TENANCY AGREEMENTS 

Bookings in excess of 1 month

For bookings in excess of 1 month we believe it is essential to have a formal French tenancy agreement in place, from the point of view of both owner and tenant. (For bookings of less than 1 month you can use a holiday booking agreement).

The tenancy agreement, or Contrat de Location Meublée

The tenancy agreement, Contrat de Location Meublée or if for four months or less, a simpler agreement, Contrat Saisonnière – please discuss with us whether this would be appropriate for you. The agreement sets out in detail, in French and English, all the terms and conditions which need to be agreed in writing between owner and tenant and lists the rights and obligations of both parties.

The information covered in this includes:
  • Full names of owners and tenants; dates and place of birth and profession.
  • The full address of the property being rented
  • The precise dates of the booking
  • The monthly rent payable and when it is due, and the deposit and/or reservation fee required.
  • Details of responsibility for the payment of utility bills such as water, electricity, gas etc.

And any other terms which are legal and which are agreed in writing by both parties in advance, e.g:-

  • Permission to keep pets, with any conditions required by the owner
  • Maximum number of visitors allowed at any one time
  • Requirement to secure all doors, windows and shutters when the property is empty (check your insurance policy for precise conditions)
  • Responsibility for tending the garden
  • A ‘no smoking’ clause, if required.




Three further documents should accompany the Contrat de Location.

1) “Etat des Lieux”, which is a brief but detailed description of the decorative order of the property, so that is clear whether any minor damage (e.g. scratched paintwork, marks on walls, stains on carpets etc) was incurred before or after the tenancy began.
 
2) Inventory listing what is contained at the property. Both the Etat des Lieux and the Inventory should be signed by both owner and tenant.

3) Energy Performance Certificate, required if the property is let for more than four months.

Remember French Locations can help with these forms for a small extra charge and may be able to put you in touch with companies in your area to help with these formalities.

So, by having a Contrat de Location you should ensure a trouble free tenancy.

Everything is set out in detail and signed by both parties prior to the commencement of the booking. Failure to comply with any of the agreed terms nullifies the booking. Far better to do this for both owner and tenant than to enter into a booking relying on terms only discussed verbally several months prior.

Please also note:
An English tenancy agreement is not valid under French law .

If you have agreed a booking or would just like French Locations to draw up a Contrat de Location please call us on 0033 231 873570 or 887728
or e-mail anne@french-locations.co.uk Then we can send the pre-contract forms for both parties to complete and sign so that we can be sure the lease we draw up is according to terms already agreed by both parties.

The price  for this service is £160 for existing advertisers with French Locations and £220 for  non advertisers




Copyright French Locations, 2012
anne@french-locations.co.uk