You've
looked at the details of the properties registered with French
Locations and, we hope, have found some of interest – so
what next?
This section is intended to give you some
guidance so that you should be able to arrange a trouble-free
long-term booking
Contacting
property owners
You
will find details of how to contact the property owners with each
set of individual property details. A few owners prefer the initial
contact to come via French Locations. In this instance, give us
a call or email with the property reference number and your contact
details, together with an idea of the period you might be considering
for renting. We will then contact the owner and ask them to get
in touch with you.
Viewing properties
Please note that we are not able to visit the properties listed individually.
The descriptions are as supplied to us by the owners. Arranging
a long-term booking is very different from making a week or fortnight’s
holiday reservation and we do feel that it is very advisable to
visit and view the property first prior to making a firm commitment.
If you make an arrangement to meet the owner at the property for
a viewing, please keep the appointment. If your circumstances
change and you are unable to make it, or will be late, please
let them know. There is nothing owners dislike more than a “no-show”.
Furniture,
pets and other belongings
Whether or not you arrange a viewing and meet the owner, do check in detail
what is included in the let. For example, some tenants will want
to take their own bed linen, whereas others expect it to be supplied
by the owner.
Most
properties available for long-term rentals are let furnished,
as under French law unfurnished properties should be let for a
minimum of three years. It is often possible, however, to come
to an arrangement with an owner if there are a few particular
items of furniture you wish to take with you to a property. Alternatively,
some properties have a secure outbuilding or storage area which
the owner may be willing to make available to you for the period
of your let.
If you are intending to take domestic pets with you, or larger animals
such as horses, please discuss this with the owner at an early
stage of your negotiations. Some owners will not accept any pets,
others are very flexible about arrangements, and some are happy
to allow pets but will want to apply conditions (such as requiring
professional cleaning of carpets and soft furnishings at the end
of your tenancy period, or restricting use of the garden).
Leases (or tenancy agreements)
If you agree to a booking of three months or more it is advisable
to have a formal French tenancy agreement in place, and most owners
will want to do so as a matter of course. French Locations can
offer this service to owners and tenants. The tenancy agreement,
or ‘Contrat de Location’, sets out in thorough detail
all the terms and conditions that need to be agreed between owner
and tenant to ensure a trouble-free let. It is designed to help
avoid any misunderstanding or disagreement between the two parties,
and you will need a Contrat de Location if you want to open a
bank account in France. The tenancy agreement will include full
details of the period booked, the amount of monthly rent payable,
dates when rent should be paid, and any other mutually agreed
conditions of the tenancy.
Security
Deposit
You should expect that most owners will ask you 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.
Utility
Bills
Expect 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) an owner may 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, the owner will take a meter
reading and charge the tenant pro-rata.
As
for oil and bottled gaz, 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.
TV,
telephone and internet connections
Most, but not all, properties will have connections for televisions
and phone lines but the owner may not provide the actual TV set
or phone. If this is important to you, please discuss with the
owner what they can provide and what they are happy for you to
plug in. Bear in mind that not all UK appliances are compatible
with French systems.
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