Another one

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
Sarah
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Another one

Post by Sarah »

Another question, I'm sorry, I'm hoping that the rest of our guests will be less problematic. (So far we've had the central heating abusers, the crafty pensioner, the people who have just left, left blood, sick and pooh everywhere and now this).

We have a group of French guests coming for 3 weeks in July. They have paid our peak season price with no problem, but we are having all sorts of problems with the security deposit. They initially queried our terms and conditions and asked for the deposit to returned on the day of departure. We agreed to this and amended the terms and conditions appropriately.

Then the security deposit was not sent with the balance, so I e-mailed and asked for it to be sent. It was sent very quickly but with a letter referring to it as non-encaissable ie not to be cashed. I wrote back saying we always cash the security deposit as otherwise there is no point in having it. I have just received the following e-mail:

Chère Sarah,

Selon la loi française, le chèque de caution reste en votre possession toute le durée de la location et n'est encaissé qu'en cas de problème.
Merci de ne pas encaisser ce chèque


Does anyone have any experience of this, is it against the law in France to cash a security deposit? We have just said goodbye to some wonderful French guests and there was no problem with their security deposit.

Once again, any views would be most apprecieated.

Sarah
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Ju
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Post by Ju »

Sarah

You have to bear in mind that in French law cheques are different to in English law. If you have a French cheque there really is no need to put it in the bank, a cheque is as good as cash. They cannot cancel the cheque, nor can they bounce it (this is illigal and can result in having all banking privellages removed). French customers expect to pay the damage deposit on arrival and have it returned on departure. They will want to do a tour of the house with you before you leave to check everything is order.

From what I hear French guests alway leave the place clean (we've only had one lot, but it was certainly clean when they left).

Ju
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enid
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Post by enid »

I have just had French guests who did send the deposit cheque but then questioned my banking it - they explained the law here re cheques exactly as Ju has outlined it. The gite was immaculate when they left and Madame gave me a tour including lifting the loo seat to show me that was clean. I think you have to accept this from French clients.
Sarah
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Post by Sarah »

Thanks Ju and Enid :D

That's really helpful, I will hold on to the cheque.


Sarah.
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Post by la vache! »

I never take a security deposit from French guests.
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Post by Hells Bells »

My French guests over the winter paid the security deposit by cheque. It never occured to me not to cash them, and I returned their eposits later using my own cheque.
Sarah
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Post by Sarah »

Susan

I'm assuming from what you say that you ask for a security deposit from non-French guests.

I've had lots of different advice form different people with regards to different Nationalities and the concensus is that you can't generalise. I'd be concerned about affording strangers that level of trust, whatever their nationality.

Sarah
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Post by la vache! »

Sarah,
Its different for me, I live on site and always meet and greet the guests and see them off when they leave. I've only just starting to take security deposits from UK guests, due to one bad experience with a letting last year. I used to take a seperate cheque which wasn't cashed so wasn't really a security deposit at all. I've never had advice from anyone about who to trust, I go on personal experience - maybe it is wrong to generalise about nationalities, but the French and UK guests do treat renting houses in a completely different way and so far I have never had any problem with French guests, not even groups of young people - the houses are always left immaculate and anything broken is replaced.
Edit: One more thing - the French all know they have to have personal liability insurance when they rent a property, so they are covered by their insurance for any damage done. I don't know how many UK guests take out insurance, even though they are advised to do so. I don't think it would be easy to pursue any claims once they have gone back to the UK even uf they did have this insurance.
kas33
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Post by kas33 »

The only french guests that we have had to stay paid the deposit 3 days before arrival and the balance once they had arrived - and both cheques BOUNCED due to lack of funds. They also brought more guests than agreed (in a camper van in the garden) although they did leave the place clean afterwards!

We had a second French booking last year, I agreed they could pay the balance 2 weeks in advance instead of our usual 8, then I had a call from the sister of the party leader with 9 days to go before arrival (no cheque had been sent), saying the lady had had a baby and was in a bad way after the birth, and could they have their deposit back. I said 'non' especially as it was a peak August week.

With our British guests happy to pay 8 weeks ahead, any problems are sorted before they arrive and there is no animosity.
Fraise
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Post by Fraise »

Hi. Was it a French cheque that bounced and how did you resolve it? I didn't know French cheques could bounce :roll:

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Post by la vache! »

They can bounce, but usually the result is that the person who wrote it becomes 'interdit bancaire' which has varying degrees of severity, but generally you lose your cheque book and bank card and can only get cash out that you have in your bank. You can't open any other bank accounts either, it is all controlled by the banque de France. Bouncing a cheque is far more serious than going overdrawn in a UK bank. Therefore most people don't do it.
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