Letters: I'm tired of second-home owners complaining about life in France
Connexion reader questions people's problem with higher taxes and the 90/180 day rule
Second-home owners face higher local taxes in France in addition to limits on the time they can spend here
SophieOst/Shutterstock
To the Editor,
I really do not understand all the moaning over owning a second home in France since Brexit.
The 90/180 day rule means that you can spend up to half of your time at your second home, allowing you to do pretty much anything, unless you want to spend more than three months in one go (perhaps to 'winter' there).
If you do want to spend more than half your time at your second home, surely that makes it your main home, and your second home is in England!
Read more: Can a French residency card holder buy a second-home in EU and spend time there?
As regards taxe d'habitation only applying to second homes, there are plenty of examples of additional taxes (and locals' resentment) applying to second homes in the UK.
We have to accept that having the luxury of a second home potentially denies somebody else the possibility of a primary residence, which generates local income 365 days a year.
I live in rainy Bolton, and am fortunate to have a sun-soaked second home in Menton (Alpes-Maritimes) since 2015 – and I voted for Brexit for reasons other than ease of visiting.
Michael Houlston, Alpes-Maritimes
Do you agree that second-home owners make too much fuss despite being a relatively privileged group? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com
