The UK has signed it, the Queen has given consent… and I think the EU are due to sign it (the Withdrawal Agreement) on 28th January… so we should be a little clearer on the state of play after that. 
No doubt this is legally correct, I have not checked. But my experience of French administration and the variation between prefectures tells me that it is a risky strategy. There is a lot in various french administrative documents about needing to prove you are living here in a regular and stable manner, which is usually taken to mean a stay of over 3 months. You could come up against an officer who has not read the withdrawal agreement, sticks to the letter of the local procedures and insists on treating you as a recent third country arrival. No doubt you could appeal if a judgement went against you, but why take that risk?
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I’ve always assumed that the reason for 3 months, is because you can legally be here as a visitor for up to 3 months. Obviously France isn’t going to leave a loophole that lets visitors claim benefits, apply to join puma etc.
Many thanks for your kind wishes, I leave Blighty on the Weds 29th, so will be over for the departure day 
But, I’m only over for a couple of months, I have some items to attend to before I make the next move, then the plan is to return June or July and then remain 
to start my residency application, hopefully this will allow me enough time to be here before the 31st Dec 20.
The deadline for applications for residence ie CdS is at a minimum the 30th June 2021 (France has the option to extend the deadline). No Brit can be required to have a CdS until after that date.
While leaving arrival until 31st December would be fraught with potential problems eg what if your ferry is cancelled or your car breaks down it really isn’t necessary to take up residence months before the end of the transition period 31st December 2020.
Thanks Nigel, I think it sounds like you pays your money and takes your chance
Thing is, what proof of the date of arrival would you have besides a ferry ticket?
You would have no transactions on your bank account showing you were living here, no utilility bills, no healthcare attestation dated prior to that date, no tax return for 2020. It would make me nervous. Then, if you’re an employee you would need to have started your contract on that day, if you’re running a business you would need to have issued an invoice dated that day. Yikes.
Michael… I hear what you say… and definitely hear you say you are arriving on 29th January 2020 
fair enough, folk often do have to go back and forth to finalise stuff…
When you get here on 29th … make it known in the following days/weeks to those around you that you are in the throes of tying up/ closing off your UK links and settling permanently here in France. thus, to all intents and purposes you can use the 29th as your date of arrival (if push comes to shove).
Can’t hurt… and you can always change your mind… and your official date of arrival if it suits you to do so… 
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That of course would mean arranging private healthcare from that date, declaring income to the fisc from that day, etc etc etc.
Ah - then you’ll know the lovely ‘Le temps qu’il fait’, where I have been known to drink a demi of Grobul bière, brewed in the village…
Seriously - we are up near Gouarec, but message me when you’re here and if you like we can meet up for a chat about life hereabouts.
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when we first came over, we tried to get into the system from day 1 and were firmly told to wait a while… yep the tax folk did not want to know. “you might change your mind” was the almost constant reply to any enquiry… However, we did have EHIC and private health cover… as you suggest, health cover is an absolute must…
You’ve got me wondering now Stella. And the more I look into it, the more I wonder.
Has someone snuck a change in? Has there been a massive misunderstanding ? Surely not. Please not.
Trouble is there are so many websites and even the official ones don’t always say what date they were last updated
Yes, Anna… I agree with you… it is getting more and more confusing. 
I really do think we will know more at the end of this month.
At least, that is what was being said at the meeting I attended a week ago… with folk who should have known what they were talking about… 
(???)
I recall quoting a UK Gov site… only to find they had updated and completely changed their previous declaration/promise… blasted annoying when that happens… I hope you appreciate how restrained my language is…
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Yep but, it’s no good finding out on 31 Jan that you needed to be here by midnight, when you thought you had plenty of time.
It don’t bear thinking about.
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To coin a phrase ’ As clear as mud’ 
Perhaps as Johnny Nash sang ‘I can see clearly now’ will occur after 31/01/20
thinking about it, I already had my pension, got my S1 and Jim was added as my husband, which, of course, you can no longer do.
Can’t you? Do you mean because of Brexit, or do you mean that UK S1s don’t cover dependents any more? I thought that was an EU rule.
But either way, that doesn’t seem to be the OP’s situation.
Sorry, I am one step ahead.
When we came here I had my S1 and Jim was added to my CdS, which I now understand not now to happen.
You need an S1 of your own, which he applied for when he reached retirement age.