Wow. I cannot believe that the French would not desire for you to go from inactive to working. Surely it is to the benefit of the country that someone of working age would want to pay into the system?
The plan is for me and my wife to start a gite business and suppliment our income with a few other ideas we are playing with. However, could be that all of this gets well and truly scuppered if it all results in a no deal.
Hi Jamie…
Unless you are buying an already up-and-running Gîte Business… with a proven track record and solid bookings…I suggest you think very, very carefully.
Others on the forum might be able to give your their first-hand experiences… those with current, up and running businesses…
I’ve only dabbled… for pin-money…
IMO expecting a Gîte Business to be your sole/main source of income, is taking a grave risk unless you have sufficient resources (large resources) to see you through the first few years …while you (hopefully) build up a good reputation and clientele…
France is not a cheap country in which to be running a business… 
Regarding Healthcare: if you have been here 6 months without cover… I suggest you get an Insurance Health Policy which gives you Full Cover without any further delay. Yes, it will cost you, but worth its weight in gold… 
When we arrived in 2002, my then wife wanted to convert the empty part of the house into a gite…it’s an old stable; we spent a fair amount of money & a lot of time in making it a very comfortable, self-contained “appartment”.
We had a lot of passing trade, as the house is close to, what was then the RN112.
I was offered a CDD of 6 months, with the possibility of a further 6 months to follow. After the 2 CDD’s I became self employed & continued in the building trade for 11 years.
I finally stopped as RSI were increasingly taking everything I earned, & at the end, all I had left were a couple of fillings & the dog…
I was offered a CDI at a chateau nearby, with a view to replacing the chap who’d been there 20 years & was already overdue for retirement…after 2 years however, we parted company as there is only so much bullshit one person can take on a daily basis, from one’s (absentee) employer.
I have been unemployed now since September…I have plenty of work if I choose to accept it, but “black” can be a risky business & needs a lot of thought before accepting. It’s difficult for a 54 year old man to find employment in a profession where there are lots of youngsters with very little experience, but that are “cheaper / easier” to employ.
I know this because I know a lot of the local trades ; & even with the experience gained over 30+ years of working for myself, it would be “un peu compliqué” to employ me.
I have no CdS; I have a paper UK driving licence; I have UK plates on my van (but fulfill all other necessary criteria to be legal.)
All this is a long winded way of saying that in my position, I may be heading for “Destination Fucked”(to quote my favourite Ozzy), but I’m here & intend to stay…
The “gite” business appears to be in a steep decline, there are too many (british) immigrants trying to do it now, and with brexshit and the weak pound, half (or more) of the potential client base is having second thoughts about coming to france. We are probably 40% down on bookings compared to this time 3 or 4 years ago, and we don’t just target the British market.
Thanks for your input Mark… this is what I am hearing, in my area too… tough times ahead. 
We have a gîte, which has not been affected by Brexit as we don’t have british clients, but it is a side business. A single gîte will not provide enough to live on. Obviously depends where you are and what style of gîte, but if you have a luxury gîte your weekly rental may be higher but your maintenance costs are also higher as has to be in top condition. Ours is 4* and we constantly have to replace things, sheets for example rarely last more than a year.
In general you won’t earn more than 7 - 10,000€ from a single gite unless it is exceptional and somewhere that you can get rental all year. We also have all year rental property which earns more because of where it is, but I would reckon you need three gîtes/rental properties to live on and to get to the financial requirements for a couple.
And we had to pay cotisations for health cover as inactifs (we don’t run our gîtes as ME) and probably paid the same as had we been classed as working. You don’t escape paying as an inactif. So France wants people to be working, but doing so and contributing. So if the business doesn’t turn over enough then you have to top up. And of course if you don’t have enough other income to top up from then it’s academic as you won’t meet residence requirements.
I think it has come as a shock to a lot of people as up until now things were much looser as no need to apply for residency. But brexit is putting paid to all that.
I think you need to look hard at your finances and business plan, capital and current income and see where that leaves you. All things are doable, but generally easiest if you’ve worked out the details first. If it helps at all, one one property we are earning 5% annually on our capital investment and on the other 7%.
@Codfanglers. But if you have been here for 17 years, and completing tax returns all that time then as I understand it you are legally ok to stay no matter what your income level? You are a permanent resident.
This is what I’ve been told Jane. But then, there are those that have said that my position is as precarious as that of those “new arrivals”, we hear of.
I posted earlier that I was holding off from panicking as long as possible…but there are always the scare stories.
I’ve an appointment with an “assistante sociale” next week, to try & get certain things rolling.
Automatic right to remain after 10 years LEGAL residency - actual wording ‘can not be subject to an obligation to leave French territory’ - no matter where you’re from.
Thanks, this is what I’ve been trying to find on here
I reckon this legislation has been posted on here at least a dozen times by you, me and others. People need to search the posts harder for solutions to their problems/issues.
I imagine just about everything you need to know about life in France is here somewhere, just takes a few minutes to read some relevant threads.
True Mandy but there appears to be more than one thread on here re. Brexit, its outcome etc., & I didn’t really relish ploughing through them all
I saw the link some days ago but couldn’t recall which particular thread it was in
Yes there are lots of threads. Maybe SFN should have a “useful documents” sections for things such as this.
I’m going to put it up as a Topic Mandy and great idea to have a ‘Useful Documents’ or even a library section !! @cat @james
I have found the website French-Property.com very helpful. There are lots of guides on different aspects of French life that can be easier to digest than trawling through discussion forums.
We have been here 3 months and although we should in theory have access to the French healthcare system as my husband is retired, we are still waiting for our cartes vitales. Despite taking documents to the local health office in week 2, we have only so far received provisional reference numbers, so these things do take quite a while to sort out.
The cynic in me fully expects them to arrive in due course but with an expiry date of 29.3.19…
No big deal if they don’t…!
You have your provisional social security numbers so relax - you already have access to the French healthcare system. The Carte Vitale is simply an automated, electronic payment and reimbursement card linked to your CPAM and Mutuelle (if you have one). The card itself does not afford you any rights.
As soon as you are able, create your online Ameli account and then you can, amongst other things, print off your Attestation of Rights for anyone who may need it.
The lack of CV simply means you’ll need to apply for reimbursements manually (feuille de soin) using your provisional social security numbers. As I said - no big deal 
Cat did start a useful thread and it got highjacked…
I’ve locked the thread and cleaned it up.
And I’ve been adding any new info as it trickles in.
If anyone wants to find it put Brexit update into the search box and it will find it for you! Magic…!
I got this update today
I had not appreciated that, thanks Simon