Finding a rentals management company in France
The quickest and easiest solutions for sourcing a rentals management service in France are either to put “rentals management company” and your nearest town/village/conurbation into one of the major search engines and see what comes up or simply ask local friends and neighbours for recommendations.
If you are using the Pages Jaunes to search for a rental management company type in the search box “gestion locative” and the name or postcode of the relevant town.
What a rentals management company should provide
A full inventory (including photographs) of your property for security and insurance purposes.
Advice on what personal possessions should stay and what should be locked away.
Advice on bedding, towels, garden furniture including local suppliers.
A comprehensive legally binding rental contract.
An adequate security deposit, held by the rental company, refundable when your guests vacate the property at the correct time and in the right condition as per the contract.
A mid-week or mid-stay visit to check on guests, the state of the property, garden and pool.
Emergency assistance – Doctors, dentists, hospital etc.
A call out service for disasters in the house, plumbers, electricians, pool experts, as well as problems with kettles, fridges and washing machines.
There should be a single point of contact for the owner and your guests. The single point of contact should include a 24/7 emergency number for you and your guests, even if it’s the home phone number of your rental company’s boss!
We have experienced heart attacks at six o’clock in the morning, broken limbs at nine o’clock at night, as well as lost guests in the middle of the night, and I do mean middle!!
Once chosen, your rental management company should promote your property, professionally and effectively, but don’t forget you can advertise your holiday home directly, just to add to the mix. Local newspapers, notices in local shops, or holiday rental web sites are all good resources; your rental management company should be happy to provide the wording (beware the dreaded poetic licence, keep it fact not fiction) as well as some advice as to which web sites work best.
Examples of web sites we use are: www.ownersdirect.co uk – www.holidaylettings.net – www.lost-in-france.com – www.vacationrental people.com – www.apartmentsdirect.ie
If you don’t have the time or inclination, you can ask your rental company to handle the enquiries and bookings – but ask the cost first to avoid unpleasant fee surprises.
A local management rental company “will work on your holiday and that of your guests”.
It’s not just about getting bookings, you will need someone local who can follow up and look after your guests and their holiday. Ensure that your local management rental company will be on hand to “meet and greet” your guests at your property.
Renting out your holiday home and looking after your paying guests can be both an administrative and practical nightmare. Making use of a local rental company with bilingual staff, expertise and resources can help to really maximise your property’s rental potential and give you peace of mind when back home.
With years of experience as one of three successful franchised “owners clubs” operating rental management companies, we hope that this guide will help you choose the right company for the job.
This information was provided by Janine Wood at Cordes Owners Club.
