Profesional Keyholding and Caretaking
As a property owner in France, there may be times when your property is left vacant. Whether you are have a holiday home in France, a property you are in the process of renovating, or own a property you rent out long term, we tailor our key holding and caretaking services to your exact needs.
We are a professional, family business offering a range of services to help manage and maintain your property in your absence. We are an established and experienced company that are specifically registered and insured to carry out the care and security of your home. The main benefit of this is peace of mind for owners when they are miles away from their property: knowing that there is someone who knows the property and can check everything is secure and as expected on a regular basis, and also someone that can deal with any issues that may crop up during such checks. We pride ourselves on an efficient, affordable and thorough service and care for our clients’ properties as if they were our own. We carry out all property checks and management personally and do not subcontract our services to other providers.
Whether you own a small apartment in the town, or a large Maison de Maître on a country estate, properties that are left vacant and unchecked can potentially be more susceptible to issues. Whilst many homeowners rely on neighbours, friends or services providers such as their gardener or cleaner to ‘keep an eye’ on their property, this often does not include comprehensive or regular checks, and the latter may not be registered or insured appropriately to offer this service. Many homeowners do not realise that vacant properties should be checked regularly to comply with their property insurance, and many insurers only accept the proof of checks from a professionally, registered company in the event of a claim. Find out more information on the benefits of using a dedicated and professional keyholding service here.
At the moment we have limited availability for our Keyholding service, which can include the following as required, and tailored to your individual needs:
Regular Property Visits
Whether your property is a holiday home, or vacant due to renovations or sale, our Keyholding Contracts offer clients the peace of mind of either a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly property visit, with a full interior and exterior check of the property. This allows us to ensure the property is secure and in good condition, with no pest infestations, weather damage and that it is not the victim of any other type of damage or incident. We offer regularly scheduled property visits on a contractual basis of 3, 6, or 12 months, and maintain excellent communication with our clients.
Meter Readings
During our property visits, inclusive of our contract, we can undertake meter readings for you. Occasionally at properties the meters for gas, electric or water can be located away from public access, such as inside a property, and will require a reading to be taken by someone who has access, or may require an appointment to be arranged with the provider to take the reading themselves. We can also help with the arrangement and attendance for meter upgrades and exchanges- such as LINKY meters- or the installation of utilities such as fibre.
Post Collection and Forwarding
During our property visits, inclusive of our contract, we can undertake collection and forwarding of post, as well as advising of any required action (such as money owed or the translation of information therein). As holders of the casier judiciaire (French equivalent of a CRB check) and a 10 year ACRO UK Police check, you can be assured that your confidential information remains as such. We also offer administrative services for those who require help in managing their bills, communicating with official bodies, or the translation or creation of documents.
Remote Property Monitoring
For properties that may have CCTV, Motion Detection or Fire Detection Systems or Remote Heating Controls, we can assist in the management and monitoring of these, and act as your emergency contact for the property should any issues arise. We can also verify that systems are running correctly, such as operational internet connections or correct placement and maintenance of equipment, during our property visits.
Local Point of Contact
As well as holding keys for the property, we can also be the local point of contact for our clients. This includes keeping them updated of relevant information for their commune, being a point of contact for utilities, tradspoeple or service providers, or as an emergency contact should there be any issues at the property. Speaking both English and French, this enables us to deal promptly and professionally with all types of situation, and we will always respond to calls, messages and emails within a short time frame, if not immediately!
Tenancy Checks
If you rent your property long term, we can assist with checks to the property under the terms of your tenancy arrangement. This includes spot checks or pre-arranged checks on properties, inventories and property inspection reports, and end of tenancy checks, as well as being a point of contact for tenants should any issues arise with the property. Please note that this refers to long term rentals only, and we do not provide any services for commercial holiday rental properties such as gites.
Conciergerie and Advice
We aim to help our Keyholding clients with any aspects of their property, or assist them where necessary during their time in France. If you need any assistance at all we are happy to help. This may be finding out local information for you, helping source products and materials, shopping, booking restaurants or pointing you in the right direction for information. We have exceptional levels of communication and are available 7/7. If you need a little extra help, we offer Administrative Services to assist with all aspects of managing your property and life in France.
Properties Vacant and ‘For Sale’
Even if your property is vacant or empty, perhaps in the case of it being under renovations, or for sale, then we would also recommend a Keyholding Contract to ensure you are insurance compliant. Even more so if you have materials and tools kept on site, and the property is visibly for sale or having work undertaken. If your property is for sale, we also offer a range of services to support you with the sale of your property, as your local point of contact and to help the process go smoothly.
Gites and Holiday Rental Properties
If you have a property that you rent out for holidays, such as a gite, then we would strongly recommend the use of a Keyholder for the management of at your property at times it may be vacant such as over the winter months. Whilst we do not offer any of the regular services, such as pool maintenance, garden maintenance, or changeovers to facilitate the rentals, we can ensure the property remains well cared for and compliant, is checked during vacant periods, and if necessary oversee the other service providers. As experienced owners of classified holiday accommodation ourselves, we can also assist with the administrative aspects of your rental business and property, including obtaining the necessary authorisations, applying for accreditations for your property, or creating guest documentation.
Additional Services
As well as our basic keyholding packages, we also offer a wide range of services to help maintain and manage your property, and for you to have peace of mind that necessary tasks are undertaken to ensure your property is compliant and well looked after during your absences. These are all available on an ad-hoc or regular basis to both contract and non contract clients.
Interested in Our Services?
The services listed here are not exhaustive, and we can assist with any aspect of the practical or administrative management of your property.
Please note that we only work for Private Residences, and do not undertake any work in relation to commercial rentals such as holiday lets or gites.
If you would like more information on any services that we offer please do not hesitate to Contact Us to discuss in more detail.