French Reno Diaries - Rants & Bants! (The one where the dream meets French paperwork)

Win a château? Sounds dreamy. Until you realise you might also need a business plan, a visa renewal strategy and enough income to satisfy the prefecture.

In this Rants & Bants episode, Sue, Rosie and Micala chat about the Win a Château TV show, the realities of post-Brexit life in France, language requirements, titre de séjour delays and yet another heated Facebook debate about décennale insurance.

It’s lighter than our chunky episodes, but if you’re renovating or planning to move to France, there are some important realities woven in.

As always, we’ve pulled together the key points on our website if you’d like to revisit anything - www.frenchrenodiaries.com

Resources mentioned

• Château DIY: Win a Château – Channel 4 spin-off competition show
• The Connexion – English-language publication covering expat legal issues in France
• CAPEB – French trade body representing building professionals

Mini glossary

• Décennale – 10-year structural insurance required for artisans
• Préfecture – Regional administrative authority handling residency matters
• Titre de séjour – Residency card
• DCEM – Travel document for minors residing in France
• Pompe à chaleur – Heat pump
• Raccordement – Connection/fitting (e.g. around a Velux window)
• SMIC – French minimum wage threshold used for visa income assessments

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Email: frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com

Find out more about us and our French reno businesses:

Maison Bretagne (Rosie Ellis)

S.R. Charpenterie (Sue Peake-Russell)

Paul Wilkins Electricien (Micala Wilkins)

Credits:

• Produced & mixed by: Katy Wright

• Music: Grand Project