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My husband and I are looking to rent a flat in Menton, Villefrance or a similar village for six months staring March 1, 2010.
Does anyone have an agent or advice to provide?
We have rented apartments often for periods of one month but we're having difficulty finding an inventory of long term rentals.
Thanks.
Long Term Rental South of France
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Check the local newspapers, the tourist offices, and De Particulier à Particulier's website.
Just a quick note on Menton; excelent choice with a large British expatriate community so there is a well established temporary resident community, including many options for apartment rentals. I am surprised you are not having luck... The public transport system is also very good.
I hope you will have your visas sorted out for a long term stay if you are not EU citizens.
Hi
Background info ....
*Furnished rentals are normally for short term vacations
*There are relatively few long term furnished rentals in France
*Best bet is to try and get a long term deal on a vacation rental (you are in the right location for this). Surprisingly, the high cost peak rental season along the coast is quite short - pretty well school holidays, so 6 months over the summer may be more attractive than you think.
*Try English language expat forums (both the USD and GBP are not doing well and some owners are looking for a bit more money over the off season) These are too far West, but give you an idea : http://the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=6
*And look at local agents that handle rentals. Some (but not all) Century 21 and ORPI agencies have a lettings dept
*If your French is good: try here - http://www.leboncoin.fr (this one would suit, but it is too far West : http://www.leboncoin.fr/vi/76945280.htm
*Expect to provide evidence of income (the law favours tenants and owners are very prudent)
*Be careful. Some of the blocks used for holiday rentals have poor insulation and expensive to run electric radiators (and I promise you it will be colder than you think !)
Peter
Thank you for the suggestions.
Yes, we are familiar with the necessity for a visa and we have been trying the vacation rental sites, specifically holidaylettingsuk (we've used them before) and VRBO but so far no luck.
Perhaps our difficulty is the request for two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
I shall try the list of suggestions.
As a vacation rental owner on Sanibel Island, I generally don't barter my high season (December through April) for a longer rental. The properties do too well in those months to offer a flat fee for a longer stay, even in this current bad vacation rental economy.
Essentially, your stay will be for the high season in Menton (love it there!) so you may find some resistance to negotiate a more cost effective stay on a vacation rental.
I think, if it is at all feasible, you may find a long term home stay by doing a home exchange with someone. There are several home exchange sites you can check out as well as a new app for renting and exchanging called Second Porch. Second Porch is a new Facebook app so you need a Facebook account to use it. But its free for owners and guests, easy to use and provides a lot of information on the party you are working with. http://www.secondporch.com/pages