Taxes & Classification


TVA (VAT)
 
By nature of our business regime TVA is not payable and is not charged.


Taxe de Séjour (Tourist Tax)
 
This is common throughout France and indeed many countries in Europe and the world. Ours is levied by the Communauté de Communes des Coëvrons on all people aged 18 and over staying in holiday accommodation. We are required to collect it on their behalf and remit the proceeds. Please see https://coevrons.taxesejour.fr
 
The amount payable varies according to the official classification of the property. Prior to 1st January 2019 an unclassified property had had a low Taxe de Séjour but since then this has changed and unclassified properties are penalised, the amount payable being up to 5% of the rental price. We were initially classified by Gîtes de France as a 4 épis property (equivalent to 4 stars) but de-registered in order to reduce the amount of tax our guests would have to pay. In our experience, having a "low" star rating did not make any difference to our bookings, our guests being able to see that what they were actually getting bore no resemblance to any low-rated criteria.

In view of the change in the law it has become less costly for guests to pay the "normal" classified rate of Taxe de Séjour and we have therefore obtained a 4 star rating from the (new) official body, Atout France. To achieve this, we and our property went through a very comprehensive and exacting assessment process conducted by a trained and accredited professional assessor who meticulously checked against 112 criteria covering all aspects of the property, the grounds and the facilities.

There is evidence that this change has been made to drive unregistered, unofficial gîtes and B&Bs out of business and ensure the likes of AirBnB and Booking.com do not act as channels to the black economy. Whilst there is no doubt there are many great properties that are "unofficial" there is also no doubt that there are properties that are sub-standard, unhygienic or just plain dangerous. And that, of course, is nothing to do with the location, photos, ambience or value for money you saw in the advert. The commercial listing sites do NOT check out the properties they advertise.


The Star Rating System (La Goupillère is 4 Star)

So, whilst in some respects we regret that this change has been made, it should, hopefully, result in a higher standard and consistency of accommodation and facilities and ensure that guests can be confident that their officially registered and regulated holiday accommodation meets the required high standards of safety and comfort. Guests can still choose the level of accommodation they require at the price they want but with some certainty they will get what they expected. The Regulatory regime and standards are France-wide so do present a level playing field from which you can choose your holiday property.

Although there are five levels, it is actually almost impossible for private owners to achieve 5 stars! The requirements for this include zealously environmentally friendly properties, superior disabled access, owners speaking at least three foreign languages, and other factors that, whilst laudable, are beyond the ability of most of us to provide at affordable cost.

We, and many other 4 star properties, do provide the vast majority of the aspects required for 5 stars, it’s just we haven’t got the few ticks to get us there. We suggest you should judge for yourselves before focusing exclusively on the official 5 star market.