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Property in France for £23,000? - 16 January 2007

The rosbifs will soon be invading the quiet French countryside in greater numbers than ever before if the newest addition to the property market in France takes off. And the locals will have even more reason to complain about how the British are making them pay more tax.

It has long been a social struggle within French society, and even within the French themselves, as to whether to be happy about the amount of Britons buying their rural properties, or not. It means they get much higher prices for their houses, which they may struggle to sell on the domestic market, as most young people move to the cities. On the other hand, their social concerns about the destruction of local communities, and the fact that many British buyers are either absent or refuse to integrate into the French way of life are valid.

However, these communities could soon be having to deal with a new influx of British buyers. Developments in 11 locations around France, including the Dordogne, Gascony, the Vendee and the French Riviera, are offering new properties for as little as £23,000. As you may have guessed, these properties are not what you might expect.

In fact, they are so special that you could easily transport your new home to any of the other development sites in France, and relocate there for a few months. The permanent mobile homes are being sold by European camping holiday specialists Eurocamp, and with ten types of accommodation available, buyers are spoilt for choice.

Some people interested in buying in France will, of course, immediately turn their noses up at the very thought of purchasing this type of property as a permanent base in a country associated with all things chic and stylish. Although still suffering from something of an image problem, mobile homes have come a long way from the days of garish nylon curtains, cramped and damp living conditions, and the notion of a closed community of ‘campers’ who keep themselves to themselves.

This accommodation, in either holiday homes or chalets, offers contemporary home comforts like fireplaces, fully-fitted kitchens, and even decking and air conditioning.

Another attraction is for buyers to let their property back to Eurocamp to generate income during the periods when they are not using it.

None of this will change the minds of many of the purists who look to buy more traditional homes in France, but these people are not the target market for Eurocamp. What this offering does is offer those who don’t have the means, the need, or the desire to own a bricks and mortar property in France, the opportunity to have a base there for a cost no more than the average family car.

At the same time, the boom in property prices, which has been attributed mostly to the British buyers crossing the Channel for houses in the past 20 years, has resulted in potentially huge tax bills for people who have no means to pay them, short of selling their property.

This all stems from what is being called the ‘rosbif tax’. Essentially, anyone in France who has assets of over £500,000 is liable to pay a wealth tax, resulting in a bill of around £12,000. So far, so fair, you would think. The problem comes when the property boom, fuelled by the seemingly endless British appetite for overseas homes, pushes prices so high that properties owned by families for generations become liable for the wealth tax. These families have not paid huge sums to buy in the areas, and are often poor.

An article in The Sunday Times quotes the example of René Massé, who has had to sell an asparagus field, part of his livelihood, in order to pay his tax bill on the family home which has been theirs for generations. “We worked hard all our lives and never went on holiday. It’s not as if we have a chateau or a sports car. It’s ridiculous.”

Some might say this attitude is a little ungrateful, as many French people have benefited from the money and presence of British buyers in the property market, but the problem is that the tax also penalises those who have no desire to make money from their property, and indeed have no intention of ever selling it.

This could all have been irrelevant in any case, if a proposal put forward by the French Prime Minister Guy Mollet in 1956 had been adopted. During talks with his British counterpart, Anthony Eden, Mollet put forward the idea of a ‘union’ between Britain and France. Having had this idea rejected, Mollet came back with a proposal for France to be allowed to join the British Commonwealth, and even said that the French would have no problem in accepting the Queen as their head of state.

French historians have been astounded by this revelation, and while still being an incredible story, it makes much more sense in the historical context of the impending Suez Crisis, and growing tensions along the Israel – Jordan border.

Nevertheless, it is somewhat satisfying to know that the frogs could have been served with rosbif…

For further details on Eurocamp properties, go to www.ownaholidayhome.com

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