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French property of the week: Stunning stone house in the heart of Charente

If you want to live in an old stone house in one of the most picturesque and stunning parts of France and have enough money... then this property in the heart of Charente could be for you.

Published: 27 June 2018 17:18 CEST
French property of the week: Stunning stone house in the heart of Charente
Photo: Leggett Immobilier

Where is it?

The property is located between the villages of Jarnac and Chateauneauf-sur-Charente in between Cognac and Angouleme in the heart of the Charente, western France.

The house is set on a quiet country road in the heart of the Cognac producing area near the picturesque Charente river and approached along a lane.

The whole area is steeped in history and the property is just a few minutes from a 7th century Roman road and stunning partially ruined Chateau, rebuilt in the 16th century.

Cognac and the area offer a lot of services and entertainment. An Olympic sized pool is about to be completed. Sports centres, schools, conference facilities, bars and restaurants are all very high quality.

Transport links

There are train stations in Cognac, Jarnac and Chateauneuf, all of which connect to Angouleme and the TGV, which links to Paris in just over two hours.

La Rochelle and Bordeaux airports are just over 1h 15 minutes away. Ryanair fly to Stansted all year round from La Rochelle. Bordeaux is an international airport and an easyJet hub. 

The Atlantic coast is 1h 15 minutes away by car and the Pyrenees and Spanish border are 3.5 hours drive.

The Brittany port of St Malo is a 4.5 to – 5 hour drive with overnight and daytime ferries to the UK.

Describe the house

The main house is behind a large pair of handmade oak gates, for pedestrian and vehicle access.The house comes with a beautiful garden and pool along with a stone terrace from which you can enjoy the splendid sunsets and views (see photo below).

In all, there are six bedrooms and four bathrooms in the 295 m2 property which comes with two garages and outbuildings.

There are large, bright, tastefully decorated reception rooms plus a handcrafted, new, solid wood kitchen with granite worktops and an Aga. There is an attached guest apartment plus a separate two bedroom gite.

What does the estate agent say?

Louise King from Leggett Immobilier says: “It's a stunning, unique property with a secret courtyard, gardens and pool. This property holds many a long forgotten secret.

“The tower is reminiscent of childhood fairy stories and it offers outstanding views.”

How much does it cost?

On current exchange rates the property costs €408,000 or £359,693 or $472,987.

And the photos:

 

For more information about the property and to view others in the region visit Leggett Immobilier.

 

 

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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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