Gite in France
 

My husband and I are planning a vacation in Normandy. We want to rent a house for a week. We have found one we love, but the whole week's rent has to be paid in full eight weeks before we get there. We are wondering if anyone has ever stayed at, or knows anything about Les Quatres Vents near Cerisy-la-Forêt - Manche - Normandy? We are a little concerned about being scammed.

I'm not sure why people get worried about being asked to pay for a rental of someone's home in full a few weeks ahead of arriving. Would you rent out your own home on a wing and a prayer, just hoping someone would arrive at the specified time, and possibly forgoing other rentals?

I've had a home in France for 20 years. I used to rent it all the time and probably will be doing so again. To fill the rental schedule, I have to schedule people and get a commitment from them as far in advance as possible. A promise by email or phone call isn't sufficient. Otherwise, what do I do if they change their mind 2 weeks or a month before they're due to arrive? Scramble around and find other clients, when most people have already committed to something else?

I ask for a security deposit the minute they indicate interest, then the full amount of the rental 8 weeks before they are due to arrive. I also have a contract, a list of safety precautions and house rules, and a few other documents. Only if I have an unrented week or two will I bend the 8-week rule - i.e., if I'm all rented except the last week of July and someone comes along in June and wants that week, fine, but they pay the security deposit and the full rent upon booking. The security deposit is fully refundable assuming they haven't broken things, trashed the place, run up my phone bill (irrelevant now as I don't offer them a landline)...you get the idea.

It's my home. I paid a lot of money for it. Why should I let strangers be wishy-washy about committing and paying for it when I need to know what bookings I have and have other potential clients waiting in the wings for possible openings? It wouldn't make business sense.

That said, if you have a medical emergency or a death in the family or some such issue that prevents you from coming, I'll happily give you your money back and scramble to fill your spot.

It's perfectly fine, necessary in fact, to do your due diligence on a rental anywhere. But please don't suggest that a perfectly normal business construct is a scam.

It all depends on how you found the house. If through a reputable broker, you might want to discuss this and get something in writing from the broker. Or you could look for alternatives on sites like http://www.gites-de-france.com/locat...ison,gite.html We've used it only for B&Bs, but I would think that their quality control is the same for a <i>gîte</i>.

We have rented 53 gites through www.Gites-de-France.com . Never been scammed. Usually 25% deposit when first booking, then remainder 1 month before arrival. Security deposit anywhere from 200E to 500E.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-web-site.cfm

Stu Dudley

Thank you all for your replies. Sorry if my question seemed rude. We live in Northern New York near Fort Drum, a large military base in a fairly rural area. There has been a large housing shortage. There have been numerous young military families who have arrived here thinking that they have an apartment or house waiting for them and they don't. They have paid their deposit and their first months rent to a fictitious landlord over the Internet. An absolutely horrible situation.
I am planning a vacation for a group of people. The last thing I want is lose other people's money. I totally agree that the property owner needs to protect themselves and their income. I did not mean to offend anyone, I am just a little cautious. It only took a minute to set my mind at ease so was worth asking the question.