Finding a gite for a month in winter

[Milhaud]

Last winter my husband and I spent a month in a gite in Normandy from mid-December to mid-January costing £450.  We are looking for something similar for November - December or December - January this next winter.   I realise that prices will have risen since last year, but almost every gite we have seen appears to cost much more than we paid last year.  

Is it unrealistic to expect to find a gite for around £500 for 4 weeks in winter?   Was last year's rental an unusual bargain?   Any suggestions/advice welcome.  

[Mikey]

I've sent you an email.

 

Mike

[Pun]

Mike,

what is the point in being part of this or any web if your not sharing the reply?????

[Frogslegs]

We have a gite in Poitou Charentes. Normally one week in winter is £190 but we have reduced to £125 per week for 4 weeks or longer. This includes all heating, gas, electricity and water. Linen ect. We do not expect much profit but we feel its better to have someone  to occupy the building than none!

We have heard of gites lowering the price even more but expect low standard accommodation.

www.le-tilleul.com

 

 

[Mikey]

punt, i've sent you an email.

[Owens88]

We do let our place for long rental, and at the sort of price you mention as low targets

BUT

• 4 weeks is not a long rental, and yet may be enough to make an owner have to 'blow away' a real long term rental (4-6 mths).
• There is still a changedown and start up cost.
• A winter week carries higher fuel costs than a summer week so one method is to offer cheap rents for long rentals plus fuel on top, another is to base even the cheap rentals more realsitoically to include fuel.

 

Good Luck

 

[Pun]

Hi  Mikey,

M any thanks for your reply saying youve sent me an "E" mail ref my asking whats the point in replying to the questions asked on this thread by sending your reply via "E"

how do we know whats going on?

As of 1-45pm France time to day sunday 20/aug.

Ive not recieved your "E" mail you said youve sent.

Please feel free to put any reply on the open screen for all to see,

I feel thats why we have this free service provided,

So we can all enjoy and learn by one an other,  Wouldnt you agree??

Best wishes to you and yours ,  Pun.

[Owens88]

Pun

I am not a moderator but nobody else has pointed this out. We are not supposed to advertise on the forum so we may all have separate sensitivities as to how pushy a reply we might offer in public.

John

[Russethouse]

Quite right Owens 88, in these circumstances it is offers of accommodation by PM or Email only, and at present I suggest PM, and that you check your PM facility regularly ,as if I am anything to go by, there is a problem getting email notifications from the forum, at present.

[Pun]

Hello  mikey,

I owe you a big big  SORRY,

I said I,d not recieved your "E"  mail and Ive found out why,

When we asked to join the L.FRANCE WEB, we thought we had agreed to have the "E" mail recieveing item,

But it works out we,d said No we didnt want to recieve "E" mails.

So Mikey Im sorry for saying I,d not got yours, it was our fault and its now been sorted.

Once again Sorry.

 

[Pun]

Hello Owens 88,

Many thanks for your point ref "Mail" reply,

As Ive said (and Im not the only person to come on the I.T. and say, why not show your views and reply so we can all understand.

If your replying and your not breaking any of the rules we all agree not to break ? then why is this a problem??

Hope you understand my asking the question, its not intended to upset anyone but to help user,s share thoughts and ideas.

regards Pun.

[Owens88]

Hi Pun

Actually I don't care one way or another, I just thought I would offer an explanation as to why somebody might appear reticent to reply in  public.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Milhaud"]

Last winter my husband and I spent a month in

a gite in Normandy from mid-December to mid-January costing £450. 

We are looking for something similar for November - December or

December - January this next winter.   I realise that prices

will have risen since last year, but almost every gite we have seen

appears to cost much more than we paid last year.  

Is it unrealistic to expect to find a gite for around £500 for 4

weeks in winter?   Was last year's rental an unusual

bargain?   Any suggestions/advice welcome.  

[/quote]

Winter lets, for us, are seldom economic at the prices people are

willing to pay. Aside from the fixed costs associated with laundry,

etc, the cost of utilities can be quite staggering. In one week, a

party last year managed to use as much fuel oil and power as we did in

the same month. God knows what they were doing in there. We make a

point of including utility costs in the price, but after this there was

precious little (if any, come to think of it) margin to make the rental

worthwile. Lesson learnt.

[Colette]

Neighbours of ours rent their place out in the winter for a cheapish rent (something similar to what you paid) but with utilities on top.  And the utilities (mainly electricity for the rads) usually exceed the rent.  After a couple of nightmare experiences their first year, they now warn people repeatedly that the electric bill and the per basket or whatever it is they quote for firewood doesn't come cheap.  They placed an ad in a posh mag and managed to get a 3 month let last winter from a very nice bloke recently divorced taking a sort of mid life gap year. They're hoping to find someone similar again this year for January to easter.  I think you're very brave wanting to rent in Normandy in mid winter and admire you for doing something so different to everyone else.

[Pun]

Hi  john,

Many thanks for explaining your thought on this one, I understand a little more now than I did,

thanks,

[CatherineS2]

One other thing - they are looking for a month that straddles the two peak weeks of Christmas and New Year, for which we charge rates close to those of high summer, so I would not be interested in letting to them for that rate, and probably nor would most gite owners. Sorry.

Now, if it were for 4 weeks in January or February, then that would be another matter :)

[Grays]

Long winter & out of season lets at low prices can really only be a way of keeping the place warm and free of winter damp etc, and certainly not (in my experience) a source of much profit.

and especially not when your guests knowing that the heating/electric/gas bills are included, turn everything on to max and show no regard for the high cost of the utility or the amount they may be using.

I've reeled this story out before.....but how can i forget being asked to change a gas bottle on the gite oven, one March day, only to find the heating on full, the whole place uncomfortably hot (for me in my jumper and winter togs) and our guest family walking around in t-shirts like it was summer.....which of course it was in the gite!!!

[Smiley]

[quote user="Grays"]Long winter & out of season lets at low prices can really only be a way of keeping the place warm and free of winter damp etc, and certainly not (in my experience) a source of much profit. and especially not when your guests knowing that the heating/electric/gas bills are included, turn everything on to max and show no regard for the high cost of the utility or the amount they may be using. I've reeled this story out before.....but how can i forget being asked to change a gas bottle on the gite oven, one March day, only to find the heating on full, the whole place uncomfortably hot (for me in my jumper and winter togs) and our guest family walking around in t-shirts like it was summer.....which of course it was in the gite!!![/quote]

 

Hi Grays, I've been there too. I let my house out to a party of skiers. When my caretaker went in at the end of the stay he found the thermostat set at 27 deg's and the windows open !!!!!!!!!  They had managed on top of the 100E's worth of gas to also get through almost a  cubic mtre of logs.

This year I intend to fit a programmable thermostat which will be locked !!

[Owens88]

There is also a problem the other way. Guests not putting the heating on or ventilating the place, but continuing to poump water vapour into the rooms - result condensation and mould.

Over 3 winters our place was better when a) unoccupied but dry and clean or b) occupied with good heating in (us and other 1 week renters).

[geriger]

We have a gite half a mile out of Dinan at Lehon (Petite Cite de Caractere de Bretagne) which we could let for £500 for the month Dec or jan, it has 3 beds and 2 baths, gas c heating, and fireplace , dont know if this is of interest to you?

[billy10]

Could'nt agree more old boy ,by the way Pun is my mower fixed yet !!!