Useful and recent advice for French residents on taxes, power utilities, mobile and broadband providers, and great beaches !

The French website https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/ is a treasure-trove of useful information about the much maligned French government bureaucracy and the many administrative procedures regulated by the French government. Its many articles are helpful with challenging things that require a lot of paperwork—like buying property, registering for healthcare, or changing visa types. But there is also a wealth of valuable information on many topics of interest to consumers generally—and most of it is available in both French and English.

It’s possible to sign up for alerts on subjects that interest you. Thereafter you’ll get a brief email pointing you to a new article concerning one of the categories you selected. Don’t worry about being overwhelmed: I’ve signed up for alerts on eleven subjects and only get 3-4 emails monthly.1 (You can create an account on the site, or login using FranceConnect.)

I’m referencing several updates from the past couple months that should be of interest to recent arrivals in the country or cost-conscious residents in general, potential landlords, or even those whose biggest summer ambition is to find a nice beach to escape to !

The Blue Flag (Pavillon Bleue) designation is awarded to beaches that meet a certain standard of environmental quality and cleanliness. You won’t have too much trouble finding one—there are 384 beaches, 100 marinas and even one boat distributed across 182 communes in France métropolitaine and France d’outre-mer. Occitanie leads with the most, followed by the southern region and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. You’ll find most on the Atlantic or Mediterranean, but others also on lakes and rivers.

Find your shoreline destination here: Service-Public or Pavillon Bleue.

If you’re aspiring to live in France (or already live there) and wonder about the tax burden in a given location, service-public.fr has some helpful advice: Use the database of the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) to discover the following:

• the property tax on built properties

• the property tax on unbuilt properties

• the household waste collection tax

• the council tax on second homes

• the council tax on vacant housing

More details available (in French or English) at: Service-Public. (Taxation on second homes, particularly those that are rented part time, is more complicated, but you’ll find information about that at Service-Public as well. For example, see below.)

If you own a residential property, whether a house or a condominium, and offer it for short-term rental as a meublé de tourisme,2 some new regulations apply.

The regulation in question is the “LOI n° 2024-1039 du 19 novembre 2024 visant à renforcer les outils de régulation des meublés de tourisme à l’échelle locale” (Law No. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024 aimed at strengthening the regulatory tools for furnished tourist accommodation at the local level). The purpose of the law is to encourage permanent housing in areas where housing for local residents is under pressure.

Under the revised regulation, the following comes into effect:

• The syndic de copropriété (property manager) of a condominium building must be informed of the intent to rent, and the property’s own rules must explicitly allow such rentals.

• From May 20, 2026, a rental declaration is mandatory in all municipalities (previously it had been limited to so-called “tense” areas). Declarations must be made at the local mairie using form Cerfa 14004*04. Once registered, a registration number is issued which must appear on rental advertisements and reservations.

This article on Service-Public also provides details of tax liabilities on rental income for 2026 and 2027, and provides reminders of how to identify the correct classification of a rental property, and of the need to register as an entrepreneur in order to let a property. (I’ve written in detail about how to register as an entrepreneur individuel here and here.)

Read the full article here: Service-Public.

The service offerings of France’s four largest mobile and broadband service providers can be evaluated and compared, sometimes right down to a 200 square meter area in larger communes. Looking for the most robust reception for yourself or your business? This article’s for you.

Check it out: Service-Public.

I also published my own detailed take on the resources identified right here on Substack:

Selecting a mobile provider in France? This resource can help you choose

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August 1, 2025

The service-public.fr website offers subscriptions to public service announcements I often find interesting and helpful. The current notice entry (28 July 2025) draws attention to a service offered since 2017 for evaluating mobile phone coverage (both mobile internet and voice/SMS) across metropolitan France and its overseas territories:

It costs nothing to change your energy service provider, and there are no limits on how many times you can change. You can also choose different suppliers for electricity and gas. All suppliers use the same meters for measuring consumption. And once you choose a new supplier and agree a service contract, you’re done—your prior contract will be terminated automatically.

Want to know which suppliers operate in your area? Check here: https://comparateur-offres.energie-info.fr/calculette/process/suppliers-list?zipcode=

Want to compare rates and plans from the various providers? Check here: https://comparateur-offres.energie-info.fr/compte/profil?profil=particulier

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