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French property of the week: Charming farmhouse with 34 acres in the heart of France

Fancy a stunning farmhouse situated in the very heart of France that comes with its own swimming pool, guest house and 34 acres of land? If so this property could be your French rural idyll!

Published: 17 May 2018 16:51 CEST

French property of the week: Charming farmhouse with 34 acres in the heart of France

Photo: Leggett Immobilier

Where is it?

The property is located in the countryside of the department of Cher in central France.

Le Chatelet is the nearest village at just 3 km away and has all the main amenities including a supermarket, pharmacy, bars and restaurants.

Meanwhile the village of Chateaumeillant is 8 km which has all the amenities as well as a weekly market on Fridays.

Le Chatelet is 50 minutes from Chateauroux airport with twice weekly flights to the UK and elsewhere in Europe, and 90 minutes from Limoges and Clermont Ferrand airports.

Map: Google maps

How much does it cost?

The property costs €371,000, £324,321 or $437,539 depending on the current exchange rate.

Describe the property

This picturesque property has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and is a total of 200m2. Four of the bedrooms have an ensuite bathroom.

The house overlooks a south facing swimming pool.

The property also comes with a separate guest house with three bedrooms which could be used as a gite and a pretty stone cottage in need of renovation with a working bread oven — currently used to store outdoor games.

The house and the cottage both have their own private terraces with sun and shaded areas.

Set in beautiful undulating countryside, with unspoilt and uninterrupted views, the land which comes with this property is a variety of meadow, forest and garden.

What the estate agent says

Estate agent Leggett Immobilier says: “A beautiful stone farmhouse with fabulous views, original features lovingly restored and retained. A south facing swimming pool overlooking the countryside, 34 acres of land including pasture land suitable for horses and woodland. Stunning countryside all around. A rural idyll!”

And the photos

CLICK HERE for more information about this property and for others listed with Leggett Immobilier

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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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