Bonjour !
I have an interesting proposition . Please e-mail me if you are interested or if you know anyone suitable please pass it on.
We are planning to offer one of our apartments in Languedoc (Dept. 30) rent free throughout the full year ( except electricity & water ) to a suitable person / couple who in return would take over the running of the remaining 5 apartments in our building .
To the right person / people we think it may be quite attractive . We will give a large apartment to a couple / family / person to live in free of charge for the full year ( except for electricity and water ) In return they will be responsible for everything to do with the day to day running of the remaining 5 apartments .
In Summer the occupant(s) of the free apartment will have to maintain the pool daily . Clean the pool area & put out / take in the pool furniture daily and most importantly do the Saturday changeovers . The max. would be 5 changeovers but with people staying for different lengths of time - 1 week / 2 weeks / 3 weeks the average would probably be nearer 3 or 4 . They would need to be available to sort out the normal day to day issues such as blown bulbs , blocked toilets , leaks , breakages etc etc . They would need to be general problem solvers for guests also by basically being their "tour rep" for the duration of their stay . Most importantly they would need to be there to meet and greet every new arrival and make a positive impression on everyone as they arrived & departed .
If they wanted to offer guests any extra services to be paid for directly to themselves we would have no problem with this . Possibly they could provide breakfast / evening meals / child minding etc ... Basically as long as it adds to the experience of our guests in a positive manner we have no problem with anything you might decide to offer as a service .
For the peak weeks of Summer the successful applicant(s) would have busy Saturdays plus the odd Sunday arrival but during the week the main duty apart from problem solving & answering any guest queries would be to ensure that the pool & general pool area is maintained to the highest standards . When this peak period ends they would continue living in the apartment but with a much reduced work schedule . There would be less bookings and quieter Saturdays and very little to do during the week . During Autumn & Winter they would have the place practically to themselves apart from the odd booking that they would have to prepare for .
During this quiet period they would be responsible for the low season general maintenance of the building . Fixing any damage after the Summer , Checking toilets , showers , doors , windows , electrical equipment etc and making any necessary repairs and adjustments . Repainting anywhere that required it plus painting the shutters every few years ( should they decide to stay on past the initial first year ) .
Also outside would need to be kept in shape - weeding , pruning , sweeping leaves etc .... Not an awful lot to do really -
Just get everything in shape and keep it in shape until the Summer season comes around again.
Basically what we need are a person / people who can think AND DO for themselves - who won't wait to be instructed every time . We think if we could find the right people it would be mutually beneficial .
We'd have no problem with people who take on other work while staying in the apartment provided that everything we require was done and that weekends were devoted purely to our apartments and our guests .
If you have any previous experience in marketing & publicity this is also something else that we are interested in as we had up until recently an English lady who was pretty good at sourcing bookings for us . Unfortunately because of ill health she can no longer provide this service for us so possibly this would suit you also as it would help to bring in an income while living in the apartment . We paid her a standard rate of 10% on each booking plus a bonus of another 5% for any week where she was able to get full occupancy for us . With 5 apartments to rent it is a good earning opportunity for somebody with the required skills .
Overall this offer may suit a couple where one could ( if they wished ) work elsewhere during the week and the other could look after our interests and then at the weekends they would both be available at the apartments. They must of course be able to speak English & French .
So basically that's it really . If you think it is something you may be interested in please get back to me by e-mail for more detailed information about the position or use our contact form on our website at
www.canaules.com .
