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I am living in Toulouse, about 2.5 hours from Sete. I am going to have to explore the gulf of Lion and look for a moorage for my boat. I would be happy to explore the nearby harbors and socialize with you.  I have recently been traumatized by the apartment rental experience and am happy to discuss solutions with you. Unlike you My French is almost non-existant. You language skills should help a lot.

Hi thanks for your speedy reply. Very happy to meet up. I have been living in Alicante for the last year and finding accomdation here was relatively easy.  Ideally I would like to rent for 6months to see if Sete suits me. How has your experience been in Toulouse? Anne

I am previously from northern Portugal. A sudden change in my tax status required me to void my lease, sell my belongings and move to France. I had visited toulouse several times and found it ticked some of my boxes. Good access to culture, moderate attractiveness, good transport, medical care, veteinary care and product availability. As I had to move before another tax year hit, I came poorly prepared.

A not-so-quick flight and property visit with a lovely realtor resulted in rejection...I had a foreign source of income and the general liability insurers would not cover any clims by the property owner. Later I was rejected because "I made too much".

So to answer your question, France is nothing like Portugal or Spain, when it comes to rentals, phones and bnk accounts. They all have serious "must-dos" to achieve them, and people who are either too risk averse or plain lazy to help you make them happen.

Stays to check out locations are absolutely the way to go. I had no such choice. I found an Air bnb and paid for 3 moths rent. You can find them with long term discounts, which run 2-300€ more than renting, for a much smaller space.

You will read some very confusing and challenging things about renting, banking and phones here. The bottom line is, once you understand them, accept that some French refuse to deal with them, and once organized in your own knowledge base, they CAN be navigated with effort and time. Bear in mind, the issues are not about YOU. They are about governmental oversight of the flow of money within and from without because of social dischord, terrorism and the flow of international money.

The upside of France is that they are more advanced than Spain and infinitely more advanced than Portugal when it come to finding and purchasing goods and services, but with more complex (but also more rational) bureaucracy.

I do not know what restrictions you have regarding Schengen, but if you can stay and wander at will. I would encourage you to check out several places.

As to Toulouse, I like it, but it is not ideal for me, but because of my forced time frame, it had to suffice. It has theu upsides and downsides of a 1.4 million person city. I Love the people. With French skills I can only imagine you will meet and make new friends. You might like reading Janet Hulstrands Demystifying the French.

During the next 2 months I will have to travel the coastline from Leucate to Montpellier, looking for a home for my boat. I have a vehicle and you would be welcome to explore as I drive from marina to marina.

Gosh what a nightmare. But I am glad it has not put you off France. You should learn the language, it is beautiful. I have two more months on my lease in Alicante so plan to head to Sete 1st March. I will book an airbnb for a few weeks to give me time. I am irish so hoping that helps (eu wise) and my work is in London. However I am expecting the usual complications but hopefully not too many. What is your name?

@anneq100

I am Jonathan, a retired Psychiatric RN. Being Irish should significantly improve your ability to rent. I think you may need to run your income through an Irish bank to avoid the "not-EU" taboo. I hope you will send me a message when you come to Sete.

My experience was less of a nightmare than a pricey life lesson. Money, while helpful, is one of lifes least valuable things.

If I pass through Sete in my search, I will send you a note about what I see.