Unfortunately not all of us can live in France and manage our own Gite, it certainly doesn’t supply an income I could live off, even if I lived in a caravan at the end of the garden on my own and I’m not sure how happy our guests would be if I did, or my wife. So I have to stay in the UK and work which leaves the problem of managing our Gite from the UK.

Well the simple solution to this problem is to use a management company. With these you can get a variety of different levels of service from just checking your property is okay every now and then to full management of your bookings and changeovers.

We have used a small family company, gite-management, that manages our changeovers for us and most importantly for our guests, provides a point of contact for our guests who are nearby so that any problems can be sorted out quickly.

Using a management company does mean that it costs you more, obviously, but it does mean that you can relax, if you have a good management company, and they can sort any problems out for you, even being there to receive a delivery from Ikea when we bought our new sofas that were going to be delivered 8 weeks after we bought them.

As well as providing the obvious changeover service - changing the bed linen, making sure the guests have left the place clean and cleaning the things guests wouldn’t necessarily clean like the oven, they can check the inventory, prepare your welcome pack and make sure that all of your bulbs and smoke detectors are still working so everything is perfect for your next guests. They can also provide your guest information pack, tourist information leaflets, gardening, key holding service (just in case your guests lose their keys) and property checks during the winter months when your property may be empty.

So how do you find a management company. Well the easiest thing to do, if you don’t know anybody in your area who uses a management company, is search on the Internet and ask on property owners forums. You then have to meet them to get a good idea of what they do and the level of service they provide and for them to understand exactly what you want. They will then be able to give you an exact quote as each property is different. From your point of view there is obviously the price to consider but also you have to be confident that the management company will provide the level of service to your guests that you want.

While using a management company means you may not earn your millions from your rental, it does mean that your property will be looked after, your guests have somebody close at hand to help out in any emergencies and you can hopefully relax in the comfort of your own home and enjoy your holiday home rather than it being a burden to you.

 2 Bedroom Cottage / Gite near Dinan, Brittany, France

Buying, Owning and Running a Gite in Brittany Blog

©Derek Arkwright 2008

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