MKT

well we really shopped around for the parts and the rads seemed particularly cheap but everything else cost a bomb. all those little copper fittings really add up because you need so many of them. in our own house the total bill ws €7000 and in our gite €6000 but the saving was mostly because we had a cheaper controller/thermostat in the gite. the boiler alone was €3000 - could have got cheaper but were advised all round not to. the real shock was even when we got it done after a month of angst and all this expense we then had to find €800 for 1500 litres of fioul!! (just about to run out) Maria

Yes, Thankyou both of you. There seems to be a bit of confusion... I am not looking to be insured whilst I am staying in someones Gite, I am looking for MY clients to be insured while they are staying in mine since my insurance wont pay out (seemingly) if they damage anything, even burn the hosue down, if its deemed to be their fault. As Sc points out, french visitors will have the cover anyway, but I am renting to english clients who do NOT have this cover. My problem remains the same - how do I insure against the visitors wrecking the place? The impression given by this forum is that the market is full of people renting out gites - what do you all do about this? Maria

I have taken on board all your comments about quality and would love to buy the stacking, no moving parts, two wheels at the front types mentioned but cannot find them anywhere! I appreciate that its out of season but i have guests coming in March and need to buy 10 loungers before then.   Can anybody offer any ideas as to where i might get such loungers as you all recommend? thanks in advance Maria

I wonder if any of you can shed any light on this worrying insurance situation for me (also posted in gite owners forum) After 3 long years of preparation, we are about to open for our first season of renting our house out (short term holiday lets, so far English take-up only) and so, keen to be properly insured,  I went to see our insurance agent (AGF) to adjust the policy to cover the fact that the house is being rented out. After a few days she came back with a quote - €100 or so higher than I am currently paying, and assured me that ‘everything is covered, including legal protection’. However, on closer questioning about what would happen if the clients damage our property  (for example burn the house down or rip the expensive pool cover) she said that this is down to THEM and not our insurance (i.e. AGF)  and that we need to obtain from them, along with the security deposit an ‘attestation de responibilite civile’. She says this will be provided by the clients own UK insurers free of charge (seems a bit of an assumption) and that is ‘normal’ and that we are not covered for damage from clients without it. She says even if the people are only coming for 2 days, they must furnish us with this certificate each time.    Having in the past stayed in many gites and houses, I have never been asked to provide this sort of thing and have grave doubts as to how this request will be received/achieved. I cannot see that holidaymakers are all going to want to ring their insurers and get this certificate in advance of the holiday and what about non-homeowners anyway? Does everybody in the party have to have it? The whole thing sounds wrong to me, and I wonder if the agent is just either being a bit awkward (perish the thought) or just covering AGF’s back in advance. I would like to know if any of you fellow gite owners do this or not and if not, where does one stand regarding major damage.   I have of course asked for a security deposit of £100 against damage and said in my terms and conditions (which they have to sign and return)  that this sum does not limit the clients liability to us.    In the situation outlined by AGF yesterday however, if there was a fire and the gendarmes determined that it was the fault of the clients, I would have no leg to stand on – according to her I would not be insured and without this attestation I could not claim from the clients insurance. Clearly, the £100 is going to be neither here nor there! Am I the only person in this situation? Do the rest of you ask for such an attestation? And do you get it?   I hope someone can help or shed some light on this matter, it cost me a nights sleep last night and I am not sure where to turn for clarification. Many thanks in advance Maria  

I wonder if any of you can shed any light on this worrying insurance situation for me.   After 3 long years of preparation, we are about to open for our first season of renting our house out (short term holiday lets, so far English take-up only) and so, keen to be properly insured,  I went to see our insurance agent (AGF) to adjust the policy to cover the fact that the house is being rented out. After a few days she came back with a quote - €100 or so higher than I am currently paying, and assured me that ‘everything is covered, including legal protection’. However, on closer questioning about what would happen if the clients damage our property  (for example burn the house down or rip the expensive pool cover) she said that this is down to THEM and not our insurance (i.e. AGF)  and that we need to obtain from them, along with the security deposit an ‘attestation de responibilite civile’. She says this will be provided by the clients own UK insurers free of charge (seems a bit of an assumption) and that is ‘normal’ and that we are not covered for damage from clients without it. She says even if the people are only coming for 2 days, they must furnish us with this certificate each time.    Having in the past stayed in many gites and houses, I have never been asked to provide this sort of thing and have grave doubts as to how this request will be received/achieved. I cannot see that holidaymakers are all going to want to ring their insurers and get this certificate in advance of the holiday and what about non-homeowners anyway? Does everybody in the party have to have it? The whole thing sounds wrong to me, and I wonder if the agent is just either being a bit awkward (perish the thought) or just covering AGF’s back in advance. I would like to know if any of you fellow gite owners do this or not and if not, where does one stand regarding major damage.   I have of course asked for a security deposit of £100 against damage and said in my terms and conditions (which they have to sign and return)  that this sum does not limit the clients liability to us.    In the situation outlined by AGF yesterday however, if there was a fire and the gendarmes determined that it was the fault of the clients, I would have no leg to stand on – according to her I would not be insured and without this attestation I could not claim from the clients insurance. Clearly, the £100 is going to be neither here nor there! Am I the only person in this situation? Do the rest of you ask for such an attestation? And do you get it?   I hope someone can help or shed some light on this matter, it cost me a nights sleep last night and I am not sure where to turn for clarification. Many thanks in advance Maria