About Just France
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About Just France
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Just France has been renting fine properties in France to a world-wide clientele since 1991. As our name implies, we specialize exclusively in France.
What makes our company different from other U.S.-based companies that offer properties for rental in France?
Our mission is to turn your fondest dream about renting a home in France into a living reality. We recently added a sales component to our services for those interested in taking the ultimate step and buying a property in France.
In addition to the South of France we offer rental properties in Languedoc, Périgord (Dordogne, Lot, etc.), Burgundy, the Loire Valley and the Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy areas. We also offer a number of carefully selected apartments in Paris for short or long-term rental.
The Just France staff is ready to advise you personally on our many properties throughout France. Our advisors include Cecil Jones, who formerly practiced law; Cecil's wife Adrienne, who before joining Just France headed an international marketing research firm specializing in France and Italy, and Annie Flogaus, a French major from Duke University.
All property advisors are French speakers and devoted Francophiles, and they travel to France several times a year to meet with owners, update their knowledge of existing properties and to inspect and photograph new houses, villas and apartments for offering to our clientele.
What can you expect when you contact Just France for information on our properties?
First we will speak with you in depth about the kind of experience you are seeking in France. Is your major interest a beautiful view, a superb kitchen, proximity to a village, good value, an interest in wine - or a combination of all? We have years of experience in matching people and properties. Whether you are one couple or a large group having a family reunion or celebrating a special anniversary, we will offer you a selection of properties tailored specifically to your needs and budget.
Second, we will answer your questions about properties on our Website that interest you, and tell you their prices. We may also point out one or two that we feel you may have overlooked, or that are new listings that are not yet on our Website.
You will review the properties with other members of your family or group, and we will provide any other information you need to make an informed decision. When you have chosen a property we will notify the owner immediately of your interest and confirm availability. Finally, we send you a Rental Agreement to confirm the booking (please see our booking procedures).
Superior Villas and Houses. Just France's greatest concentration of properties is in the superior to luxury range. Thus our typical home in Provence or on the Côte d'Azur has a swimming pool, three to five bedrooms, and at least two bathrooms. However, we make an effort to maintain a selection of affordable homes, generally located in picturesque villages, that are appropriate for couples or small families. On the other end of the scale, we offer a limited number of substantial and well-appointed properties that can comfortably accommodate between 12 and 20 guests, as well as a special group of highly luxurious properties on the Mediterranean and in Provence.
Property Inspection Policy. It is Just France's policy to meet with the owner and to inspect and photograph all properties offered for rental. In exceptional cases Just France will offer a property that we have not yet inspected where the property has been strongly recommended by a source (such as a former renter) whose judgment we respect, and where photographs support the recommendation. In the rare case where we have not yet inspected a property, our consultants will invariably bring this fact to the client's attention.
Housekeeping and Other Staff. Some owners provide limited housekeeping as part of the rental price. Where it is not provided housecleaning can be arranged through the owner, generally at about $12-14 an hour. Properties with pools invariably include pool maintenance. Some luxury properties come with full-time staff. In most cases, Just France can arrange for additional personnel such as a part or full-time cook or driver.
On-Site Assistance. All properties have a caretaker or other responsible person who may be contacted in case of emergency or because of plumbing, electrical or other problems. The phone numbers of contact persons are provided with Arrival Instructions, which the client receives abut three weeks before departure. Many owners have prepared extensive information for Just France guests that includes restaurant recommendations and suggestions for local sightseeing.
Rental periods. Many owners decline to rent for less than a two-week period. Some impose this minimum only during the high season and may rent weekly during other periods. Most owners rent strictly from Saturday to Saturday. Some prefer simply to divide the month in half and rent from the first to the 15th day of the month, and from the 16th to 30th.
Descriptive Materials
Individual property descriptions. Just France does not publish a catalog, for several reasons.
First, our inventory constantly expands as we add new properties to our listings. Second, from years of experience we know that no two rental inquiries are the same. To make an informed decision a client often needs in-depth information that catalogs simply cannot provide.
Finally, it is our policy to offer only properties we have inspected and are available to us directly from the owner. We decline to take a European agency's catalog, paste our address on the back and offer the properties as if they were our own.
Detailed descriptions and extensive photographs. Following a property inspection we write our own description, being careful to point out any features that may enhance or detract from its desirability. Idiosyncrasies at individual properties (road noise, steep drops dangerous to children, etc.) are explicitly noted. Our earnest desire is that the client experience no unpleasant surprises on arrival, and for this reason our descriptions are quite detailed and are accompanied by numerous photographs showing both exterior and interior characteristics of the property.
Arrival
Arrival instructions. Clients generally receive final Arrival Instructions two or three weeks before departure, and earlier if necessary. Most owners welcome clients personally or arrange to have their local caretaker do so.
Arrival and departure times. Owners normally welcome guests between 4:00 and 6:00PM on the day of arrival, and expect them to vacate on their departure date by 10:00AM. This schedule allows the owner time to restore the property to move-in condition after a client's departure and before the next client's arrival. Arrival and departure times may sometimes be altered in exceptional circumstances.
Paris Apartments
A word of caution. The rental of apartments in Paris can be a delicate affair. In no other area of French property rentals is there so much potential for disappointment and misunderstanding.
The problem, we believe, lies in the gap between travelers' fantasies of a typical Paris apartment, and the unfortunate reality. When people think of Paris, they imagine a city which more than any other in the world epitomizes style, elegance and unfailing good taste in all things related to the decorative arts. This perception is actively fostered by Parisians and borne out in innumerable ways, from the way Parisian women dress to how galleries and antiquaires arrange their merchandise in store display windows. But alas, when it comes to apartments offered for rental, nothing could be further from the truth.
Just France has inspected scores of apartments in Paris over the years. Most are drab, dreary and not up to normal standards of cleanliness. Even if they are located in fine neighborhoods or are offered at exceptionally low rates, we decline to offer such properties for rental.
Select properties offered for rental. Just France has selected a small number of apartments in Paris that we feel comfortable in offering for rental. The properties range from affordable ($1,300 and up) studio apartments to lovely one-bedroom properties ($2,100 a week and up) to very expensive three and four-bedroom townhouses. All have been inspected by Just France. A few of these apartments are positively elegant, the majority offer substantial comfort in pleasant surroundings, and a few are simple but tidy and efficient properties that will be acceptable to most clients. All of the apartments have well-equipped kitchens and, with few exceptions, a washing machine.
Short and long-term rental. Some apartments are available for as little as one or two weeks, while some owners prefer only longer-term tenants staying for a month or more. Call and let us know your needs.
Assistance with Travel Arrangements
Air, rail and car rental reservations. Just France is happy to assist with car rental and train reservations to assure that you have a bon voyage at the least expense. For rail travel, we can advise you whether it is more advantageous to obtain a rail pass or point-to-point ticket for travel within France and Europe. We also offer limited assistance with hotel recommendations and reservations in Paris.
Restaurant recommendations. We will be happy to share with you our knowledge of restaurants in different parts of France. Clients going to Paris, Provence and the Côte d'Azur routinely receive with their Arrival Instructions a detailed list, compiled over the years, of our favorite restaurants in these areas.
Properties for Sale. Because we are in constant contact with owners of properties throughout France, we are often the first to know when a property is offered for sale. Our listings range from large châteaux to country homes (including beautifully renovated mas in Provence) to small apartments in Paris. Sales are consummated directly with the owner with the assistance of a French notaire. In Provence Just France works directly with a highly respected architect-builder who can provide an engineering inspection or an estimate for a property you wish to renovate to your specifications. If you are interested in acquiring a property in France, please give us a call.
References. Just France is a member of the Philadelphia chapters of the Alliance Française and the French-American Chamber of Commerce. Should you desire references from clients who have rented previously through our company, please ask.
The Joy of France
France is one of the most beautiful lands on earth. It is also a land where a deep cultural heritage and a rich history, much of it about war and peace, go hand-in-hand with the art of living life passionately, and to its fullest. For the French this joie de vivre includes ample time for romance, exploring their countryside, eating well and simply stopping to relax and enjoy the pleasures of life, such as a leisurely game of boules on a warm Provençal afternoon, or a chamber music concert on the ramparts of a medieval village in the cool of the evening. Call us to speak with one of our property consultants and let Just France help you find your own joie de vivre during your stay in this wonderful country.