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- Legal Preparation
- Tax Preparation
- Pricing Structure
- Preparing for Holiday Makers
- Attention to Detail
- Finishing Touches
If you’re thinking about renting your French Riviera property as a holiday home, you’ll be happy to know that occupancy rates in this neck of the woods are outstanding.
Renting out your property is a great way to generate income and build long-term value for your home. And opting for short-term holiday rentals rather than a yearly lease is ideal if you plan to use the property yourself during the year.
Turning your property into a holiday rental definitely requires some initial preparation work but once it’s all up and running, you’ll have nothing to do except sit back and watch your property pay for itself over time.
To make sure the transition from family home to holiday rental accommodation goes smoothly, we’ve put together a handy guide to help you prep your property. Once you’ve got everything ticked off our list, you’ll be totally ready to put your house on the rental market and wait for your first guests to arrive.
Also, bear in mind that we can help you with all of these things.
1) Legal Prep – The Most Important Bit
Local letting laws
Before letting out your property you’ll need to check the holiday letting laws for your location. Regulations vary from town to town along the French Riviera so your best bet is to start with the local mairie and check which rules apply and if you will need any specific requirements or permits to rent out your home.
Saftey first
You will also need to check the safety requirements and review the health code regulations for renting a property in the South of France. For example, a fire safety assessment is compulsory before renting out your property. To prove your home is up to spec, you will need to provide copies of all the necessary French property surveys and reports.
Letting contract
Holiday rentals in France are legally required to operate using a rental contract. You can draw up the contract yourself or have it drawn up by a notaire, but if you’re planning on renting through an agency they will probably have a standard letting agreement on hand. A standard agreement will include clauses to cover the following:
- Security deposit refund
- Payment methods
- Cancellation policy
- Minimum stay
- Maximum occupancy
- Pet/smoking policies
- House rules/regulations and penalties
Insurance
You will also need to take out a specific insurance policy for holiday rentals. You will need to add the value of your furnishings to your policy to make sure they’re covered in the event of any damage/loss.
2) Tax Preparation – Another Important One
What taxes?
As the owner of a holiday rental, you are liable for all the income you make during the year which is classed as professional earnings. Therefore you’ll want to check with a notaire about any applicable taxes and/or tax deductions plus the financial consequences of any capital gains relating to your property.
Non-resident in France
If you are non-resident in France, you will also want to check with the relevant tax authority in your home country to see whether you need to declare the earnings from your French rental property.
Occupancy tax
You will also need to check with your local Mairie (town hall) about the occupancy tax rate for holiday lettings on the French Riviera.
3) Payments – Creating a Pricing Structure
How to price?
If you are planning to let your property through an agency like Beauchamp Estates, we will help and advise you with setting an accurate letting rate. Using our knowledge of the French Riviera market we will be able to give you a pricing structure to let your property on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
Additional help
We will also be able to handle formalities like setting up a payment schedule, providing payment methods for your guests and dealing with the damage deposit before and after each stay.
4) Preparing for Holidaymakers – the nitty gritty
Before you let out your property, you’ll want to sort out all the important details. If you plan to rent your property via Beauchamp Estates, we can take care of these things for you.
- Depersonalising by removing any valuables and keepsakes from your home
- Drawing up a housekeeping list to be followed at each check-in/check-out
- Providing detailed instructions for the appliances in your home
- Making copies of the house keys for your guests to use
- Finding a reliable maintenance service to carry out any repairs
- Providing a written fire safety assessment of your property
- Instructions for guests and what to do in the event of a fire
- Providing adequate fire extinguishers and blankets for your property
- Locking any parts of the house which you don’t want your guests to access
- Creating a guest folder with house rules and recommendations etc.
- Providing an emergency contact sheet
5) Household – Attention to Detail
Your property will be a home away from home for your guests, so you’ll want them to be comfortable during their stay. Providing the following items will make sure they feel right at home here on the French Riviera.
Again, if you work with Beauchamp Estates, we can handle everything.
- Bed linens and towels in the bedrooms and bathrooms
- Cooking and dining utensils, tableware and cutlery in the kitchen and dining room
- Wifi/Internet access
- Air conditioning for the hot summer season
- Heating for the cooler months
- An entertainment system
- Baby gear for the littlest guests- a travel cot, highchair etc.
- Sports equipment for the garden/pool
6) Little Extras – Those Finishing Touches
To really make your property stand out from the crowd, go the extra mile by giving guests a couple of little extras. Provide fresh flowers, a complimentary bottle of champagne or a welcome pack to leave a great impression with your guests.
Don’t want the stress of handling this all yourself? Take a look at our French Riviera Holiday Rental Services. There you can find out how we can help.
