This
section is designed to provide background information to property
owners considering renting their properties out long-term.
What
does it cost to register a property with French Locations?
To
register one property with us we charge an annual fee of £70,
with a sliding scale for owners with more than one property to
be included. For full details of the charges and how to register
your property with us please click here.
Why let long-term?
Many
of the properties registered with us for long-term lets are also
available for shorter summer holiday bookings. There is a limited
demand for shorter holiday bookings during the low season, but
a proven market for longer bookings of a couple of months or more.
By making your house available year round not only will you realise
a much greater income from letting, but the house will benefit
from being heated and lived in throughout the colder months. Many
longer-term tenants are happy to maintain the garden whilst they
are there, and knowing that your house is not standing empty for
long periods can be a valuable deterrent to burglars.
Who wants to rent long-term in France?
The majority of those wishing to rent long-term are considering buying a house in France themselves and, as a result, may wish to spend some time living in France to ‘test the water’. Renting gives them the opportunity to “try before they buy”, possibly spend time researching schools or employment prospects, and be sure that a move to France is right for them. Others may already have bought a property and need to live nearby for a period of some months to oversee renovation and building works before
they can move in; or they may want a base in France for work reasons,
some time out enjoying the French way of life for a few months,
or even a peaceful base to get the creative juices flowing! Whatever
their motivation, long-term renting can offer them an excellent
choice of properties all over France.
How long?
Some owners make their properties available for long-term rental during
the off-season only (usually Autumn through to Spring), perhaps
because they use the property themselves during the Summer or
because they make it available for shorter holiday bookings. Others
will happily take long lets all year round, or even on a fairly
open-ended basis, until such time as they want to move there permanently
themselves. Do be prepared to be flexible over your long-term
letting season - it may be better to accept a single 12-month
booking than have to deal with weekly or fortnightly changeovers
throughout the summer months.
Furnished or unfurnished?
Under
French law unfurnished property must be let for a minimum period
of three years, in some cases five years. The vast majority of
tenants enquiring through French Locations are looking for a tenancy
of between 3 – 12 months, so in most cases furnished property
is best. The law also requires that ‘furnished’ means
comfortably furnished rather than just basic, so should include
beds, table & chairs, etc.
Sometimes,
however, tenants want to bring some or all of their furniture
with them whilst they are house-hunting in France. So if you have
a secure barn or outbuilding do consider making this available
to them for storage. We have encountered this situation several
times in the past and can cover arrangements for this within the
terms of a tenancy agreement or lease.
Leases Click
here for more information
For
your peace of mind, and based on years of experience, we would
strongly recommend that there should be a formal French tenancy
agreement (“Contrat de Location”) in place for all
long-term lets. If a tenant is going to be using your house for
a period of several months it is crucial to have all the details
covered in a watertight lease so as to avoid any misunderstanding
or disagreement. An English lease is not valid under French law.
French Locations offers the additional service of supplying tailor-made
French tenancy agreements for bookings of three months or more.
For full details go to the ‘Leases’ section of our
website.
How much can I charge?
We would suggest that you should be realistic about the monthly rental
for a long-term let. The evidence from our years of experience is
that the monthly rent you could expect to realise for an off-season
let will probably be more or less equivalent to the weekly rent in
high season, but do have a look at what similar properties are charging.
There are no hard and fast rules - every owner’s circumstances
are different. Be prepared to offer a range, e.g. £500 - £650.
This gives you the flexibility to negotiate depending on the length
of the booking, the number in the party, etc.
It is worth considering accepting a slightly lower rent if the tenant
is prepared to pay the whole amount in advance. If you are considering
long-term lets all year round you may wish to stipulate that the rent
during the summer months will be higher to reflect market forces.
We would also recommend that utility bills (gas, electricity, water
etc.) are paid by the tenant in addition to the monthly rent –
that way they are responsible for their own fuel consumption, particularly
in the colder months.
How
do tenants find French Locations?
Tenants
come to us from a variety of sources. Many will find us on the
internet and contact property owners direct as a result. The majority
of long-term tenants are house-hunting in France and are regular
readers of magazines such as French Property News, Living
France, France Magazine and Property France. We advertise
all year round in these magazines to ensure a regular supply of
high quality enquiries from potential tenants. Because they spend
£4 or so each month on these titles, they are serious about
what they are planning. They can go straight to this website if
they want, or they can contact us by phone, fax or email –
we still welcome enquiries by the old-fashioned methods as well!
If
tenants make direct contact with us we take a detailed brief of
their requirements. Some might be very specific – “I
want a detached house with four bedrooms within 50 kms of Bergerac.
I need a large garden, secure parking and I want to be able to
take my two dogs.” Or they might have a very wide brief
– “I want to spend six months in France over the winter
anywhere with two or three beds in the South West from Charente
Maritime to the Med.” We can then supply them with full
details of those properties which best meet their brief, or, if
they wish, send a copy of our whole catalogue listing all currently
registered properties (for which we make a small charge to cover
production and postage).
Those
tenants who visit our website rather than telephone can see the
full range of properties available, region by region, and have
several ‘search’ options available to them.
What Happens
Next?
Having seen details of your property, either via this website or the
printed pages, the prospective tenant will make contact with you.
In the first instance they are probably just making tentative
enquiries with several property owners. It may be useful to have
an information leaflet or pack about your property available to
send them. In any case, do not be tempted to accept a firm booking
by phone or email at the first point of contact. Find out a bit
about the tenant. After all, if you are letting your property
to someone for a number of months you want to be safe in the knowledge
that they will be a responsible tenant. We would strongly recommend
that they see the property before a final agreement is reached
to rent, especially if they have particular requirements. It’s
not being nosy to enquire why they propose going to France for
a number of months, nor is it unreasonable to ask for a couple
of references.
We
would suggest that you ask:-
- How many people will be in their party?
- Would they be expecting many visitors? (You may have an upper
limit on the number of people staying at the house at any one time)
- Do they have any pets?
- Are there any smokers?
It
would also be wise to indicate that you would like French Locations
to put together a formal French tenancy agreement (if the booking
exceeds 3 months) in order to protect the interests of all parties.
In
short, find out as much as possible about the tenant and set out
the ground rules early on – you should then have the basis
for a trouble-free let.
Some points
to consider:
Security Deposit
You
should ask the tenant for a security deposit once the booking
is agreed in principle. This is (a) to guarantee the booking until
a tenancy agreement has been drawn up, and (b) to act as a warranty
against breakages or damage during the rental period. There is
no fixed amount for a security deposit, but many owners ask for
the equivalent of one month’s rent. This deposit should
be returned to the tenant within one month after the end of the
booked period, subject to the owner being happy that the property
is in the same condition as at the beginning of the tenancy.
Utilities
Unless there are specific reasons why it is not possible, it is normal
practice for the tenant to pay for consumable utilities, e.g.
oil, gas, water, electricity, during the rental period. In the
case of metered utilities (such as water and electricity) you
can ask the supplier to change the bills over to the tenant’s
name. In practice, however, it is more common for the owner still
to receive and pay the bills and arrange for the tenant to reimburse
them within, say, 10-14 days of receipt of a copy of the bill.
For bills covering the beginning and end of the tenancy period
which will not be the tenant’s responsibility in full, you
should take a meter reading and charge the tenant pro-rata.
As
for oil, the usual practice is for the owner to supply a full
tank for the tenant at the start of the tenancy, and for the tenant
to leave the tank full again on departure.
Bed
linen and towels
It is as well to check with tenants whether they intend bringing
their own bed-linen and towels. Many will do so as a matter of
course, but others may expect it to be supplied. It’s worth
checking.
Television
In
general you will find that tenants do like to have a TV, in particular
if they can receive UK TV channels via a satellite or digi-box,
so consider installing one if there is not one in your house already.
Telephone/Internet connection
This
is another feature which many long-term tenants will be looking
for. Be prepared to have this installed if you do not already
have it. The tenant may pay for it, or share the cost. We have
built this arrangement into a number of tenancy agreements in
the past.
Pets
Some
tenants may have domestic pets they wish to bring with them, others
want grazing and/or stabling for one or more horses. It is entirely
your choice whether you feel accommodating other people’s
animals is appropriate for your property – don’t be
afraid to lay down strict rules if you are willing to accept pets.
Particular arrangements, for example temporary fencing, dog kennels,
specialist cleaning of carpets and furnishings at the end of a
tenancy, can all be built into the tenancy agreement.
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