FAQs

How does the Time Share element work?

This is not Time Share, this is Part Ownership – plain and simple – and it is ownership in perpetuity. That is probably worth repeating – ownership is forever where a one off payment as shown above means that you and your family will part own this stunning property forever, but obviously there are similarities with Time Share regarding the usage. FOC will produce a rotational chart detailing your personal usage periods. You will get 5 weeks a year divided over different periods of the year according to a rotating schedule. In practice there’ll obviously be a bit of juggling here with FOC being the final arbiters in case of a conflict but they have a lot of experience with this and assure us that usually the ten owners get to know each other fairly quickly and sort things out among themselves.

Who are my other co-owners?

The short answer is we don’t know but the people who seem to be interested already are English, French and Dutch and thus far are professional people who have fallen in love with the Chateau & the area like we did and seem genuinely a very nice bunch. A few have become our friends already and we hope that this will be the case for everyone who comes in. As an aside to this every person purchasing a fraction has to go through a due diligence process (as we have) which should give you some re-assurance that your co-owners are all bona fide. Your Gite will be run democratically under the fractional ownership model which has already been well road tested in other places even though we admit that it is new to us.

The Park

You will have access to large communal areas of the park and its woods.  These will be specified in your contract, we’ll probably make some communal BBQ areas etc. to prevent things getting too messy. It’s gorgeous, you’ll love it. Owners of Le Grenier & Le Cottage, the two gites on sale, will also have exclusive access to their own private terraces.

Can I sell my fraction?

Yes, whenever you like for whatever price you wish. The Sink Fund will be non refundable though.

Can I jointly buy shares with friends and family?

Yes, you can buy fractions as an individual or as a syndicate.

Can I buy more than one fraction?

Yes, of course you can. If you would like 10 weeks use of the gite a year you can buy two fractions for the incredible price of €45.000.

What happens if someone doesn’t pay their fees?

Their use of the Gite will be suspended and their time allocation rented until the outstanding debt is settled either by the owner or the rental income.

Can I sub-let the Gite?

Any periods of your residency entitlement which you are unable or do not wish to use you may either offer these to other shareholders, friends or family with or without fees changing hands. However ‘Commercial letting’ is not allowed.

Water Gas Electricity

Utilities will all be metered when you arrive & leave so you should only pay for what you use. At time of writing we’re are hoping to install meters that send out a reading every 15 minutes to a site that everyone can access and keep track of their own costs, this is the “utilities usage” variable element in your site fees.

How do we replace things?

Part of your site fees include a non refundable (if you sell) sink fund of € 250 per year to cover long term replacement of things like dishwashers, bed linen, furniture and water heaters etc., which we think should cover everything that will need replacing plus wear and tear. While the Property Manager maintains control of the sink fund it is there for the owners and they should not hesitate to submit requests to the Manager. All furnishings and machines are fully guaranteed for the first six months of normal use following the start of usage by the first buyers. The building is 165 years old, it’s in outstanding condition and well insured but your Sink Fund will be there to cover anything we can’t predict.

Can I do what I like?

Yes and no. It is a listed building so the exterior is protected. Similarly conventions of good neighbourliness are as implicit here as they are in any civilized society. If you trash the place you’ll have to pay for it but in practice the co owners can customize the place to their heart’s content as long as everyone consents to it. Everyone includes ourselves; we think that is the easiest way of solving any conflicts that might arise. Otherwise essentially it’s leave as you find. You will each have convenient lockers for storing personal items (golf clubs etc.)  to save having to transport everything

Parking

2 cars per fraction owner are allowed in the grounds at one time. This also applies if you have 2 owners of one fraction; sorry there just isn’t the space for more. You will have your own designated spaces that are only for use by people using your Gite. Don’t worry there’s plenty of extra parking nearby if needed.

What happens if you guys leave?

At the moment we are in charge of managing everything so your occupancy is worry free and couldn’t be easier. If for any reason we have to stop doing that (and there are no plans to do so) then we are contractually obliged to FOC to find another agency to fully take over our role before we go. Since this is a popular holiday area there are many agencies who deal with holiday site management etc. so this shouldn’t be difficult. But there are currently no plans for this to happen.

Animals and smoking

No smoking allowed in the gites or the park, there is a designated smoking area – please empty the ash tray, or carry a portable one. Breach of this will cost €100, sorry- we don’t know how else to prevent it.

Animals are also not allowed for obvious reasons.

Wifi

There’s wifi access at the Chateau it’s password protected & included in the fixed costs part of your site fees

Who do we ring if there’s a problem?

A management company will take care of any maintenance that needs doing and help for whatever you need won’t be far away. They will also manage everything pertaining to the Chateau, including bills, taxes, insurance, storm damage etc. etc. In short all your liaisons with the French system and it’s notorious complexities are taken care of.

Cleaning

This is a bit involved. Obviously you will need to leave the place largely as you find it, emptying bins etc. and removing used bed linen for which you will be charged as part of your variable costs.  At the end of each week the gite will be cleaned by a professional cleaning company and the beds will be made with two hours allowed for this, should more time be needed you will be charged. Should less time be needed the cleaners will use it to deep clean where they can and the gite will be deep cleaned from time to time on top of this. Since you have 5 weeks use of the gite, 5 cleanings are calculated into your fixed costs, should you require more cleaning you can arrange to have this done.