It didn’t work for me either but once I was on Booking.com I typed in Maison Cactus and the entry came up.
Just looked at the photos as well. I love the vintage Laney amp, and the condom machine 
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Hi Jane, we are in Paris, do you have a good plumber to recommend here?
Sadly not, sorry.
I’m not sure such a thing exists. We used a few plumbers while living there and their primary tool seemed to be the mobile phone, to ask their boss (I assume) what to do next.
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Didn’t the embassy send someone out? Back in the day before out sourcing to facilities management all in your section were well looked after, when the job was completed the next day there’d be a crate of beer or a couple of bottles of Ricard given to team 
Yes, though it’s all contractors now and pretty awful.
Whereas here in Vienne — oh, wait — 
We seem to have found a good plumber here, but he’s mine! Until everything is fixed I’m not sharing gold dust.
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Hello my name is Stephen . I’m currently thinking about putting my house up for rent. My plan is to buy a small house to live with my wife then put our 6 bedroom house up as a gîte . So just looking for advice on the TVA situation because everyone puts there gîte on Booking. Com or Air b&b But I was reading about air B&B they have had thousands of the properties taken off there site due to so many people not paying TaX off there revenue from the property. I heard that you have to have a registered number now so the French government know what income your gîte makes . I’ve heard so many stories about people running a gîte advertising it in the uk getting paid into uk accounts to avoid paying Tax . I’ve been living in France for Twenty Two years run a successful Building business. How Does it all work I just registre at the Marie and Tourist office and tell my accountant any tips welcomed Thanks
Hi @cat
Your property looks wonderful.
Might be useful to include some photos of the bathrooms?
I’ve just taken another look at the pictures and still can’t find 'em… but perhaps I’m not clicking on the right bit 
cheers
EDIT: just realised it doesn’t say how many bathrooms… ???
Hi @billybutcher This is my first full year doing the short term rentals and I’ve been learning as I go along…quite an experience !! I still feel like I’m muddling through but still learning from my many mistakes, and happy to share. As I get more experienced I might develop the professional angle, but at the moment, just seeing if I have any neighbors. I’ve been part of this community for too long without posting anything, so it’s about time!
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Welcome, in that case. Good to have you onboard 
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Hello, the rules that apply to gîtes changed a lot last year so anything you read pre-2026 may not be correct anymore!
It’s quite a big subject which I can’t cover completely in a little post, but the important thing is to work through the finances carefully before you decide. Yes you can make money with gîtes, but you can also do a lot of work for little return. So I would draw up a mini business plan for yourself to check this is a good idea for this house, in this location, at the sort of prices you would be able to charge there and set against the costs of running the house.
TVA doesn’t normally apply to gîtes unless you provide additional services like breakfast.
Depending on where you are it may be a simple registration at the marie or you may need to do a full change of use planning permission. Rules have tightened and many places restrict gîtes.
Also remember that once you rent out your house if you then decide to sell you may have to pay capital gains.
You also need to think about whether you want to manage it yourself or bring in managers, cleaners etc etc. Doing it yourself will obviously get you the best return. But is this something you think you would enjoy? Clients are not always charming and preparing a house for new clients on a blazingly hot day can be hard work.
Think hard about why you want to do this!
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Hello and welcome . Not sure what you mean by neighbour ? Actual members who live close to you (shich is where?) or people who also do short term rentals? There are a few of us around.
Hi cat, the website is lovely. When I did mine and showed it on here, it was pointed out I didn’t say how many bedrooms and bathrooms up front, which people need to know immediately. Maybe it is clear from your marketing sites, but over time, I suggest, you will want people to come to you directly.
I had one guest who told me she would never book anywhere that doesn’t show the bathrooms - maybe one or two sexy bathroom photos?
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Photos added! Thanks!
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Done!
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Actually TVA kicks in if your turnover exceeds 85000 euros a year, but I think the new tax bill is planning a reduction at 25000. In which case, you can get TVA returns on everything you buy, but it implies more accounting work. If you offer 3 of these 4 services (mid-stay cleaning, breakfast, laundry, physical greeting of the guests) then you have to pay TVA, which again is not necessarily a huge bother. I have had to pay TVA for years with another business and it’s just a question of having a good accountant.
As far as the new registration number is concerned, this is being implemented progressively, it’s a digital procedure, don’t stress about it as it’s completely new and not all mairies have the software yet.
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We did this over 30 years ago and we also had a property as B&B and apartments starting 20 years ago until about 5 years ago. It seems fun at the beginning, but you soon learn that people are not really all that nice, okay some people, but those few soon sour the experience. Personally I’d advise against it unless you need the extra cash (and that may not end up so much). The taxes that you have to pay are exorbitant - from TV in the rooms, to holiday tax and for a while it seemed a new tax was being added every year.
Good luck to you Cat, enjoy it while you can but be ready for nasty online comments from someone who was all sweetness and light while they were with you and when they left.
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