How can I make my property pay without hassle?

You let long-term

Long-term letting has real advantages: a stable tenant, a regular income, few changes to organise. As long as everything goes well, it requires little management. But your income depends on a single person.

Sometimes it all starts with late rent. You chase it up, you are promised the transfer will go out next week, then the next due date arrives. If the situation is not resolved, recovering the sums owed or getting your property back can take months. Meanwhile, the charges, the loan and the property’s taxes keep coming.

Even when you get the property back, there are sometimes nasty surprises: damage, equipment to replace, work to do before you can let it again. And the sums recovered are not always enough to cover everything.

And when everything goes well, long-term letting leaves little flexibility. You cannot stay in your property for a few days, have your family stay there or free it up as you wish.

Holiday letting works differently. Stays are short, and the guest generally pays before arriving. Between two bookings, the condition of the property is checked regularly. You keep periods for yourself or your family, and the price of each night follows the season and demand.

That does not mean it is always more profitable. Income varies with the season, visitor numbers and location. You have to allow for costs, upkeep and periods without bookings, and depending on the property, a few formalities: registration, the rules of the co-ownership, sometimes the municipality’s approval. Above all, each stay requires organisation. Holiday letting offers more flexibility, but also more work.

Hand over the management without losing control

For those who no longer want to spend their time on it, there is another way: entrusting the management to a professional, without giving up the use of your property or the ability to follow what goes on there. This is what Esc’Appart has been doing since 2018.

We handle bookings, payments, cancellations and communication with guests. Before they arrive, they receive the key box code. During the stay, it is our number they call, never yours. After they leave, we reply to reviews and handle the process if there is damage.

Cleaning is organised without you: after each departure, we notify the person who does it directly, your usual cleaner or our optional service. You are only contacted if a situation requires your decision.

We also take care of the property’s visibility. We write its listing and publish it on Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Abritel and our website. Booking.com and Expedia then distribute it to more than 1,500 partner sites and apps. The price of each night is reviewed every day.

It is still your home. You block the dates that are still free when you want to use the property, without having to justify yourself. From your owner area, you see the calendar, each booking and the details of what it earns you. You know at all times when your property is occupied. The decisions remain yours, the day-to-day management is ours.

If the property is empty or needs refreshing, we can furnish it or advise you, as you prefer.

Esc’Appart works with owners in Haute Meuse, Lesse et Famenne, in the Massif des Aravis and on the Riviera cannoise. If your property is there, we can look together at its potential as a holiday rental. A few details are enough to request a first estimate.