Business registration and funding for gite business in France

Over the past 4 years, we have created a holiday complex consisting of the main house and two gites. We intend to use the two gites as holiday rentals and the main house providing chambres d’hôtes and sejours to French children. This will be a joint business venture and we will both be involved in all activities. Other income includes UK rentals, small UK private pension and possibility local handyman work, e.g. grass cutting etc. Forecast revenues: UK rentals €6,700, gite rentals €8,000, sejour €32,000, private pension €900 and handyman €2,500 giving a total of €49,100.

We also have an opportunity to purchase more gites to increase our current 2 gites to 4 or 5. Funding for this opportunity is a problem and is not available through UK sources. This purchase would also open a new business sector of groups and school trips from the UK and other locations, handling groups up to 25 people. We’re keen for this to include special needs schools.

1. What is the best business structure for us to establish here in France?
2. Does our current social independence, not married or PACS, affect the business and it’s declarations within the French system?
3. We have always intended to get married, would it make sense to go through with this before any business registration?
4. If my partner registers as an auto-entrepreneur for all the activities listed above - would I have to be registered as a co-worker to support the activities?
5. Can I also be registered independently as a handyman in the auto-entrepreneur system?
6. If I didn’t register as an auto-entrepreneur does coworker give me the same health cover with a carte vitale?
7. What is the payment stages for a co worker status?
8. To complete the on-line auto-entrepreneur registration, what documents do we need to be translated into French?
9. Is the UK Rental income exempt from the social calculations?
10. Gite income will mostly be UK families paid into a UK bank account. How is this to be calculated for declaration in the auto-entrepreneur returns?
11. Does any particular business registration help us raise funds in France, personal loans or equity release mortgages?