Hi
After fourteen happy years renting out our holiday home in France, we have decided to call it a day. During October, we received an unpleasant Trip Advisor review - our first such negativity ! We were hurt but it just reflects the new mentality that is out there . Gone are the days when a charming French gite was all that was required - the paying guest's expectations have soared in recent years. I felt that a Basil Fawlty type response was called for when we were criticised for our not clean windows and weeds in the garden !!!However, my wife and I sat down and asked ourselves whether we really needed the hassle of worrying about bookings and ensuring all was perfect throughout the summer. We quickly came to the conclusion that the answer was 'NO' - life would be a lot simpler without our burden.
We have enjoyed many super family holidays at our first home in Provence and latterly in the Languedoc . We put the house on the market and unbelievably in the French market sold within a week.
As a marketing man, I also despair about the new diversity of websites - gone are the happy days when Holiday Lettings and Owners Direct gave us our required twelve weeks without any trouble. Indeed, I managed to go all through 2015 without a single enquiry from OD ! We are all clutching at straws in the new internet environment.
Furthermore, France has really fallen out of favour in recent years , with the ever extending reach of modern travel. The Calais situation - which shows little sign of ending - must have deterred many visitors.
So , we look forward to 2016 with a clean slate - no more holiday home hassle and we can even stay in a LMH owner's house. Don't worry , we are far too nice to criticise !
In closing, I would pose the question - 'Could you do without the hassle too ? ' I heartily recommend it !
A bientot
Derek.
No more booking worries !!!
I am torn between happy and sad at your post Derek. I'm happy that you feel so liberated and hopefully you can move on to something that makes you happy, but sad that you have thrown in the towel after so many years of offering your holiday home to appreciative guests. I suspect that the solitary negative review wasn't what caused you to sell up but I guess it just added fuel to a smoldering fire. I am sure that your decision is the right one for you, although there must have been pangs of regret along the way and you will sometimes wonder if you should have toughed things out. Congratulations on securing a sale so rapidly - that is indeed a rarity in the current market! A reflection on what a great place you had there surely. For me as a newbie holiday home owner, no, there is no sense of 'could I do without the hassle?' but then again my plan has always been to let the finca until such time as I can claim it entirely as my own, move in permanently and not have to concern myself with the shifting sands of 'acceptable' standards for guests. Good luck with your new, hassle-free life 
Totally agree with you about the rise in guests expectations and the need to sometimes respond to something so nick-picky in such away that the comment is rude and/or/even untruthful.
These days it is true that the customer has all the rights and the business owner has no real right to reply.
This all seems to come form the financial squeeze and larger companies getting away with it all sorts.
Jealousy and greed has now arrived unfortunately.
We wish you luck and just think of us working hard when supping some wine.
These days it is true that the customer has all the rights and the business owner has no real right to reply.
This all seems to come form the financial squeeze and larger companies getting away with it all sorts.
Jealousy and greed has now arrived unfortunately.
We wish you luck and just think of us working hard when supping some wine.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
It's true guest's expectations have risen, unfortunately rates have not risen with them! We seem to have to manage their expectations more and more. As someone on LMH once said - "what part of self catering do they not understand?" Never the less we continue to up our game to meet requirements. When I no longer enjoy it we too will throw in the towel.
Sounds like it was the right decision at the right time for you Derek. Enjoy a relaxing 2016!
Me, after 5 years I'm still enjoying the challenges, but I'm sure there'll come a time when I feel the need for a change.
In the meantime, with all your new found freedom, come down to the Algarve and stay at my little waterfront hideaway.
All the best for the New Year, and a new beginning.
Me, after 5 years I'm still enjoying the challenges, but I'm sure there'll come a time when I feel the need for a change.
In the meantime, with all your new found freedom, come down to the Algarve and stay at my little waterfront hideaway.
All the best for the New Year, and a new beginning.
Derek I read your post with interest as we are also thinking, soon we can give this up and that's before the place is paid off by the guests. We haven't had any bad guests but it seems almost a rising trend so I have to equip the cleaners with the money to give back and throw out should the situation arrive. We had a failed water tank the first let of this season and tried to get everything fixed in time but ended up asking the guests to stay at the relatives gite down the road, fearing the worst but they said no problem and were happy with the extras we supplied them.
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I totally understand your decision, Derek. It´s one that I´m grappling with on and off.
My bookings are very good for 2016 so now I´m looking at maybe jacking it in in 2017. The only thing that puts me off is that the money generated from the sale will just sit in a bank devaluing whereas as a holiday rental it earns good money (and a certain amount of hassle and heartache) so I´m torn.
Another big factor for me is the change in the big websites. I just hate the way the industry is going. I really look forward to not having to deal with any of them ever again.
My bookings are very good for 2016 so now I´m looking at maybe jacking it in in 2017. The only thing that puts me off is that the money generated from the sale will just sit in a bank devaluing whereas as a holiday rental it earns good money (and a certain amount of hassle and heartache) so I´m torn.
Another big factor for me is the change in the big websites. I just hate the way the industry is going. I really look forward to not having to deal with any of them ever again.
I threw in the towel too. I think the lightbulb moment was when we were digging up loo drains at midnight because they were blocked. Turned out the family of four were from a city where mains water was expensive. They very rarely pulled the flush. Very very rarely .... 
OK anyone can make a mistake. So we explained that our water was free from our own spring and a certain amount of flushing was necessary to avoid wadding on the way to the septic tank ....
When we were called out at 10pm the next night for a repeat performance I knew it was time to quit.
Generally speaking I also mourned the dearth of 'old school' clients who bothered to read the property description and understood the concept of self catering.
There isn't a summer Saturday when I don't sigh with relief that I don't have to do another turn-round .....
OK anyone can make a mistake. So we explained that our water was free from our own spring and a certain amount of flushing was necessary to avoid wadding on the way to the septic tank ....When we were called out at 10pm the next night for a repeat performance I knew it was time to quit.
Generally speaking I also mourned the dearth of 'old school' clients who bothered to read the property description and understood the concept of self catering.
There isn't a summer Saturday when I don't sigh with relief that I don't have to do another turn-round .....
Riding is the art of keeping a horse between you and the ground
We gave up all 3 of ours too in October.
It was precipitated by our decision to move to spain and into our house which was previously HL during the summer but we could have held on to the London HLs.
Decided not to for much the same reasons already outlined. I felt that we'd need a pretty hefty refurb in order to meet the expectations of today's guests - and I felt a refurb wouldn't enable me to lift prices.
Also had bad experiences in all 3 lets over the last year - particularly in spain - lots of broken stuff which guests just walked away from without admitting it - much of it was stuff that we couldn't really expect our manager to notice - broken neck on lamp, bedside lamp left carefully so damage didn't show, bumps and knocks, fridge seal pulled out (presumably by fridge being allowed to freeze up and then forced open when frozen), oven door broken etc, etc - and similar in the UK, where we did the changeovers ourselves.. wet mattresses turned over; breakages and general not caring about the property whilst expecting the earth for a knock down price. I hasten to say, most guests were lovely but some were not;
Living away from the UK tipped the balance - if I had to pay someone to do what we did, it would not be viable.
I just couldn't face another year of it so we decided to go back to long term lets again; less hassle.
I still get enquiries from past guests wanting to return; but still glad we don't have the hassle of receiving a phone call and having to jump to attention.
It was precipitated by our decision to move to spain and into our house which was previously HL during the summer but we could have held on to the London HLs.
Decided not to for much the same reasons already outlined. I felt that we'd need a pretty hefty refurb in order to meet the expectations of today's guests - and I felt a refurb wouldn't enable me to lift prices.
Also had bad experiences in all 3 lets over the last year - particularly in spain - lots of broken stuff which guests just walked away from without admitting it - much of it was stuff that we couldn't really expect our manager to notice - broken neck on lamp, bedside lamp left carefully so damage didn't show, bumps and knocks, fridge seal pulled out (presumably by fridge being allowed to freeze up and then forced open when frozen), oven door broken etc, etc - and similar in the UK, where we did the changeovers ourselves.. wet mattresses turned over; breakages and general not caring about the property whilst expecting the earth for a knock down price. I hasten to say, most guests were lovely but some were not;
Living away from the UK tipped the balance - if I had to pay someone to do what we did, it would not be viable.
I just couldn't face another year of it so we decided to go back to long term lets again; less hassle.
I still get enquiries from past guests wanting to return; but still glad we don't have the hassle of receiving a phone call and having to jump to attention.
Nightowl
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
I sold the last of my three holiday cottages last July, after ten years of holiday letting.
My final guests really made me realise I had done the right thing as they made so many demands then left the cottage two hours later than agreed and left an almighty mess which took me six hours to clean. At that moment, I was very glad it was my last week.
It really dawned on me how much the business had changed. Do I miss it? No, not a bit! I thought I might but I really feel a sense of freedom from emails, listing sites (that is another reason I gave up), breakages, damage, unreasonable demands, offers to rent at discount prices, cancellations, chasing balances etc.
Only thing I do miss is a lovely clean looking holiday cottage just before the guests arrived - a sense of pride to feel it all looked wonderful in readiness for their break........apart from that, nothing but utter relief and Saturdays are all mine again!
My final guests really made me realise I had done the right thing as they made so many demands then left the cottage two hours later than agreed and left an almighty mess which took me six hours to clean. At that moment, I was very glad it was my last week.
It really dawned on me how much the business had changed. Do I miss it? No, not a bit! I thought I might but I really feel a sense of freedom from emails, listing sites (that is another reason I gave up), breakages, damage, unreasonable demands, offers to rent at discount prices, cancellations, chasing balances etc.
Only thing I do miss is a lovely clean looking holiday cottage just before the guests arrived - a sense of pride to feel it all looked wonderful in readiness for their break........apart from that, nothing but utter relief and Saturdays are all mine again!
"It's a funny old world...." but full of the most amazing people. Sense of humour essential!
Sense of humour essential!