If urban life has its advantages, many families dream of owning a bucolic pied-à-terre so that they can recharge their batteries during their holidays.

According to INSEE, there were 3.6 million second homes (including those rented furnished to travelers) at the start of 2020, or around 10% of the total French housing stock.

Far from diminishing, the urge has gained ground under the effect of health restrictions.

Recharge your batteries and ... telecommute

Many factors encourage families to invest in a pied-à-terre, as explained by Philippe Buyens, Managing Director of the Capifrance real estate network: “Hyper-urban people are increasingly looking for a corner of nature to recharge their batteries. There are also those who buy to settle there later in retirement. Likewise, families who spend several weekends and holidays in the mountains prefer to invest. Finally, there are non-resident foreigners who offer second homes in France. "

Looking good, this market has benefited from a boost with the health crisis.

On its own transactions, the Capifrance network noted a 15% increase in sales in 2020. The smallness of housing during confinement and the difficulty of traveling had a "trigger effect" on the projects of the French.

In addition, 30.9% of people wishing to buy a second home now want to live there several days a week thanks to teleworking, according to a recent study by the real estate site Pap.fr.

The country house on the top list

“Unsurprisingly, the Côte d'Azur has the largest number of second homes. But faced with the often high prices, the French in search of fresh air are also turning to the Atlantic coast, from the Basque Country to the Vendée ”, analyzes Karl Toussaint du Wast, co-founder of Net-investment.fr, a consulting firm in wealth management. In general, homeowners seek to invest within 400 km of their home, in order to benefit from it.

As for the type of property coveted, the fashion is for large family houses.

Nicolas Gay, the founder of the 100% online real estate agency Welmo.fr, notes "strong growth for old properties to be repaired in rural areas following confinement".

And to add: “Space and greenery have become prime criteria.

Houses remain the most popular for an average of 100 m2.

"

An investment to be made profitable

While the prospect of owning your own country home is appealing, it does come at a cost.

"It often happens that the costs of maintenance and necessary repairs have not been correctly taken into account in the calculation of the provisional budget", warns Karl Toussaint du Wast.

Not to mention that local taxes still inflate the bill ...

The ideal is therefore to rent your pied-à-terre part of the year to occasional travelers, if necessary by using a professional concierge service.

This is called a furnished tourist accommodation.

To take advantage of strong profitability, Nicolas Gay advises to "prioritize holidays, weekends and bridges", keeping the least popular time slots for you.

Another tip from the real estate agent: “Rentals often go from Saturday to Saturday, ie 7 days.

But if it is possible for you to rent for 2 consecutive weeks, it is preferable.

So your maintenance costs will be lower, especially in terms of cleaning.

"

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Declare your furnished apartment, instructions for use

To rent your second home as furnished tourist accommodation, you must first declare this rental to the town hall, which may be accompanied, depending on the regulations of the municipality concerned, by a change of use authorization procedure.

So remember to find out beforehand.

To be in good standing with the tax authorities, you must also register with the Insee Sirène directory, the number of which will be indicated on your income tax return.

The rents will be indicated in the category of industrial and commercial profits (BIC).

Finally, optionally, you can request a classification of your furnished tourist accommodation (from 1 to 5 stars), in order to highlight its level of comfort and equipment.

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