The British love affair with France - bar a few interruptions such as the Hundred Years war - has been a long one.
June 11, 2007 (Press Release) --
The British love affair with France - bar a few interruptions such as the Hundred Years war - has been a long one. French cuisine, fashion and wine have proved attractive to British palettes for many years and the passion shows no signs of abating any time soon.
In 2006, a poll conducted by the Foreign Office found that the most popular European destinations for British travellers were in France. The Sunday Times estimated that around 7.3 million Britons take a holiday in France each year, exceeding even the number that travel to Spain.
A similar French study - in 2004 - found that there were approximately 50,000 properties in British ownership across France. Many of these are used to supply the holiday rentals market, doubling up as a holiday home for the investor themselves a few weeks in every year. According to expatriate community website Expatica, "French property fairs in Britain were once 65 per cent geared towards holiday homes".
International Living, an overseas property and travel magazine, declared France the winner of its quality of life poll this year for the second year running. Out of 191 countries surveyed, France was deemed to have the best relative cost of living, culture and climate.
The magazine's researchers noted that the reasonably low cost of living - compared to many other Western countries - was complimented by an "impressive" range of properties available for around the £50,000 mark.
So many British people have moved to France that there are parts with a distinctly British flavour. However, most areas of France have avoided the kind of massive over-development that marred some areas of other European hotspots, such as Spain's Costa del Sol. Expatica cites the village of Eymet as an example, a hamlet which has been nicknamed Little England by locals.
One British resident described the attractions of life in the village "bring you right back in time - there's very little crime, services like the post and transport work, and everyone is generally a lot more polite than in Britain. Property prices are a lot more reasonable too."
Something else that may interest British investors looking for a French property so the leaseback system that operates in furnace. Under a leaseback scheme, the investor pays for the property and then signs it over to a French property management company who administer the property on their behalf.
The managers agree a steady rent for the property, which means the investor has guaranteed income the year round. Although this will be below market value in the high season, it will make up for any slow periods in the low season and on balance presents an attractive option to the landlord.
In 2006, a poll conducted by the Foreign Office found that the most popular European destinations for British travellers were in France. The Sunday Times estimated that around 7.3 million Britons take a holiday in France each year, exceeding even the number that travel to Spain.
A similar French study - in 2004 - found that there were approximately 50,000 properties in British ownership across France. Many of these are used to supply the holiday rentals market, doubling up as a holiday home for the investor themselves a few weeks in every year. According to expatriate community website Expatica, "French property fairs in Britain were once 65 per cent geared towards holiday homes".
International Living, an overseas property and travel magazine, declared France the winner of its quality of life poll this year for the second year running. Out of 191 countries surveyed, France was deemed to have the best relative cost of living, culture and climate.
The magazine's researchers noted that the reasonably low cost of living - compared to many other Western countries - was complimented by an "impressive" range of properties available for around the £50,000 mark.
So many British people have moved to France that there are parts with a distinctly British flavour. However, most areas of France have avoided the kind of massive over-development that marred some areas of other European hotspots, such as Spain's Costa del Sol. Expatica cites the village of Eymet as an example, a hamlet which has been nicknamed Little England by locals.
One British resident described the attractions of life in the village "bring you right back in time - there's very little crime, services like the post and transport work, and everyone is generally a lot more polite than in Britain. Property prices are a lot more reasonable too."
Something else that may interest British investors looking for a French property so the leaseback system that operates in furnace. Under a leaseback scheme, the investor pays for the property and then signs it over to a French property management company who administer the property on their behalf.
The managers agree a steady rent for the property, which means the investor has guaranteed income the year round. Although this will be below market value in the high season, it will make up for any slow periods in the low season and on balance presents an attractive option to the landlord.
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