Please ensure that the property is fully suitable for your party's needs and expectations, particularly as regards young children. Study the information carefully. In most cases, this will be sufficient to make a fully informed decision. However, if there are any specific criteria that are important to you don't hesitate to ask the appropriate questions before booking and we will reply as honestly as possible. Unlike many web sites, we know the properties and can be your eyes and ears, but we can't second-guess the things that might be vital to you.

Please make sure that you have read and understood the Terms and Conditions. These are available from a link on the property details or at the top of this page. In signing the Letting Contract you are accepting these Terms and Conditions. Note that the letting contract is between you and the property owner (or in a few cases a local management agency).

Bookings are Saturday to Saturday, unless stated otherwise. Please note that you are asked to arrive no earlier than 5pm. Departures are no later than 10am. This timing is essential to allow the owner to correctly prepare the property and carry out maintenance. As indicated on your arrival instructions, please send a text message or e-mail to the owner/caretaker contact to advise them of your approximate arrival time. If you are to arrive later than 8pm, you must let the owner or caretaker know so that specific arrangements can be made.

Due to the requirements of holiday property owners' insurance in France it is mandatory that clients have adequate holiday insurance covering all members of their party, including personal liability cover. This covers damage or injury that your party members may cause to a third party or to their property. In France, this is not normally covered by the property owners' insurance. The owner therefore requires to seen documentary proof of this insurance cover, which you should present on arrival. Click here for a full explanation of this requirement.

This is the property owners' protection to cover the unlikely event of undeclared damage, unsatisfactory condition of the property, or failure to pay any additional local charges (linen hire, heating, etc.). Property owners have different systems for this and you can find out what applies to each property in the property details and on your Booking Form:
  1) A cheque (not cashed) which will normally be returned to you within 15 days of departure, or
  2) You sign a form giving your card details to cover up to the deposit amount, or
  3) A cash sum will be held by the owner and returned to you on departure.
Please ensure that you have what is required by the owner when you arrive.
Note that this aspect is entirely handled by the owner and that we do not intervene in determining deductions nor can we reasonably be requested to arbitrate for things that we have not been witness to.

Please note that you are not permitted to exceed the maximum sleeping capacity stated in the property details unless the owner has given specific agreement beforehand. Some properties may allow an additional cot, if stated in the property details, otherwise babies are included in this number. Tents and camping cars are not permitted. External day visitors are permitted solely at the owners' discretion and you must therefore ask the owner or their representative beforehand, particularly with regard to use of the pool or other facilities. If you have booked at a reduced price for low occupancy the sleeping capacity is limited to the agreed number (check the property details to see whether some bedrooms may be made unavailable).

The arrangements for bed linen and/or towels are stated in the property details together with the charges applicable (some are inclusive in the rental price). Linen charges are paid directly to the owner or their representative on arrival. One set of bed linen (and towels, if this is included) is supplied, irrespective of the duration of your stay. A further change of bed linen (and/or towels) may be available and if this is the case, it will normally be subject to an additional charge. If this is not indicated in the property details, please ask.
  1) Bed linen and towels supplied or hired. In this case you need only bring beach/pool towels.
  2) Bed linen only supplied or hired. In this case you need to bring bath towels, beach/pool towels,   tea towels.
  3) If you bring you own bed linen, there will be pillows and either blankets or duvets supplied (if   this is not marked in the property details please ask).
Where square French pillows are supplied, the pillow cases are usually included in the rental.
Bed linen is not normally provided for cots.

This is always a delicate question and whilst the vast majority of clients are sensible about this, the actions of a very small minority mean that we have to point out the obligations so that it is clear to all concerned. Owners may have one of four possible systems and this will be indicated in the property details and on the booking form:
   1) No cleaning service is provided. You are required to leave the property clean and tidy on departure. The property owner is not expecting a full spring-clean an polish, just a reasonable effort, after which they will undertake to return the property to pristine condition for the incoming guests. In particular this will include kitchen and bathrooms, sweeping or vacuuming the floor, washing up, oven, fridge, bbq, bins, etc.
   2) A cleaning service is provided as an option at extra charge. In this case, the service may be requested beforehand and the charge paid directly to the owner or their representative on arrival. If this option is not taken, then 1. above applies.
  3) A cleaning service is provided as a mandatory extra charge. In this case the charge should be paid directly to the owner or their representative on arrival.
  4) Cleaning is included in the rental price.
Please note that where a cleaning service is provided at the end of your stay (optional, mandatory or inclusive) this covers 'normal' cleaning and does not dispense you from behaving in a reasonable manner.

For bookings outside the summer season (typically early May to end of September) you may require heating in the property. The property details give any additional cost applied for this. Usually this is a fixed price for a week, applied when the heating is "on" and available for use. The owner may use their discretion to reduce this charge if, for instance, there was a cold spell lasting only two or three days. Some properties may have heating charged at cost from a meter reading and some may be inclusive in the rental price, this is indicated in the property details where applicable. Any heating charges are paid directly to the owner or their representative.

In some areas the local authority applies a residence tax (Taxe de Sejour) to occupants of holiday properties for the duration of their stay. It is the responsibility of the property owner to collect this tax. The property details give the last know rate, where applicable. In recent years this has typically been 0.50 to 0.75 Euros per person per day, with young children generally not counted. The rate for the coming season is usually fixed by the local authorities in April/May.

In accordance with the legislation on swimming pool safety, all holiday property pools should be equipped with a safety system. This may be a fence and gate, a roller-blind cover, an alarm, or a full enclosure. We indicate in the property details what equipment the owner has stated as being installed. We do not accept any responsibility for compliance of this equipment with the relevant specifications or legislation. We point out that since July 2008 the safety authorities have expressed doubts concerning the effectiveness of certain pool alarms. If you are concerned about the pool safety equipment and any risks thereof you must ask for further information before booking and make a fully informed decision on whether the property is suitable for your needs.

Whilst not normally mentioned in the property description, the kitchen will have either a cooker, or a hob and separate oven, and also a fridge. Note that in France the oven may not necessarily have a grill function. In a few rare cases, there will only be a mini counter-top oven and in these cases it is indicated in the property description ("mini-oven"). If a dishwasher and/or microwave oven, and/or washing machine and/or tumble dryer is present it is specifically mentioned. The washing machine and/or tumble dryer may be situated in the kitchen, in a utility room, in the bathroom or in a garage or outbuilding. Whilst we encourage owners to provide a wide range of kitchen equipment, crockery and cutlery, there may be differences from what you would normally expect in the UK. There may be a running stock of cleaning and machine products but this up to the owners' discretion and is not guaranteed.

Please note that in France you very often find that there is no toilet in the bathroom and that it will be situated elsewhere in the house. In the property description the following convention is used :   Bathroom - bath and basin, no toilet (bath will often have a shower attachment, but not necessarily a screen or curtain).
   Bathroom (bath and shower) - bath, separate shower cubicle, basin, no toilet.
   Shower room - shower cubicle, basin, no toilet.
   Bathroom with toilet - bath and basin and toilet (bath will often have a shower attachment, but not necessarily a screen or curtain).
   Shower room with toilet - shower cubicle, basin and toilet.
   Bathroom (bath and shower) with toilet - bath, separate shower cubicle, basin and toilet.
   Separate toilet - toilet, with or without hand basin, situated elsewhere (indicated ground floor or first floor).
   En-suite - the facilities are accessible directly from the bedroom or are situated in the bedroom (but may not necessarily be completely separated or with a door).

Since the French place greater importance in the dining area, the comfortable seating (settees, armchairs) may not seat the full number of the property sleeping capacity. Consult the photos of the property, or ask us, if this point is important to you.

Information on local amenities is provided for guidance only and is not contractual. Amenities may have closed or be unavailable at the time of your stay. Please bear in mind that in towns and villages that are not specifically tourist orientated, some establishments may close for a time during the summer for their own holidays.

We can't offer travel booking, only accommodation, but we can give our clients access to preferential rates through certain travel brokers with whom we have agreements or make suggestions for travel suppliers. Please note that the Chez Nous Travel Service is now solely an on-line facility (currently offering a reduction of 5% on Brittany Ferries routes). You no longer need a "booking reference" to get access to this facility. See our travel page for more details.

The number of problems reported back to us is of a very low level, witness to the diligence of the property owners. Nevertheless, it is impossible to eliminate all possibility of a breakdown in the equipment or a defect that has gone unseen. If there is a problem you must contact the property owner or the caretaker. In many instances a simple and rapid solution can be found with the minimum of inconvenience. The property owner will normally take all necessary steps to rectify the problem as soon as possible but may be at the mercy of local tradesmen or suppliers and in this case delays are inevitable. It is not acceptable to collect a list of grievances for a letter of complaint once you return home. If the owner was not notified nor given the opportunity to rectify the problem, a subsequent complaint is unlikely to be considered favourably.
Note that your Letting Contract is between the client and the property owner (or in a few cases a local management agency), the names of these parties being indicated on the contract. Your attention is drawn to the Terms and Conditions, that you accept in signing the Letting Contract. Accord Services is responsible for presenting the property details on behalf of the owner, for receiving the funds into a holding account and for sending the paperwork. In the unlikely event of a serious matter you must address your correspondence to the property owner (or the local management agency is this is the case). We would or course appreciate receiving a copy in order to be fully informed.