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bed & breakfast? is it difficult?


kevin.
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Hi

can anybody give me some advice on setting up a b&b in france as we are seriously considering selling up and moveing to france. i would like to know about rules & regulations or any  red tape  on starting up, or any type of licence needed?....

any advice would be welcomed.

Kind Regards Kevin.

 

 

 

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Kevin, the list is endless as is also the 'rules and regulations' as there are rules and regulations for everything here. To me, the first and most requirement is patience, a loooong fuse and a genuine ability to enjoy receiving strangers into your home. If people 'get' to you easily they will certainly do so in this trade!.
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Bonjour,

No it's not difficult (english is difficult for me ..........) many work, but it is a nice job, you meet many people and it's very interresing....you must have a good referencement

We have 5 bedrooms since 6 years ( 4épis by gites de france the highest) , we are in Berry Limousin near La Chatre ( town of George Sand).

Our guest house is an old mill in a charming valley. and we sale this house............ If you speak frech i can help you...........Our website

www.lemoulinvieux.com.

Cordialement

Michele Martin

 

 

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France too many is a ideal place to move to. Many have seen the idyllic way of life that others enjoy on TV programs and feel that they also would like to improve their quality of life. The problem is then what can they do to earn a living. 

A seemingly obvious solution to many would be to open a B&B so many wake up one day and think, "Let's open a bed and breakfast! It will be fun to entertain guests in our home. We cook and clean ... we can do that!" But many times they don't take into account the business side of running a B&B. While they have enjoyed staying at B&Bs and have experienced the relaxing side of the B&B environment, they haven't seen the inside view of this people intensive industry, the mound of office paperwork, the constant interruptions during the day, and the piles of laundry waiting to be finished. 

There are many issues to consider when deciding whether the B&B business is for you. The bed and breakfast industry is a very personal one... personal because B&B hosts spend a lot of time with their guests and must be very involved with every facet of daily business operations. This deserves careful consideration. 

As our fellow B&B owners already know, the daily routine of an owner combines early rising, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, banking, bookkeeping, advertising and marketing, check-ins, reservations, management, and more! Trading the office’s 8-hour, 5-day-a-week job for a bed and breakfast can seem like a great alternative, until the realization becomes a 7-day-a-week occupation with 12-18 hour workdays and an office you can't leave behind. 

But being a B&B owner does have its up side, too. Meeting friends from all over the world is like being an armchair traveller. Acting as a "goodwill ambassador" by helping guests with travel and activity plans can be very rewarding. Showcasing the home you have worked so hard to build or restore is a great personal benefit. The freedom of owning your own business also gives you the pleasure of not answering to anyone but yourself and your guests.

 

If you want further information them please feel free to PM me.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Kevin

We just started a B&B last year, having moved here in 2004, and of course there are forms to fill in when applying for building grants, sorting out planning permission, registering your car,  getting onto the health system, etc. etc. etc., but you would expect that when moving to a foreign country and doing what almost amounts to creating a new identity from scratch.  The systems are different, they can be hard to fathom out and you need to have a fair grasp of French language.  But then there are forums like this where you can ask for advice when you get stuck!  Just don't expect it to be like a long holiday; it really is hard work as Quillan says; you need to do a proper business plan and see if it stacks up; you will probably need to have some 'fat' to live off for at least a couple of years before you can even hope to break even if starting the business from scratch rather than taking over an existing one; and be sure you are ready to share your house with strangers ..... but we love it!

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Me again

As regards rules and regs, if you are 5 rooms or less you are not subject to hotel regulations - more than that then you get into all kinds of health and safety issues, fire regs etc.

In many departements you need to register and be classified 3 stars or above with Gites de France or Clevacances or similar if you hope to get a grant from the Conseil General for any conversion work you have in mind.  They will give you a provisional rating based on your detailed plans.  They have VERY exact rules about room sizes, facilities etc. to classify for this sort of grading - but they are not unreasonable.  You can find the rules for GdF on their website (only in French).

Phil

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  • 2 months later...

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