However the recent drop in strength of the British Pound against the Euro has made many people in the UK think twice about taking a holiday on the European mainland. That said aside, longer term lets are still sought as even with the economic downturn many Brits attracted by the slower pace of life and lower general living costs continue to house hunt for a property of their own in France.

Another problem facing gite owners today is that due to the influx of Brits over the last few years (many of whom decide on running gites in France or a chambre d’Hote B&B) within the most sought after regions there is something of an over-abundance of holiday gite accommodation.

As soon as you add to this excess of gites the short length of the peak tourist season it quickly becomes clear why the majority of gite and villa landlords are struggling to continue to keep their business feasible let alone profitable.

Offering long term lets of a month or more can give owners the ability to get the most out of their properties earnings potential. By opting to offer short term, holiday gite rental in the summer months and then long term lets off-peak and even over the winter period a property owner in France can begin make the most from their gite.

The potential of renting out a property purely for longer term rental can be attractive to many owners. Even with the downturn in the pound, the market for long term lets in France remains a healthy one, popular not only with house-hunters looking to rent a place before they buy but with French nationals too. Many young French families choose to rent long term, often for periods of two to three years and in some cases, much longer.

A long term let could indeed become a regular income source for a landlord coupled with less work due to numerous changeovers involved when providing short term, gite accommodation.

I would strongly advise property landlords and prospective tenants alike to seek relevant, professional advice from a French Notaire before entering into any form of rental agreement or contract.

Steve Ellis runs LetsRentPropertyInFrance.com, a website offering a wide range of properties available for long term lets or holiday gites/villas in France. He is unsure why he is writing about himself in the third person.

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