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£2000 Booking Lost


Chief

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I've found my official source - it was a bit late last night [:)].

From http://www.service-public.fr/ > Vacances, Loisirs > Location de Vacances > Réservation >

Caution ou garantie

  • Pour une location conclue sans intermédiaire, le montant (non réglementé) du dépôt de garantie est, en général, de 20% du prix de la location et doit être versé à l'entrée dans les lieux contre remise d'un reçu. Le loueur a le droit d'encaisser la caution
  • Pour une location conclue avec un intermédiaire (un agent immobilier par exemple), le montant du dépôt de garantie est de 25% maximum du prix de la location et peut être versé au plus 6 mois à l'avance. Une commission peut être demandée par l'intermédiaire (un agent immobilier par exermple). Le dépôt de garantie est en général restitué en fin de séjour. Le contrat peut préciser le délai de restitution du dépôt de garantie. 

So the agent friend, I'm afraid, is misinformed.

Owners are entitled to bank the security deposit.

It doesn't state whether agents can bank the deposit but that's somewhat of a moot point as I should imagine only a tiny proportion of gite owners use a letting agent, as opposed to a booking agency. We use a booking agancy who are ostensibly UK based, but who have a French company in order to comply with various regulations. Before this change they took the deposit on our behalf and refunded it to the clients after their return if all was well, after the instigation of the French SARL they could no longer do this, so we now take the security deposit direct from the clients on arrival.

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[quote user="Jenny P"]What do other gite owners consider reasonable as a security deposit ? 

For the past three years we have asked for 150 euros as damage deposit, by cheque which we hold and send back after we have inspected the property.

This year we have decided to increase it but are not sure to how much.  700 euros seems excessive to me.

Jenny   [/quote]

We have just returned from 10 days in the Limousin, staying near Bellac - 

http://www.absolutely-elsewhere.com

Our security deposit was E160, payable on arrival, along with balance of rent, in cash :)  Having dealt with both UK based and French based landlords, either privately or through an agency over the years, paying the Security Deposit on arrival, and receiving it back on departure has always been the norm.

 

 

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[quote user="BittyMatriarch"]

We have just returned from 10 days in the Limousin, staying near Bellac - 

http://www.absolutely-elsewhere.com

Our security deposit was E160, payable on arrival, along with balance of rent, in cash :)  Having dealt with both UK based and French based landlords, either privately or through an agency over the years, paying the Security Deposit on arrival, and receiving it back on departure has always been the norm.

[/quote]

Was the property thoroughly checked before you were handed back the security deposit on departure?

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[quote user="Cassis"]Looks like that website has gone toes up.
[/quote]

Sorry about that.  Our landlady did tell us the property was for sale before we left ........................... 

As regards the deposit, the electric meter was checked, she asked if there had been any problems or breakages [we had broken one glass, but that was replaced] and we were given our money back.  

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

We have always rented to UK people and for the past 2 years have banked the security deposit with the balance. This is returned within a couple of days of them leaving after the house has been thoroughly checked.

We used to return the deposit as they left if the house looked okay and they said there hadn't been any breakages. It's a bit embarrasing to go round testing everything so we, like most renters, trusted people. We started to bank the deposit after finding severe damage to the "latts" in a settee while cleaning for the next tenants on one occasion and finding a garden chair with leg smashed off and half hidden on another occasion.

No-one has ever objected to this - it's explained in the conditions for them to see before they decide to take our gite. Mind you the security deposit is still the £100 we have charged for years. Maybe it's time to raise it to £150.

This year we are advertising in the local tourist brochure so may in fact get a few French enquiries. Should I stick to the same conditions and make them pay the security deposit with the balance 8 weeks before the holiday or would this put them off?
Also I have always used the "Chez-Nous" booking form and conditions. Should I translate these into French for displaying on my web site? or is there a better wording somewhere?

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I think you might have to change your conditions slightly for French visitors.

I rented French gites this year and last, and was surprised not to have to pay the balance until the day I arrived for my holiday!  I had to pay a 25 per cent deposit when booking, and then nothing at all until arrival. 
I think these are standard French conditions, as I was discussing rental with some French and English friends who all let properties, and when we asked the French people why they didn't ask for the balance a month or so before the tenants arrived, they said that it was illegal to do that in France.  They too just make the tenants pay when they arrive.

I'm sure somebody here will be able to give you the rules though...

Angela

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