The Old Hack

Standing on an embankment, dangling a hook in the still waters of a lake in the peaceful countryside of South West France.  An angler’s dream?  Or just a pipedream?

 The Poitou-Charente and Limousin regions of France are noted for their abundance of lakes of all shapes and sizes and many settlers in the region are tempted by the excitement of owning their own lake – either for leisure or for starting up their own fishing business.

Owning your own lake can be a passport to anglers’ heaven or, for the unprepared, a taste of hell on earth.

The lake pictured above is a 6000m² fishing lake, stocked with specimen carp and sturgeon.  It is offered by LaBoucherie Immobilier at 54,500€, including agency fees.  Click here for more detail

 If you are intending to set up your lake as a business - have you familiarised yourself with setting up a business in France?  Do you (or have you) run a business in the UK?  Here in France it is no easier.  There are formalities to complete – sole trader?   Limited company?  And there are (of course) taxes to pay.  Even if most of your customers are British – and even if they pay you in sterling – your business is still in France and as such liable to French taxes, which can seem quite punitive at first.

If you are tempted to set up “on the black” without declaring your “leisure lake” as a business – my advice is an emphatic “don’t!”  You run the risk of a heavy fine and even imprisonment – and your ignorance of the law or failure to speak the language will not be counted as any sort of excuse by the police or gendarmerie once they get wind of your illegal activity.

Find yourself a good accountant – and unless you speak good French, make sure that your accountant speaks good English.  He or she will prove invaluable in helping you through the maze of bureaucracy and ensuring that you start off on the right footing.  Try to find someone who has already set up their business in France and ask lots of questions.  In short – as the boy scouts say – “Be Prepared!”

 If your fishing lake is intended purely for private use by you and your friends and family, you do not have any of the worries associated with setting up a business.  You must, however, conform with the rules and regulations concerning lakes.  Do some research BEFORE you buy your lake.  Don’t just throw caution to the wind and hope that everything will be fine.  After all, you want your lake for relaxation, so make sure that you CAN relax without some rule or regulation taking you by surprise.

 Is the lake a ‘closed’ lake?  If it has a river or stream running in or out of it, it is NOT closed, and will therefore likely be subject to the departmental laws for stocking, fishing, licensing etc.  ENSURE THAT YOUR LAKE IS A CLOSED, SPRING-FED LAKE.  Take the advice of the local Notaire (French property solicitor) who will have access to all the necessary legal papers concerning the land and lake.  Do not blindly accept the word of a private seller or estate agent who will probably not have the necessary knowledge and experience.