# Looking for family rental accomodaton in Angers



## BoilingFrog

Hi all,

I realise this is a long shot, but I'll put it out here anyway in case anyone has any connections or lets a property that might be suitable.

We are moving to Angers, France, this summer, and to avoid buying somewhere then realising we're in the wrong place/part of town etc. decided to rent for up to the first year or so.

We just did a trip to the Loire valley and have looked for a place to settle. Angers seems to meet all our requirements, but we need to try living in the area to get a feel for it, and where/what to buy.

However, we have underestimated the challenge of finding a suitable property to rent. There don't seem to be many available.

So, I wondered whether an out of season Gite might be a good option, for us and for the gite owner. We could commit to 6 months from September while we look for a place to buy.

We need to get our son into school in September, but were planning prior to that to be in a tent until we found a place ot rent.

In the follwing 6 months or so I am hoping we can find a place to buy that will allow me to transition to running a gite myself as my existing employment is likely to come to an end in the near future (months/few year from now) My (French) wife is a chiropractor so needs a reasonable size community and potential market for her to set up a business and our English speaking son needs to get up to speed in French.

Any help or direction is appreciated.

Jim


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## Bevdeforges

It's a bit early yet to be committing to a rental to begin in September - and six months is way too short a period of time to allow you to find a place to buy. Once the offer is accepted, you're looking at a period of at least 3 months to close the deal.

Of course much of this will depend on the conditions under which you're moving to France - particularly your visa status. If you need to get a long-stay visa, you'll have to have an initial address for at least your first month or two while you look for a place to rent longer term. Then, from a rental place, you can start looking for a place to buy while learning the area. But most folks plan on renting for a good year or more on arrival.

But the "season" for finding a residential rental for September would normally be from the end of the school year (i.e. June) through the summer holiday period. It can also depend on whether you're looking for a furnished rental or an unfurnished one, as the lease terms vary.


BoilingFrog said:


> but were planning prior to that to be in a tent until we found a place ot rent.


Not sure if that will fly if you are subject to a visa for entry. And you'll need a viable address to enroll your son in school. When are you planning to arrive in France?


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## Last Chance

BoilingFrog said:


> We need to get our son into school in September.


Pick the school first, then find rented accomodation that will allow your kid to go to 'that' school.

Schooling is your biggest consideration here. You don't want to end up in a nightmare. Schooling is a very big problem in France. 

TBH, forget this renting business, just buy a property in the right area. Renting in France is really a pain in the bum. 

Just spend time to work out where the best places/schools are in Angers then go for it.

Remember, school FIRST ! 

Have you not considered other areas in the Loire Valley ?


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## Bevdeforges

Obviously, there are differing points of view on renting vs. buying at first. But two big things to consider - if you're keen to buy right away, just be sure you are very familiar with the area before you put your offer in. The housing market in France is not nearly as quick to turn over as what you may be used to. Over on another thread someone was just moaning about how it took them 3 years to sell their house in France. And, depending on the age of your son, and the policies of the particular town you choose to settle in, the issue of moving to a particular school catchment area may or may not be terribly useful. 

Do check out the website for the town of Angers: https://www.angers.fr/index.html
Under the heading for Vivre à Angers, there are a couple of links to information about the schools and activities available for young people in town.


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## BoilingFrog

Yes, unfortunately conflicting criteria and risk avoidance make the process quite challenging. 

The risk of buying somewhere we subsequently realise is not for us is why we intended to rent initially.

The risk of not being able to move it on, should we realise we want to is also a consideration.

We are a 50/45 year old couple, with an 8 year old son. We're not looking for a retirement set up.

Angers (and surrounds) is an increasingly popular option for many as it offers most amenities of a city, but allows the semi-rural life that we are looking for.

Other parts of the Loire seemed a bit too distant from travel infrastructure and whilst very pretty, probably too quiet for us.

My current employment requires monthly travel to Norway, and whilst this may be coming to an end (union negotiations are ongoing) I hope will continue for a few more years. Angers TGV to Amsterdam looks viable. Other towns further East make the commute a bit more painful.

I was planning to transition to earning income form a Gite over a few years, perhaps renovating existing buildings if required. However, the possibility of not earning in Norway soon means that buying a viable property with 3/4 Gites may be necessary.

My wife also needs a viable community/need for a chiropractor, in order to set up.

We visited one home with Gites last week, the property was perfect and affordable, unfortunately it was way over in Roches Du Posay/Chaumussay. There was also not enough local community for our son.


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## BackinFrance

The housing market is very strong in Angers and has been so for a long time. I would think it would be easy to resell should you at some point decide to move on.


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## Last Chance

I have lived in the Loire Valley for a very long time. I personally would not go for Angers. It is too industralised and in that respect the house prices will be inflated. Tourism ???? A bit. 

Given your situation, have a look Sologne (the best region in France IMHO) with a commute for you wife into Orleans for her business.

Blois is a better alternative to Angers and if you want a little bit more rural, areas around La Ferté-Bernard would be my choice. Beaugency or Meung Sur Loire are equally as good !

If you want to go for the city/large town gîte type set-up...don't think of 'tourism' as you income. Think, family meet-ups, weddings, funerals...etc. Tourism will not be your business. 

I would foget Angers personally.


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## Bevdeforges

As far as your wife's business is concerned, you do understand I hope that chiropractic is considered on a level with osteopathy in France. Yes, there are chiropractors, but their services are not considered reimbursable by the national health insurance, though some mutuelles may cover chiropractic and/or osteopathic services. I assume your wife has already looked into the requirements for recognition of her qualifications here in France and whether or not a certain amount of "re-training" will be required.

There is also the matter of meeting the "adequate financial resources" criteria for obtaining a long-stay visa. At your ages, the immigration officials are not keen to see you spending down your life savings in your initial years in France. Your plans to run a gite may or may not be feasible - there have been a number of folks through here with plans to make their way in France by running a gite and it seems to be an awful lot of hard work for a somewhat minimal return. You need to consider purchasing a gite property in an area where there is some tie-in for sourcing customers/guests. Friends of ours (farmers) run a gite as a sideline - and rent primarily to local businesses who bring in employees for training or other long-duration sessions (i.e. two to four weeks at a time).


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