up paying summer rates to stay in what after all are holiday gites.
I could be wrong, but it seems to me there are more house bargains to be had in the autumn and if you find one,
and start the buying process promptly, you could possibly be in for Christmas when you can invite
your friends & family to come and see you in your new house!
It seems to be the case that people often put houses on the market in the spring, but initially, they will be at a higher price, so by the autumn, if they haven't sold, they could be reducing the prices and you may well seal the deal at a good price.
Another reason to come early Autumn is that the weather starts to cool down a bit in Sept/Oct time and travelling to view houses can be more comfortable, especially if you have pets that can't usually be left alone in gites and it is too hot to leave them in your car while you view a house.
At Fontchauvaux we will always dog sit if we can for you (we adore all dogs and cats) but many gites don't have owners on site and couldn't do this but also do not allow dogs to be left in gites on their own.
It's all about timing really, and often the thing that could dictate this is
if you are selling your house to buy one here and when that happens (not something that many of us can predict).
Listening to former guests who have stayed with us, and hearing how they made their move, it seems quite a few,
having sold their house, have rented a house for a few months in the country they live in so that they can arrive here in France for the time that is best.
Not only does this mean they arrive here at the best time for buying but they are also cash buyers.
If you are waiting for a property sale to go through before or after coming to France
a) you may not be leaving your country at the ideal time to rent here
b) you may not find a house to buy at the ideal time of year
c) if you are here, and haven't completed on your property sale, you are not in such a good position to make an offer on a property you want to buy.
You may be thinking - but houses don't look as great in the winter months
when it's raining and there are no leaves on the trees.
All I can say is if you love it in the winter you are more than likely going to really love it in the summer.
We viewed our house in the winter when there was snow on the ground and we really love it!
Just one other thing on this point though - do find out which way the house faces.
Really think about if you like the heat or need somewhere to get away from it in the cool.
People think they want a south facing house, (especially those coming from the Uk),
but in 40 degrees, rather you than me, there is no easy escape from the heat
and our summers only seem to be getting hotter each year.
Our house faces north west, and we love it all year round.
We are cool as cucumbers in summer and warm and toasty with our wood-burner in Winter.
We also have the advantage of seeing the sunrise and set all year round!
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We have ensured our two cottages are ideal, peaceful, cosy and warm places to stay in the Winter.
With the recent installation of vmc pumps, modern wood-burners, secondary glazing in Honeysuckle
and new double glazing in Violets
they are damp and draft free and toasty warm!
It has now been a while since the Brexit transition
and the situation for moving here is settling down and sorting itself out.
Although some things have changed there's still not much to stop you if your long term dream is to live in France.
Just ensure you apply for the correct visas, if required, well in advance.
Whatever the euro does against other currencies you will still more than likely be able to buy a property
at a much more affordable price in France compared to most other places in the world, certainly than in the uk.
We have definitely found a safe, peaceful place to live and a wonderful life, (and you can to).
There is certainly no where safer in the world that we can think of, where we would rather have been during the pandemic.
We are always on hand with advice about the area and the buying process if you need it.
Having gone through it ourselves in 2018 we know your new adventure can be quite daunting at times
and if there is anything we can do to help you, we will.
We have had quite a few people staying with us for long lets while they find a house to buy now and we have learnt
so much from them about how to, or not to, go about the transition. Everyone's experience is different.
The feedback from our French friends is that they really do want us here.
We bring a lot to their economy and restore a lot of their otherwise empty houses
and help keep there villages in the countryside alive.
They welcome us, run classes to help us learn French, show films in English
at our tiny local cinema all run by French/British volunteers.
We have a local 'Familles Rurales' office managed by the lovely Helene who answers all our questions
and helps with anything we are having problems with.
If your French language is not that great (Who's is? Ours isn't yet!) she can help with translations, making appointments, sorting out bills with utilitiy companies, helping us re-register our cars, sorting out visa issues, our residency status
and so much more.
So if the time is right for YOU - come to the beautiful, unspoilt Haute Vienne -
take that long term break, change the scene for your online work, find that French home of a life time -
relax - let the stress go - and learn what the word manyana really means!
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