Don’t move to France... until you have done your homework. Reasons why you should not buy a property in France and move to France to live

A lot of British people are rushing over to France in the hope that it will be a cure for all the problems of life in Britain. 

We think that for many of these people, a move to France will be a leap from the frying pan into the fire. This would certainly have been the case for us.

A lot of people are getting into financial and legal trouble by moving to France. This is a very serious matter and it could be avoided if people were better prepared.

If you’re thinking of moving to France, we suggest you look before you leap. 

• Are your expectations realistic? 
• Have you really taken on-board the fact that France is not Britain with a nicer climate and better roads. For example, read “Serious underestimation” in the comments from others section.
• If you don’t speak French, how will you earn a living? You will be competing against French speaking people for unskilled jobs. 
• Do you have a contingency for those renovation costs - you know in the back of your mind they’ll cost double what you‘ve budgeted for them, so where is the extra money going to come from? 
• If you’re thinking, we’ll muddle through and it’ll turn out alright in the end, it probably won’t. Like half the people who move to France from Britain, you will end up going back across the water with your tail between your legs within two years. 
• If you want to downsize, simplify your life and be less stressed, then France is probably not the answer. The overwhelming and mind-numbing bureaucracy drives grown men to tears. Worrying about how you will pay your taxes will leave you wishing you had never moved to France.
• Have you allowed for the fact that a very large part of what you earn will go to the government, even if you are earning your living in England, but living in France. Income tax levels are comparable, but French social charges (cotisations) are crippling.
• What will happen if you run out of money in a country where you have no friends and family and you may find it hard to get a job? 
• Are you up for a lot of hard work with many ups and downs?
• Just because you enjoy holidaying in France, doesn’t mean you will enjoy living there.
• Do you have the right mindset for a successful move to France.

Will you be one of the many Brits who return to the UK with their French dream in tatters?

The objective of this website is to give you an alternative to the rose-tinted view of France held by many of us. And to provide you with useful information that will help you make an informed decision about moving to France to live. We have posted our comments and added links to what people have said about our views - some of it flattering, some of it not. But either way, hopefully it will go some way towards helping you make a better informed decision.

Add your own thoughts in our comments from others section.

Then we started meeting people who gave us a glimpse of the less attractive aspects of France that we hadn’t seen before. In hindsight, we are hugely relieved not to have made the move as we weren’t ready at that time. This website lists some of the thinking that led us to make this decision.

John & Harriet, Spring 2004.

In July 2004 my 38 year old wife was diagnosed with cancer and nine months later she passed away. This has been a major blow to my two children, Thomas and Mathilda (who were 4 y.o. and 18 months respectively at the time of her death), and me. However, I am spending more time considering seriously the pros and cons of moving to France. Right now I am very much against the idea - primarily because of the very high tax and social charges I would face as a self employed person in France.

John, May 2007. 

Don’t Move to France: A “look before you leap” guide to the pros and cons of moving to France and buying property in France.

Reasons to move to France        Reasons not to move to France

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Last updated: 14/11/2007