You’re likely completely right, just trying to be optimistic for the OP. Maybe best for them not to mention lack of tax residency in their pitch…
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… or lack of health insurance either if such is the case.
The problem I have with the WARP route is, if we say the the scenario in recent years was: resident in France and working in Spain, so where does the UK fit in? I do not see how it can be correct to pay all tax in the UK if neither living there nor working there. And if you need to have been living in the UK for the tax to be right it is hard to argue you were also living in France. I would go for the visa.
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Larkswood, Thank you. Re. a Yearly Visa I had no idea such an animal existed and as for the S1 we have plenty to research and square away with many aspects of working life to bring to the table in applying thanks to everyones input here.
Prior to being stuck in a marina during Covid and unable to leave it except for shopping essentials with notice to the Police we had started the Spanish residency process having rented an apartment that we couldn’t use and paying the utility bills not realising that a French application could have made on line without our being present within the jurisdiction. When it came to the lawyers, however (in Spain) they couldn’t help us because they had been directed by the Spanish authorities not to proceed with applications as no one knew or had an outcome of talks.
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Ummm so was your intention not to have France as your main residence not formed before Brexit then? Looking at this from the outside it looks as though it wasn’t. …and that if you had made a decision and taken steps before Brexit, this makes it seem as though any intention you had was to Spain not France?
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I tend to agree with @KarenLot that it does seem to be somewhat indifferent to the basic tenet of the CdS-WA to be applying for a French residency card (albeit with a French holiday home) when you possibly may not have been able to provide the other justifications for the application such as evidence of residency and integration in to the French tax system.
That said, there were reports that some holiday home owners were successful in applying for a CdS without being actually “resident” per se but over time, perhaps the Fisc have begun to catch up with them - it seems to have gone very silent on that of late…
When the Fisc do catch up with them, as I feel sure they will, I doubt we will see/hear from them on SF as the short sharp answer will surely be: I told you so.
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And let’s hope the Fisc do regularize the situation, as it’s incredibly unfair on the decent law abiding citizens who end up actually subsidizing the few who feel it’s ok to buck the system.
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quite… and could tend towards giving us a bad name…
There are people who worked very hard to get these measures put in place - particularly in France - and made the process so easy to achieve in a Country noted for its administrative prowess.
It’s just downright disrespectful towards our French host nation and may just cause them to be more cautious about Brits in the future.
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On the contrary: had I known what I now know having joined this group (that we could have applied on line not being present) we would have applied but in the belief that becoming a French resident was impossible and being tied principally to Spain and having no desire to retire in the UK we started the process for Spain as an alternative European country as we were regularly present in it as a result of our work. That went tits up when we were sent to another place.
It should be remembered that there was never any absolute certainty about you being accepted as Resident here in France… 
There were certainly some folk who applied… but who were not accepted… and once the hoo-hah had died down… it was clear that the Official Reasons for refusal were fair enough.
Some of them went the Visa route and worked towards Residency… others went off in a huff.
The point is that the WARP application was not an application to become a French resident. It was an opportunity for those who were already established in France exercising their right to freedom of movement before the end of transition, to apply to protect their right to remain. You had to have (or were supposed to have) already committed to living in France before 31.12.20, you did not have to apply for permission to live in France, all you had to do was exercise your right to freedom of movement. I do not understand why you say
because prior to the end of transition it was never impssible. It was your decision to take.
Even applying online most people were asked for evidence, such as having health cover in place, paying taxes etc, spending time there etc.
Applying to become a French resident starting post transition, is a different process, it is the visa process.
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I’m sorry. You’ve lost me with these latest responses. I really don’t understand what some are banging on about. Suffice it say that now we are not tied a vessel or vessels except for a few months in Lebanon on one next year we’ll just do what we have to do in and while making an application as strangers.
Should be no problem applying for residency as do Australians, Americans (these are however little bit special) and Canadians and many other non-EU nationals. The only thing that has changed since Brexit in this regard is that Brits no longer get a special deal.
As long as you plan to make either France or Spain, you do need to chose one or the other because there is no EU residency, then the steps of the process are quite clear.
Step 1. Apply for a long-stay (year) visa while in UK. Must be applied for from outside of France/Spain.
Step 2. Gather up data - S1, proof of adequate self support funds (and housing), passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate…. You’ll also need a local phone number and address.
Step 3. Start application process online and be in country prepared to visit the local authority when called.
NB. Unlike CdSWA applicants, a chest x-ray and blood test at the appointed place in your prefecture is required. Finger prints will also be required.
The whole process takes a few months but once you are in the system it proceeds step by step quite clearly.
Don’t worry! You are not the first nor the last and it will all be worthwhile.
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You apply online, so only need to be back in the UK for the interview with the consulate.
Do you not need to send your passport off afterwards?
I’ve never had the need for a visa but my OH used to have two passports because she’d often need to travel whilst one of her passports was working its way through the postal system to or from an embassy.
hummm… had a friend once (yes we did 
) who we travelled with to/from Gibraltar who seemed to have two passports in his possession and on the return leg to Gatport Airwick was pulled - quite embarrassing at the time but he seemed quite unconcerned and it was never explained. Guess now that might have been his explanation…
It used to be that if you had an israeli stamp in your passport there were several countries that would net allow you entry - so you had to get a duplicate passport. Which I did many passports ago so I could go to Algeria.
Before moving to France I used to work in the UK for a civil engineering company and our people were constantly travelling all over the world on business. Several passports were necessary because of the need to get the visa in advance of the next trip which might take place literally a few days after returning from the previous trip. There is nothing dodgy about having several passports as far as I know.