If you’d like to run your own business in France, but don’t fancy doing it completely alone, why not become a property manager with Les Bons Voisins? Founded in 2002, this very respected network offers franchise opportunities across the country, so if you’re looking for a way to run your own independent business with the backing of a larger, established organisation, this could be ideal for you.
What is a property manager?
In its simplest form, a property manager handles all aspects of owning and running a house in France. Les Bons Voisins – meaning ‘good neighbours’ – work primarily with clients who own homes in France but don’t live here all year round, so they need support to ensure that their property is kept in good order and to help with the management of holiday homes. And Les Bons Voisins also help people who are here full time and want a hand with anything from gardening to managing routine property upkeep and day-to-day tasks.
Property manager business opportunity in France
As a professional ‘good neighbour’, you could be called on to organise changeovers and cleaning for holiday letting, find local workmen for pool cleaning and chimney sweeping, or even to get quotes from builders and landscapers for particular projects. Some clients need a neighbourly service such as checking on their property after a storm, picking them up from the airport or just preparing the house before they arrive for a well-deserved holiday, making sure that it’s clean and welcoming and perhaps stocking the kitchen with some basic groceries so that the owners can turn up and relax.
Being a property manager with Les Bons Voisins doesn’t mean that you need to be a qualified builder, gardener and housekeeper – it’s about being a reliable coordinator or concierge who can connect clients with the right contacts and services as needed.
What skills do you need as a property manager in France?
If you’re an English-speaker based in France, or if you are thinking of moving to France, and you’re excited at the idea of working for yourself, you’re halfway there! To work with Les Bons Voisins, you need to speak both English and French, be computer-literate so that you can respond to queries, and have good organisational skills so that you can prioritise the projects coming in.
A lot of the property management teams are couples, because being a franchisee with Les Bons Voisins can be a great way to work together and use your complementary skills.
About Les Bons Voisins
Founded over twenty years ago, Les Bons Voisins has earned an established reputation for reliability and professionalism. Since 2002, the company has gradually grown into a network of 18 teams that now cover most of the western and central regions in France. In 2019, Les Bons Voisins was taken over by husband-and-wife team Carmel O’Connell and Joe Wilson, who had already been through the process of owning a French property when based abroad, so they understood the difficulties of finding the right people to help manage and maintain their property.
After they moved to France permanently, Carmel and Joe became property managers for Les Bons Voisins and thanks to their first-hand experience as both overseas owners and hands-on property managers, they have a full understanding of all aspects of the business.
Business in a box
“We talk about the business-in-a-box approach,” says Joe, “because new managers get to start their own business whilst being part of an established company with a great reputation. If you want to join the network you get full training, support with the registration procedures for the French taxation and healthcare systems, a mentoring programme to guide you through the early months and step by step hand-holding to ensure that you have complete confidence in running your new business.
“Essentially, you get the freedom of working for yourself and choosing your own hours, combined with the benefits of being part of a national, well-established organisation. We also promote Les Bons Voisins at property shows, and in the media to help you grow your business.”
Once you’ve been accepted and trained as a franchisee, you get your own profile on the main company website, featuring your photo and background information and you get to choose which services you are confident about offering to potential clients. Les Bons Voisins also includes branded work clothing as part of the set-up package, so you will be instantly recognisable for clients and present a professional appearance at all times.
By joining Les Bons Voisins, you have the practical support to help you run your own business in France, the IT support, and a far bigger advertising and marketing reach than you could achieve as a sole trader.
A steady business model
It’s also worth noting that the property management business has been robust even during Brexit, the pandemic and times of economic challenge.
“In uncertain times, clients need to know that we are here for the long haul and that they can rely on us. Many of our clients have been with us for years, because we’ve proven that we can be trusted with their second home. Some owners use their French home as a personal hideaway, and they trust us to ensure that it feels like a safe haven from the moment they arrive; other owners need to make a commercial return from their property, and we can help with the practical aspects of that, too. Our clients rely heavily on our teams: reliable caretakers who are on hand to oversee whatever might come up are a huge boon to those owners who can’t be there in person.”
How soon can a new franchise be up and running?
The process can be surprisingly quick: the current record is just 10 days between deciding to join to getting the first client! As each property management team covers a specific geographical area, potential clients sometimes keep an eye on the website to see if there is anyone in their region, so when a new franchisee comes on board, they can start receiving enquiries quite soon after their individual web page has been published.
What areas need property managers in France?
“Check with us!” says Joe. “In certain regions we need more property managers to meet the demand from existing and new clients, and in other regions, we don’t yet have any property managers in place. There are also areas that have designated property managers but they’re looking to retire so we need a new team to replace them, which means you could take over an existing client base and even expand it if you want to. The best thing to do is to contact us so we can let you know the situation in your area.”
Where do I start?
To find out more about Les Bons Voisins and the franchise opportunities, take a look at the company website (in French and in English), where you’ll find outline details about becoming a property manager. Then you can get in touch to ask for more details about your area, and ask Joe and Carmel any questions you might have. Who knows, you could soon be celebrating your first year in business with Les Bons Voisins!
