Desperately trying to make the move - Property Advice

[sueb]

Hi all,

We have been trying to make the move over to France for several yeras (took a while to sale our property in the UK) with the view of buying something that we can live in ourselfs and has rental possibilities for a couple of Gites. Anyway all sold now and have made many viewing trips over to France viewing various on paper suitable properties (but nightmares in the flesh!!!). We have found something that meets most of our requirements except that over to one side of the property about 100m away is a small dairy farm. The farmer keeps a few calfs in a hanger which overlooks (although there are a few trees) an area of the properties land. The house and one of the small outbuildings does not face onto or overlook the farm at all but one of the outbuildings if converted would be side on (although quite some distance away) and if we wanted to install a pool for the guests this to would also have to be positioned on an area of land which would have a side on view to this hanger.

Our question is are any of your Gite properties located next to or near farms and has this caused a problem for the guests when they come to stay in particular do they re-book etc.

Could anybody advise me whether they think that this could be a problem for us if we want to rent out the Gites, do you need to advertise that it is next to a farm etc and if so do you think that it would put people off.

Would any of you actually buy a property for this type of enterprise if it was located next to a farm

Can anybody advise me if they think that there would be any further drawbacks and if so what would these be


Thanking you in anticipation

Sue

[Dick Smith]

Try to be there in the morning about 8-9 am to see if the milking shed makes a lot of noise, and or smells.

Is there a possibility of planting something to screen the agricultural buildings?

Personally I don't think that being next to a farm detracts (I bought a house which is effectively in the middle of a farm) but you will have to take into account agricultural work, tractors etc.

[Eslier]

Your most important consideration should be location. If you want to fill a reasonable number of weeks in your gites then you need to be certain you are buying in an area that already attracts a lot of tourists. If this is the case then the property itself is the second consideration. I would say there are three things that you need to look into.

Firstly, noise: you need to know whether the farm generate any noise at, what to your guests might be, unsocial hours.

Secondly, smell: dairy farms can get a bit smelly in hot weather which might not be a problem to country folk but some visitors might be unhappy about it. You would probably need to make it clear when advetising your gites that your property borders a working dairy farm so that people are aware of the potential problem.

Thirdly, planning. If you are in an agricultural area, don't assume that you will automatically get permission to convert outbuildings to residential property. A visit to the local Mairie will give you an indication if this will be possible, but you should ask the Notaire to insert a clause suspensive into the Compromis de Vente which gives you a get out clause if permission is denied.

Whatever you do, don't take an agent's word when seeking answers to any of the above - do your own research.

Finally, be realistic in your plans. Renovation works will probably cost double what you think and are bound to take three times longer than you expect. There are many gite owners who struggle to let around eight weeks per year  whilst others  manage up to twenty. Be cautious and only reckon on a maximum of twelve weeks when doing your cash flow calculations but remember you will need to spend money on advertising  to maximise your potential.

Good luck.

[Jo Taylor]

There are regulations regarding conversion of buildings that are adjacent to agricultural buildings - I can't lay my hands on the details at present but (echoing Eslier in all her points above) you really will need to do some homework. I think this very subject came up in one of those "Awful things that happened when we moved abroad" type programs!

Holidaymakers have rosy specs regarding the countryside - the reality can be noisy, messy and smelly. Considering running a holiday let business bang next door to a working dairy farm needs VERY careful consideration, it might be appealing to some, however it could quite likely put many off booking.

Jo

[Will]

Round here, any new building or conversion for habitable use should be a minimum of 100m from certain types of farm buildings - mainly those used in connection with livestock, rather than just storage of feed, equipment etc. The actual distance seems to vary, in some areas it is more, some seem to stipulate less. Do make sure there is a clause in the compromis de vente that says the sale depends on a positive CU (certificat d'urbanisme) for any works you want to carry out. A good agent should arrange this for you - remember that it is you, the buyer, who pays the agent's fees in most of France, so they should be on your side.

[Beryl]

I stayed on a French owned gite on a working farm whilst in France to finalise the buying of my property, so we weren't here for a holiday, which was just as well.

I would not through choice stay on a gite on a working (dairy ) farm. Far too noisy and too smelly, exactly what one would expect on a farm but not necessarily what one wants from their holiday!

[Val_2]

No one has mentioned about the amount of flies and bugs you will get too. Just ask anyone who lives near cattle in hot weather.

[Dick Smith]

Oh yes, the flies. So many flies...

[zeb]

If you really love the property, I'd say go for it and market your gites positively as being in a rural French farming community. Ask the farmer if he has butter or cheese available for guests, or even buy milk and make homemade yoghurts and icecream.

Plant a fast growing screen, this could be laurel interspersed with red robin, or even conifers, so that the calves are hidden a bit.

Surely though, they will be out in the fields (or gone to market(!)) from late spring to winter. Not many animals are confined during the summer as they would eat too much costly hay. You may have cows in there rattling their pens and mooing a bit though during the winter, would this disturb you?

Good luck.

[loirebabe]

Alot of cows are kept in during the summer here as there is not enough grass in the field to chew on. Grass dosnt grow so well south of Loire in the summer.....flies are a real pain wherever you are in rural areas... do what the french do...in hot weather shut your windows and keep the heat and the flies out.

[Grays]

As a kid it would of been the perfect setting,  country, moo cows and fields to run in.

Adults don't always see things that way...unfortunately.

As mentioned, flies, noise and smells could be an issue next to even a small cattle farm, and if this is the case you may lose potential second bookings etc. Though the posts here have brought up some of the issues that could be a problem, I do not think you can really get the answer online, just some idea of what to go back and look for before you buy.  So if you are keen on this place perhaps the only way to decide is to spend time around the property, early morning,  late afternoon, and for sure do it in July and August when the heats on and you would have a continual flow of paying guests.

I know of a small gite complex very close to a pig farm here, and the smell can often drift a fair old way.  Then again, perhaps a pig farmer from Wales might like that for his annual holiday in France !!

seriously though, check it out and you may find the problems are outweighed by the benefits, and with luck the baby cows might even prove to be an attraction to many of your guests.

good luck

Gram