beris Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi allAdvise please.In our booking terms & Conditions we ask for a security of €500 for the rental period is required on arrival in case of damage to the property or its contents or for additional cleaning expenses, etc, etc we finish The owner will account to the client for the security deposit and refund the balance by cheque, less any deductions, within 14 days of the end of the holiday period.I understand that this is normal proceedure, but my question is, when we take the deposit it will be in euro's, most of our clients are from England and require an English cheque returned. We are a French SARL and do not have an English Bank account.Any ideas would be very welcome.Best WishesBeris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saucedecochon Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Wouldn't it be worth opening an English savings account just in case you need to cash a security?Also, how many of your English guests will be able to provide you with a Euro cheque?Our English guests used to give us an English cheque, which we held until departure. Any extra money would have to be paid, before we returned the cheque to them. That "caution" alone focussed the mind and led to us never having to demand money with menaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Would Pay Pal work for this ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Many times I've paid a deposit, once or twice by the quaint old-fashioned method of a paper cheque from an Euro account on a French bank for which I strangely still have a cheque book but mostly with a credit card or direct electronic transfer.I have to say that usually I pay around €200, I would definitely balk at having to stump up €500 and would look elsewhere. What could I possibly break to that value? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard51 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Agree with RH - we use Paypal. They can pay in any currency with debit or credit card and, so long as you refund within (I think) eight weeks or so there are no charges (for either taking or refunding). In the event of damage, you can make a partial refund and charges only apply to the part retained.Our deposit is €300 - but the house has some rather expensive F&F (large flatscreen TV with home cinema, new pc etc, antique furniture..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beris Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 Thanks to all who replied,The Paypal seems a good idea. We will try it out.To Pierre ZFP the answer is one toilet at our gite! and we have three of those.Beris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champiau Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 We charge €200 security deposit but many times wish it were higher - €500 still wouldn't cover the cost of a damaged jacuzzi or replacement pool liner, nor would it cover combined repairs to broken windows, ruined white goods, walls (someone deliberately kicking a hole in a plasterboard wall), replacement cloth on the pool table (get the picture!) - all of which can quite easily be the case with one group with 'little darlings' who are allowed to run riot (sorry, express themselves) because their parents have left their nannies and cleaners at home. Please don't assume that insurers will cover it. Plus the potential legal nightmare of finding the contaminated throwaways of a heroin addict (yes, discovered after the event!).Yes, we appreciate that all this comes with the territory and it is our choice to be gite owners, however, why is it that so many people seem to leave their brains behind when they come on holiday and do not care less about the property they are renting (note, not owning) for their holiday? Not much to ask is it? Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but this season is proving itself to be a long one and it beggars belief how some people manage to create such havoc (as well as treating us, the owners, like s**t)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Champiau, has all that happened to you this season?Sincerely hope not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard51 Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Beris, agree completely with you regarding both the size of the deposit and the toilet as a potential expense. One of our delightful guests this summer let their children stuff things down the toilet - despite notices and advice when they arrived explaining not to do this as we had a septic tank. Result - we had to dig up half the garden to access the septic tank and sort out the blockage - right in the middle of the peak letting period. After that experience we are seriously thinking about increasing our security deposit further!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champiau Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Hello Bubbles, Thankfully not all this season, but with some of the groups this year it has been a near thing (bits of metal being thrown into the pool, fag ends and spent matches being shoved up the jets of the jacuzzi, crockery being jammed into the dishwasher to stop the spray arm working, rubber balloons deposited in the bottom of the toaster, which could have been REALLY serious ... the list runs on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 [quote user="champiau"] ... but with some of the groups this year it has been a near thing (bits of metal being thrown into the pool, fag ends and spent matches being shoved up the jets of the jacuzzi, crockery being jammed into the dishwasher to stop the spray arm working, rubber balloons deposited in the bottom of the toaster, which could have been REALLY serious ... the list runs on![/quote]Perhaps you might want to think again about where you advertise your property? To attract a nicer type of person? You really do seem to have the worst people possible staying at your place.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Sue, I think you have made a valid point there. I do feel that there are perhaps more problems with properties that sleep lots of people. Who takes the responsabilty for the whole party?[:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champiau Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Chez Nous, Owners Direct!! To be honest, I don't think we gite owners can do much to select our clients - it's impossible to know what people are like until they arrive... It's like a car insurance company advert on UK TV at the moment - people often behave differently when placed in a different context - unfortunately for us, often badly! Why can't people just be nice? (Naive, I know!!)In our opinion, the greatest act of faith is actually handing over the keys of our property to complete strangers, even if they have paid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Well I would have thought you'd be alright advertising on those two sites. Do you phone your clients when they first enquire and sound them out or do you just make the booking via e-mail?Is yours a large property and if so is it the problem of having large groups or several families at a time.You do seem to have been very unlucky and I do hope the rest of your season improves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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