Gite owners in France and GdF requirements

[Teresa]

I have been running my gites for around 4 years now, in the first year I asked my local tourist office what I needed to do to get into the Loire Atlantique holiday guide and they arranged for me to be inspected for star ratings. Apart from it costing me €64 I was somewhat astonished to find that in order to get even a megre 1 star, I still had to have electric shaver sockets in each bathroom, blackout blinds and curtains in the bedrooms and - wait for it - electric steamers in the kitchen! No mention of fire extinguishers, smoke alarms or fire blankets (all of which I had). I decided that as I was catering for non French guests in the main that I wouldn't bother and have done very well so far. Imagine my surprise when I visited the tourist office a couple of days ago to gather new literature to be told that in order to be a legal holiday let, I had to register at the prefecture and I couldn't do that until I had - the shaver sockets, blackout blinds and .... a pressure cooker! Now I know quite a few other gite owners around here and no one has ever heard of this before, one in particular is very pally with their local mayor and they are astonished. I am registered as a micro enterprise and have always tried to do things legally but this is the first time anything like this has been mentioned. I pressed the woman at the tourist office for info to make sure it wasn't just some accreditation with Loire Atlantique but she was insistant that it was a legal requirement.
Has anyone else out there heard anything like this?
Teresa

[Giddy Goat]

I thought it was simply a requirement of Gites de France if you wanted to be listed with them. I can't imagine for a moment that the government would be interested in decreeing that all rental properties in France should supply a pressure cooker! I expect we'll hear from Alan K about this in due course though.

[la vache!]

Teresa,
I think you were inspected by Clévacances, who do the tourist office accreditation. I had an inspection a few years ago and the criteria are similar, if not identical to gites de France. They are not a legal requirement, they are standards you must conform to to advertise through them. And yes, the French like their pressure cookers!

[Ju]

I would take anything that you are told at the tourist office with a pinch of salt. They get very confused about Gites, and think that they all have to conform to the Gites de France regs.

[Alan Knighting]

I thought it was simply a requirement of Gites de France if you wanted to be listed with them. I can't imagine for a moment that the government would be interested in decreeing that all rental properties in France should supply a pressure cooker! I expect we'll hear from Alan K about this in due course though.

GG,

I have checked with my local Mairie and tourist information office and neither of them have ever heard of any such requirements.

Fluffy

[Giddy Goat]

Thanks Fluffs!

[Nessie]

I know more and more tourist office would like us all to be graded and list with either GDF or Clévacances. We live right on the border of the Gers and Tarn et Garonne and use to use the OT in both depts for our advertising but were told a few years back that until we were graded then none of them would carry our details. I know it does vary in different departments and some are not bothered one way or the other. But as far as I am aware from all the documentation that I have received its not currently law that you have to be.

[Jimbo]

And yes, the French like their pressure cookers!

Years ago, I used to stay regularly in Calais in the Rue Denis Papin. Eventually, intrigued, I looked him up and it turned out that he invented the pressure cooker! Apologies for this thread creep but I've been waiting for 20 years to drop this information into a conversation or in a crossword but with never a whiff of an opportunity - until now.

Jim

[Giddy Goat]

That must be a load off your mind Jim! And little did M Papin know what angst he was going to create amongst future gite owners with his invention - and spattered ceilings!

[Loopy Lou]

No shaver sockets and no pressure cookers in my gites. Do men use plug in razors any more???

[Alan Knighting]

No shaver sockets and no pressure cookers in my gites. Do men use plug in razors any more???

No, as you can tell from our "designer" stubble we use the pressure cookers.

Fluffy

[Loopy Lou]

[Giddy Goat]

Or should that read designer bubble Alan?

I know, a bit contrived, but the best I could offer at this time on a Sunday night.

[Taff2]

I know, a bit contrived, but the best I could offer at this time on a Sunday night.

Feeling the pressure eh, GG?

[Giddy Goat]

Oui!