Hi - I’m trying to find out exactly how much taxes would cost each year if we were to buy a house. The houses we’re looking at are in Chalais or Ruffec - small houses approx 56m2 and very little land (terrace to a a gardin of approx 100 m2). I’ve tried the various websites for the areas for these areas but all I’m getting is it’s calculated on rental potential divided by x and depending on m2 …but I can’t see any proper calculation that would really give me an indication. I’m also trying to figure out annual costs of water/bin/internet and other annual charges (really trying to figure out if it’s financially better to just rent a house whenever we want to go over etc). Any advice / guidance is really welcome. Many thanks
Ask at the Mairie what the exact charges are at the moment for that particular house. Or ask the owner.
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I’m based in Ireland and only looking at the moment and trying to figure out the financial implications. I have emailed the estate agent but haven’t heard back. Just trying to see if there’s a way to find out annual taxes as it seems to be vague no matter where I look/ask and I need to incorporate this into our considerations on whether it’s financially better to buy or rent. Many thanks
Send the Mairie an email, they will be best placed to tell you and it presumably isn’t a secret you are interested in the house? Your request is neither odd nor suspicious and if you do buy you will be in contact with the Mairie so why not use this as an opportunity to introduce yourself. They can tell you everything. You won’t get any gossip about M.Jean-Loup Garou the weird neighbour on line but you will chatting in person later on.
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Vero - that’s really great advice - I hadn’t thought about making contact with the Mairie in advance and that all makes sense. Thanks a million - will definitely do that and as you say, it’s a great way to make initial contact and introduce ourselves (we’ll find out about M Loup-de-Loup later 
) Really appreciate it
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Another thing to check is that some communes within a few miles of each other are considerably cheaper regarding taxes than their neighbours, certainly was the case in Bretagne where two miles down the road it was a lot less than we paid and less distance the other way, was almost double. Also whether the refuse collection charge is included or not and the TV license if that is still applicable these days as you won’t be excluded being a holiday home.
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You could look at it another way. Work out roughly how many nights a year you plan to be in France, and multiply by €150 for a simple sort of place like you describe. So if most of your holidays are to be in France that would cost you around €6000.
If you buy a house you will lose income from the capital you invest in the house, and also have to pay tax foncière, taxe d’hab, insurance, electricity, water, sewage, rubbish collection, and maintenance like equipment servicing as well as roof tiles falling off in a storm. And everything in between. You won’t get much change from €6k, especially in early years as will have to fit out kitchen etc (most French houses are sold without white goods, and if you get light bulbs you are doing well). And houses prices are generally very slow to appreciate, if at all.
If the financial considerations are the decision point for buying v renting, then don’t buy! It really is a lifestyle choice rather than a financial one.
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Good advice and a good way to think about it (my head is thinking finance but my heart wants to have a place that we know and can just come to and relax and leave some of our things there without having to search/book/etc each time so it’s a good way to evaluate and justify the costs). Thanks a mill 
If you get any info on this (even rough figures) please do come back and let us know - I for one would find it helpful as I am planning to move to France when I retire, and the Ruffec / Civray area is on my radar.
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Agreed. That is almost exactly the amount we used to have to pay annually for our house when it was a Maison Secondaire.
There is really something (£ unquantifiable) to be said for coming into the house after a long journey from UK/Ireland to find all your own things in the house, exactly as you left them, with nobody needing to be asked to let you in at a specific time, no booking required etc.
However we hadn’t anticipated how much of every precious holiday week we would have to spend catching up on maintenance, gardening, discovering where the lawn and drive were hidden under vegetation each time. We bought in spite of the economics, for the sheer pleasure of owning a small piece of rural French heaven.
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We started with a lock up and leave flat, with a window box on balcony, for that very reason. And sold many years later. If one is hard headed then buying a second home should be different from buying a main home.
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Also consider what sort of outside you won’t be a slave too each visit with grass cutting, weeding, maintenance etc. Covid made people realise that they could not just go and visit their holiday homes for quite some time so a property that needs working on continually and then becomes run down outside can attract squatters so also make sure you have some sort of liaison with a neighbour to keep an eye on a place as well as good shutters and where no shutters, metal bars in the walls to stop entry. I remember when we bought 35 years ago now, each visit every few months meant spending a lot of time gardening, renovations both inside and out and generally not having much of a holiday for the children who were very tiny at that time.
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Will it be a holiday home or permanent residence?
If its the latter you won’t likely pay taxe d’habitation Its being phased out .We hsvent paid it for 3 years
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