#15 Rants & Bants! (The one where the London brain meets rural France)
Episode 15, Season 1
Rants & Bants episodes are our informal, off-the-cuff chats - think of them like secretly recorded calls. Less polish, more spontaneity - but always insightful
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Micala’s back! And she arrives with tales of a ladies’ business breakfast, International Women’s Day, and the revelation that getting dressed properly is optional when you work from home - but it is still worth looking in the mirror, as she recently learnt!
From there it only gets livelier as the team go all in on the great deposit debate (spoiler: yes, you absolutely should pay one), the French government’s crackdown on cash-in-hand work, a very London person who thinks rural France is crying out for a pulled pork sandwich, ending with a shout-out to one of our favourite French renovation groups on Facebook, who very kindly mentioned us - though apparently our French pronunciation needs work. Nous sommes désolés. We’re working on it!
Resources and things mentioned in this episode
Deposits and devis — Rosie, Sue and Micala discuss why established artisans absolutely do ask for deposits, and why refusing to pay one is a red flag for both parties. If it’s in a signed devis with clear payment terms, you’re protected - and so are they.
E-invoicing and e-reporting in France - new rules are coming later in 2026 that will require businesses in certain structures to issue fully compliant digital invoices and reporting. Worth looking into if you’re a trade or running a renovation business in France
URSSAF and social charges — the episode touches on the French social charge system, what happens when artisans (or their clients) don’t pay in, and why the homeowner can end up liable. We covered this in more detail in Episode #13: Do you really need a project manager for your French renovation?
Working in France post-Brexit — a reminder that UK nationals no longer have the right to work in France without the correct visas and registration. Bringing a team over from the UK without the right paperwork carries serious legal and financial consequences
Fix Radio podcast — a UK trades podcast that Sue references, discussing why clients only think they’re paying for time on the tools
Renovations in France — a big thank you to Peter Gerrit, the tradesman behind this brilliant Facebook group, for the kind mention to his audience. We’d love to have him on as a guest. And yes, Peter, we will work on the French pronunciation!
Small Profits (BBC) — the Mackenzie Crook series that prompted a brief but heartfelt defence of northern English pronunciation. That’ll learn ‘em
Connect
Email: frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com
Maison Bretagne (Rosie Ellis) | S.R. Charpenterie (Sue Peake-Russell) | Paul Wilkins Electricien (Micala Wilkins)