Gilles le fermier

I wonder if some of you Living Francers out there could give us some advice about this.  Basically, we have seen a 3-bed house in an area we know well and are considering it purely as an investment, although it might eventually be a retirement home (a very long way down the line!).  We would be anticipating renting it out to long-term French tenants, but obviously need to be aware of the legal implications.  We understand that the rules are very different in France and that tenants have much more rights, and I gather that leases are longer than in the UK. Also, are there such things as property management agencies in France, and if so what are their fees? I presume that we would need to declare the income to the French tax authorities and then declare in the UK but have the tax already paid taken into consideration. Any help would be gratefully received.