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French Property of the Week: Charming stone house with outbuildings in the Brittany countryside

Can you see yourself settling in a historical home with its own mill surrounded by beautiful woods and fields in Brittany? If so, read on to find out more about this week's property of the week.

Published: 3 October 2018 15:52 CEST
French Property of the Week: Charming stone house with outbuildings in the Brittany countryside
Photo: Leggett Immobilier
Where is it?
 
The property is located in the town of Plougras in the Côtes-d'Armor in Brittany.
 
The nearby village of Guerlesquin (3 km away) has been named a Petit Cité de Caractère, meaning it is of particular interest to tourists, thanks to its historical traditions and picturesque charm. The village hosts regular markets and cultural community events such a “world championship” stone throwing competition every August.
 
Surrounded by beautiful countryside, there is also access to the beach with the stunning Plestin-les-Grèves only 20 km away. 
 
Brest airport, with daily flights to Birmingham and Southampton, and Roscoff ferry port, with boats to Portsmouth, Plymouth and Poole, are both under one hour away by car.
 
Google maps. 
 
How much does it cost?
 
The property costs €393,750 (£350,317 or $455,631) depending on exchange rates.
 
Describe the property
 
The property has 136m2 of livable space on a plot of 30,137m2 (3 hectares). 
 
Set just off a country lane, a sweeping drive passes through the property’s beautiful fields and woodland before reaching the country garden surrounding the main house. 
 
In total, the property has six character-filled buildings, housing nine bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The grounds of the property also contain a stream and a 1000 m2 lake.
 
The entrance to the ground floor of the main house leads into a spacious living/dining area and a kitchen, both with original features including stone walls, exposed beams and fireplaces. The ground floor also contains a bathroom with separate toilet and a sunny, south facing patio with a BBQ. 
 
A double en-suite bedroom is accessible at the side of the house, and four further double bedrooms with two shower rooms can be found on the first floor. 
 
The basement, which also features original stone walls, has a storage room and a large games room with access out to the garden.
 
Outbuildings include a sauna with two showers, a log cabin with two bedrooms and a shower, a large barn/workshop and a log shed. 
 
Finally, there is a mill house with the original mill and workings still in place. The rest of this historical building has been converted into a gîte with a living area and corner kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.
 
This property has great business potential. Already well established as a group holiday destination, it could also be used as a small farm or equestrian property. 
 
Alternatively, it could make a spacious but cosy private home with plenty of room to welcome guests.
 
Why buy it
 
Estate agent Leggett Immobilier says: “This is a delightful collection of stone buildings providing accommodation for 16 people plus owner. Tucked away in 7 acres of land yet only minutes from the pretty village of Gurelesquin, it’s an ideal business opportunity, equestrian property, small holding or just a beautiful family home.”
 
And the photos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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PROPERTY

How to avoid French property rental scams

Finding a place to live - or even to stay - in France can be difficult, and to make it more complicated scammers often prey on unsuspecting property seekers.

Published: 16 September 2024 10:46 CEST
How to avoid French property rental scams

More and more people head online to begin their search for a new rental property in France – whether they’re seeking a long-term rental to live or somewhere just for a few months.

But this can be risky with scammers active in the market – such as the 40-year-old Paris man accused of swindling 64 victims by illegally sub-letting properties that he did not own.

So how can you avoid falling victim to online criminals?

The golden rule

There’s one golden rule: don’t hand over any of your hard-earned cash before you sign a lease. This may seem obvious, but if you have found an ideal property it could be more difficult to say no if the person you think is the landlord, or their representative demands money – perhaps to ‘secure the property’. That’s a red flag, right there.

As is paying for the privilege of viewing a property. A genuine landlord would not charge you just to look round.

It is, however, completely normal to be asked to send documents such as proof of income/legal residency in France before a viewing. While in some countries you view the property and then undergo financial checks, in France landlords often want to see your dossier before they spend their time showing you around.

READ ALSO A beginner’s guide to renting property in France

Low rental

Rental prices can be high, especially in Paris which regularly tops international comparisons of the world’s most expensive cities. It’s therefore tempting to look for a bargain, but that too-good-to-be-true rental price probably is.

If an property ad has a monthly rental price that is lower than you would reasonably expect for a place in a certain area, beware.

Some legitimate reasons for a lower price might be that the property is shared (colocation), is a sub-let (sous-location) or is the short-term rental known as bail mobilité. However, these types of contract all have their own rules and limitations and – in the case of bail mobilité – are not available to everyone.

First contact

Beware of long emails from the ‘landlord’ of a property you’re interested in, especially if they seek to demand certain conditions on property visits.

It has been reported that some criminals try to scam victims into sending deposit money on the strength of a viewing video. If you can’t physically visit a property, wonder why.

READ ALSO What you should know about paying rental deposits in France

Watch where you’re sending your money

If you’re asked to pay any money by cash transfer, Western Union, or to a bank not based in France, watch out. This could be evidence of a scam.

Note also that deposits are dictated by law. The deposit for an unfurnished rental property can only be equal to one month’s rent, while a furnished property deposit is two months’ rent. 

READ ALSO 9 things landlords in France can never ask of tenants

Remember too: sign the lease before you pay even the deposit. 

Contractual obligations

There are rules about French property rental contracts. They must include the landlord’s contact details (or those of the property manager), and include information on the size of the property, co-ownership regulations, asbestos, lead and energy performance diagnostics, and the effective date and duration of the lease. 

Model contracts are simple to find on the internet. Search for contrat location modele

READ ALSO The vital French vocab for renting property

Google Lens

Online reverse search tools such as Google Lens are your friends. You can check to see if photos purporting to show the property you’re interested in are also being used to ‘advertise’ different properties in other towns or cities. 

Online liability

Platforms on which landlords can post properties for rent may also be used by scammers. The platforms themselves have repeatedly said that they are not responsible for content published on their sites.

But some short-term rental platforms – notably Airbnb and Abritel – have in the past been found liable for content on their site.

READ ALSO Renting property in France: Should I go for furnished or unfurnished?

But protect your data

The government’s Dossier Facile website allows prospective renters to prepare and build their rental file, and gather all their supporting documents in one online storage place – and, crucially, watermarks them to protect you “against fraud from unscrupulous owners”.

And if you are a victim

If you are the victim of a fake online ad, you may be able to file a complaint online on the Thesee platform. Alternatively, get in touch with the police. 

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