Our Keyholding Services relates not only to the retention of keys for a client, but regular checks of the property interior and exterior, the checking and forwarding of post, meter readings and verification of utilities, and any other associated services (subject to additional fees) that assist the property owner in the management of their property or administration in France.

The short answer is yes! Over the past 7 years, we have helped our clients in innumerable ways. We are able to deal quickly and efficiently with issues such as leaks,  power cuts, property damage and suchlike… including some situations that could have been very costly to the property owner had they not had regular property checks in place. There are many times where we have been able to resolve issues ourselves, saving on costly emergency call outs, and other times by simply knowing who and where to look for help, and being able to speak French, has saved time and costs for call outs, materials and repairs for our clients.

Whilst the monthly cost of a Keyholder can be an additional cost to owning your property in France, there are also numerous ways that we can help you save money as well through assisting with your administration of the property, reducing your utility usage, or making other recommendations for the management and maintenance of the property.

Not only that, but in the event of a claim on your property insurance being invalidated by the use of an unregistered keyholder, you could be looking at a cost into the thousands if a substantial claim were to be refused.

By using a registered professional keyholding company, we can provide you with attestations of contract and service to provide to your insurance company in the event of a claim. It also gives you peace of mind that you are using a legitimate, correctly registered and insured business that is both capable and experienced at offering such services. We are fully registered for all services we offer, including specific security services for our main activity.

Whatever your circumstances, no matter where in the world you are, or what you might be doing – using a keyholder service means you are covered. During Covid restrictions, for example, as we are properly registered for ‘Security Services’ we were permitted to continue our work throughout the ‘stay at home’ periods, ensuring we could offer continuity of service and travel to make the regular checks for all of our keyholding clients without any problem.

Some property insurance policies may become invalid if the property is left for long periods of time, usually 90 days although sometimes as little as 30 days, without any form of checks. Most insurers offer specific contracts for holiday homes, but many still require such checks when the property is vacant. Some insurers require such checks to be by registered professionals and require invoices or attestations as proof in the event of a claim. It is important to check in detail your insurance policy and its stipulations for the times when the property is left vacant, such as security measures, and to make sure these are adhered to.

If you entrust your keyholding to an individual- such as a friend or neighbour- or a business that is not correctly registered – such as your gardener or cleaner- then their response and availability is far from guaranteed, and additionally they would not be able to provide you with the necessary documentation for insurance purposes. Before appointing any keyholder, it is important to verify their credentials, experience, business registration and insurance.

A professional taking on keyholding services for your property will know what to do at all times. The knowledge and experience they have mean they can provide the most effective response possible — regardless of the circumstances.

We make regularly scheduled property visits, and undertake full interior and exterior inspections each and every time. We check the property in detail that it is secure, with no signs of damage, maintenance issues, infestations or damp, and that all is as expected in terms of security, utilities and services. If we encounter a problem, we can deal with it immediately and capably.

If you use a friend or neighbour as a keyholder, it is important to understand exactly when and how they are checking the property. Many may only check when asked, or may just pop their head in quickly to make sure all seems well, without undertaking a detailed inspection, and many may not know how to deal with certain situations that may arise.

Another of the benefits of using our keyholder services is also the expertise and experience this gives you access to. It’s one of the reasons we have so many longstanding clients. We are able to advise on the necessary obligations and administrative procedures for property ownership in France, as well as advise on virtually any aspect to support our clients both managing their properties, and their affairs whilst in France.

We are British, but speak, read and write an excellent level of French (B1 certified), enabling us to communicate effectively and promptly whatever the situation. We have a great understanding of the French administration processes, and are able to help with all administrative paperwork, as well as being able to translate post, and reply efficiently to phone calls, emails or letters in French. This also means that we do not have to rely on only British-run or English-speaking businesses when it comes to sourcing artisans or services.

We have processes in place to ensure that we can always communicate and respond with our clients without delay, this usually means the same day and, more often than not, immediately! We have excellent communication skills, and numerous ways that we can be contacted 7 days a week. Our quick response and adaptability is always praised by our clients. Due to this being our main business, and our limited client base, we are always flexible and adaptable to arrange work, or to be available at short notice.

This availability means we can be on hand whenever there’s an issue at the property. It’s a guaranteed response. Just think how much more efficient this is than relying on a friend or neighbour, or another of your service providers who is not well versed in handling situations such as may arise.

Not at all! Most of our services are open to all, and we are more than happy to undertake emergency call outs, one off or ad-hoc work from non keyholding clients. However, work is prioritised for our keyholding clients, and we do recommend that if you are likely to require our services on a regular basis, it can be more efficient and useful, to both parties, to have even a basic keyholding contract in place for peace of mind, and which allows us a level of authority for access to the property and dealing with certain situations in a more prompt manner and on behalf of our clients.

Our services are reserved for private properties only, and we do not offer any services for commercial properties such as for gites or holiday rentals in terms of garden or pool maintenance, cleaning changeovers, guest management or cleaning. However, for such properties we are able to offer keyholding and associated services to ensure the property is appropriately cared for at times that is may be vacant- such as over the winter period- and are able to assist with the administrative side of the property management and maintenance such as permissions, accreditations, taxe de séjour and tourist office declarations and suchlike.

Our services are completely tailored to our clients individual needs. It may be that you want a very simple Keyholding package for peace of mind, or hat you want us to assist completely in the management of your property in France. Whatever you need, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us to discuss in more detail. Our Contact Us page gives details of the areas we cover, and ways that we can be contacted, and we can send you more details on our services and client fees upon request.