Can a holiday home in France also pay for itself?

If you have always wanted a holiday home in France but need to make sure that you can justify the running costs and maintenance, it might worth be considering renting it out for holiday lets when not using it yourself. This means ensuring that you choose a property that works both for you and for holiday accommodation.

There are plenty of benefits of renting out your holiday home:

• Demand is strong for self-catering holiday accommodation all over France from the French as well as foreign tourists and, more importantly demand is growing in both markets. France gets more tourists than any other country in the world
• Holidays in many parts of France have year-round appeal so you have a continuous, annual income stream
• If you are mainly looking for a family holiday home, renting out your property for a few weeks per year can cover all the costs hence effectively providing free holidays
• The property will not be left empty, and you will be indirectly contributing to the local economy which can be beneficial for local restaurants and shops

But there are also some downsides:

• Letting out your property involves management which will cost either your time or else your money in employing the services of a property management company
• Initial set-up costs can be high as a holiday rental has to be well-equipped and durable and there will be turnover of high-use items and furnishings.
• It is important to understand websites, marketing, and social media if you want to ensure bookings
• You need to have enough time to deal with the bookings unless you plan to use a bookings agency

What sort of property lends itself to holiday lets?

• A cliché though it may be, location is just as important for a holiday house as for a permanent home. When choosing a location, remember to keep potential future clients in mind. Imagine what most guests are likely to be looking for when on holiday

• Make sure there is some ‘wow factor’ whether this is the interior design, incredible views, fantastic coastal, mountain or city location or the facilities provided. Standing out from the crowd will ensure you get noticed
• Keep within two hours of an international airport and major city; accessibility is important
• Target areas with broad appeal and year-round attractions and activities
• Choose an area both where people are likely to want to stay for longer periods at peak times and weekends off-peak
• Make sure your location has a variety of activities close by particularly in rural locations where good walking, cycling, skiing, water sports and adventure sports all add to the attraction
• Think about the type of property; the quirkier or more characterful (and more photogenic) the property, the more popular it is likely to be

If you would like some help or advice in finding the perfect property, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com