JohnBoy

I expect that it is certainly the norm! We are in the process of looking for a holiday home, so haven't yet had the identical problem. However, I can tell you that when I set up my own business 16 years ago, long-forgotten "friends" and their relatives came crawling out of the woodwork, some travelling many miles, to avail themselves of the professional services we offer. I would flatter myself and say that these people were seeking my expertise, but in reality they were looking for discounts. I found that the only way round this was to be extremely pleasant, and treat them like any other client - professionally, and with NO fee discount. Most of them were never seen again! We have discussed (for our own future reference) exactly the problem which you have outlined in regard to your French home, and I think the only solution (and one which we would certainly adopt) would be this: Tell your 'visitors' that you are running your holiday home as a commercial enterprise, and that they are very welcome to rent the property while you are absent. Then present them with a brochure and list of charges (run one up on Microsoft Publisher or similar if you don't intend to have a professional leaflet printed) and let them see that you mean business! Chances are you won't hear any more from them. The problem of people wanting to 'drop in' while you are in residence is a trickier one, but excuses will have to be found. Good luck. Whatever else you do, don't fall into this trap. There's nothing more unsatisfying than thinking you've been taken advantage of. John

I suppose our next port of call on the property hunt has to be the Charente/Charente Maritime. One of the things I hate most about the UK is the continual (or so it appears) slate-grey skies. I'm not so much interested in temperature as in sunshine, and I have it on good authority (via magazines and websites) that the unique micro-climate of the Charente 'provides almost as many hours of sunshine per annum as the Cote d'Azur'. Can this be substantiated? Is it a fact or a little poetic licence by the Tourist Board? I'd be grateful for input from anybody resident in these areas. Wherever I decide to settle has to be sunny! John

I'm new to this forum, but have had a lifelong fascination with France and all things French. I would love to have a foothold in France by way of (initially) a holiday home, with a view to eventual semi-retirement in France. My wife, however, has reservations, principally because of the 'language barrier'. She has 'O' level French, I have 'A' level, although rather rusty I'll admit - took the exam in 1974! We have already been on a property-hunt in Normandy a couple of years ago, but found nothing suitable. Fortunate, really, because since then we've both decided that we'd like to live somewhere a little warmer - just returned from a holiday near Tournon d'Agenais which we thought was beautiful. No disrespect to Normandy - we visit every year and it's equally beautiful - just a bit cooler! Is there anybody out there who was a slightly 'reluctant' partner in a house purchase/permanent move, who could persuade Cathy that a)it's possible to get by in France without being truly bi-lingual and b)that the French people accept Brits into their community. We've had three holidays in France this year and a fourth (short break) has just been booked, so I'm pretty certain we'd get a fair bit of use out of a holiday home. Thanks. John