Free'ish' land for small holding

[trollwumple]

Hi,

We have some land "mostly forest and a swampy bit" which we would like someone to work and create a smallholding from. This is the perfect opportunity for someone or a couple of motivated people to start from scratch and create something real, live of the land and build a small cabin/house to live in.

You would be building the house from the trees which you cut down, clear the land and fence it, set up veg plots, work the land and maybe keep some small livestock.

Various tools and a tractor could be made available, the only thing which we would ask is that you help out on the main smallholding for 4ish hours per day, this work could entail, cutting firewood, helping with some building work, fencing, helping with the livestock, clearing paddocks, helping in the veg gardens, planting food, etc, etc.

The land is in southwest france and is situated within our small holding, "so you would in fact be creating a small, smallholding", the land available is around 5 acres.

Obviously this is just a tentative enquiry as to whether there are people out there who would be able and like to give this a try, we are looking to get this set up by the end of the year, but if we could find the right person/couple this timespan could be brought forward to summer/autumn.

[eco-mick]

gosh this appeals to me.... if only it was in the UK

Mick

[Thomzo]

Ditto. If you were a bit closer, I'd jump at it. A chance to learn by helping and having a go at the same time.

Could you move to Wiltshire please?

Zoe

[clanpowell]

Sounds great. Where would the people live whilst they build their home?

[starbrite]

Just looking at the replies to this, why does it need to be in the UK, as the people who take this on will be working full time anyway as long as you have some savings and a good worth ethic it doesn't matter where it is, France isn't some strange far off world. Where would you live? In a caravan, while you clear the land, but building a house out of "wet" trees, not sure how that works. The problem I see with all this though is how it all works legally, While the person is working on the OP's land they may possibly be counted as working on the black, as there is payment in kind. The next problem for the OP is that by accepting payment, even if its only in work done means should the OP want there land back they would find evicting the "tenants" very difficult if not impossible, In France, for example, you allow the local farmer to use or even cross your land and he gives you a bottle of wine as a thank you means he has paid you for using the land, a rent has been established, maybe in a few years you may be able to insist on raising the rent to two bottles!
The more I write and think about what is on offer here I wonder whether this really is a good idea, the theory sounds great, but French laws can be strange, building a house, is there certificate for urbanism on the land? If not you won't get permission to build. Living in a caravan, search Jamie/itinerant child/ Yurt, heres one on this site http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 33&t=12766 Jamie was evicted from his own land because he lived in a yurt. The old French motto of Liberty before law has pretty much disappeared in France, big brother is alive and well in France.

[pelmetman]

My main worry would be if the owners decided to sell and move on where would that leave you!

Also as Starbrite so rightly said French law can be very confusing.

Sue

[starbrite]

My main worry would be if the owners decided to sell and move on where would that leave you!

Also as Starbrite so rightly said French law can be very confusing.

Sue

Another point, it would leave any new buyer with a sitting tenant.