Owner's FAQ

For a rental to be considered decent, it must respect a minimum surface and/or volume. In general, a rented accommodation cannot have a surface area of less than 9 m² and a ceiling height of less than 2.20 m.

Although the time frame may vary depending on the economic climate and therefore on the demand for rentals, we consider 1 month to be a reasonable time frame to market an apartment.

With more than 50 years of experience and a well established reputation with companies and Relocation Services, we succeed in the vast majority of cases to rent the apartment directly. The marketing difficulties encountered are generally due to a higher rent than the one we recommend.

France Ermitage offers you a complete portfolio of services to make your property more attractive: Work, fitting out, decoration...

Beyond the tax and contractual advantages of furnished rentals within the framework of the BIC, the companies present many advantages:

• Financial strength
• Good behaviour of the tenants
• Less deterioration than a seasonal rental
• Visibility on the release of the apartment
• Long-term rental in accordance with the law

The companies rent the apartments for different lengths of time and in different types:

• Empty or furnished rentals
• Empty rentals: 3-year renewable leases
• Furnished rentals: 1 year renewable leases
• Civil code" leases: 1-year leases with free clauses

Finally, the contractual aspect is important. By signing with a corporate client, you are assured that the rental contracts are reviewed with precision and professionalism. The apartments are well maintained thanks to a corporate clientele that respects the accommodation they occupy.Our interlocutors are the human resources departments or the mobility departments of large companies with whom we work constructively.

In order to successfully rent to a company, you need to contact specialists in the field who have had a loyal clientele for many years.France Ermitage, which has been present in the market since the 1970s, has developed a unique network of clients, mainly CAC 40 companies and large international companies classified in the Fortune 500. This clientele trusts us. They know that the apartments offered will be comfortably equipped and furnished to strict standards equivalent to at least a 3-star hotel standard.This ability to choose the apartments that will be included in the portfolio is a determining factor in maintaining the trust of this demanding clientele and the assurance of quality property management of the apartment.

France Ermitage is one of the preferred agencies for companies looking to rent a corporate apartment for their employees.

When we take an apartment in rental management, a whole process is launched in order to guarantee a maximum occupancy rate and thus optimize the income of our owners.To succeed in renting an apartment for a maximum of time, it is necessary to carry out several essential actions beforehand:

• Realize a professional quality photo reportage
• Write an accurate and complete ad
• Set a coherent rent in line with the companies' budgets
• Carry out a technical visit to verify the conformity of the property
• Carry out the mandatory diagnostics
• Distribute widely to all Relocation Services companies
• Post the ad on the Internet
• Be responsive and available to show the property

Afterwards, when we are notified of the release of the apartment (at least one month in advance), we look for a new tenant immediately.

In the framework of the Alur law, the decree n° 2015-981 of July 31, 2015 specifies the elements that must be present in a furnished apartment:

• Bedding including comforter or blanket;
• Blackout device for windows in rooms intended for use as bedrooms;
• Cooktops ;
• Oven or microwave ;
• Refrigerator and freezer or, at least, a refrigerator with a compartment that allows a temperature of -6°C or lower;
• Dishes necessary for the meals ;
• Kitchen utensils;
• Table and seats ;
• Storage shelves;
• Lighting ;
• Housekeeping equipment adapted to the characteristics of the dwelling.

In theory, only the "non-occupant owner" insurance (PNO) and the home insurance taken out by the tenant are mandatory in the context of a rental. But in practice, other insurances can be useful, such as the unpaid rent insurance. You can also subscribe to an additional guarantee that will allow you to be covered in case of insufficiency of the tenant's and co-ownership's insurance.

A comprehensive insurance policy with a special clause "furnished rentals" is essential to cover the specificities of this activity. This allows the owner to be protected and to be able to settle any claims quickly while being compensated for the loss of rent due to the loss.

By deduction of the rent on the owner's account. If you wish, you can pay your charges directly (in this case, we will still need to have the contact details of the syndic).

When a property is rented out or when there is a change of tenant, the new lease must be accompanied by certain diagnoses carried out by experts in order to inform the tenant about the state of the property. All rentals are concerned, including rooms in private homes, as long as it is the tenant's main residence.

The diagnostics to be provided to the tenant vary according to your case:

The DPE: Diagnostic of Energy Performance.

The ERNMT: State of Natural, Mining and Technological Risks.

The CREP : Constat de Risque d'Exposition au Plomb (Lead Exposure Risk Report), also called lead diagnosis, if the building permit dates from before January 1st 1949.

The Termite Diagnosis: if your property is located in a zone classified as being at risk according to a prefectural decree.

The diagnosis of the state of the interior installation of electricity and gas: for leases signed from July 2017 or January 2018 depending on the case.

These mandatory diagnoses must be performed by certified professionals. For more details on each of these diagnoses, we invite you to consult their specific pages.

The determination of the rent of the furnished apartment is a crucial moment in several ways to ensure the commercial success of the apartment and be carried out according to several criteria:

• First of all, it must be fixed according to the law of framing of the rents in Paris (except within the framework of a lease civil code which is free).
• Valuing the characteristics of the building and the apartment such as the number of rooms in relation to a given surface, the presence of an elevator, the quality and age of the furniture, the recent renovation...
• To be in line with the rental budget grids of companies
• Be consistent with competing apartments

In order to properly determine the rent, it is necessary to make a "mix" of these different points. Sometimes, some agencies can make you believe that the rent is attractive for the owners, but in fact it is "out of market" and penalizes the profitability with important marketing delays between two tenants.

Taking advantage of France Ermitage's experience to estimate the rent of a furnished apartment is an undeniable plus to ensure its marketing.

The purpose of rent control is to limit price increases when a tenant changes or when a current lease is renewed. It concerns urban areas of more than 50,000 inhabitants where the rental market is tight. This measure is applied by a decree that is renewed every year.

The following are not affected by the decree and can therefore be set freely:

• the rent for the first rental of a decent dwelling
• the rent for a dwelling that has been vacant for more than 18 months
• the rent for a vacant dwelling that has been the subject of improvement work on the private or common areas for less than 6 months, for an amount at least equal to one year's rent

A rent review may occur once a year, on a date fixed in the contract or on the anniversary of the contract. This revision can only be made if it is indicated in the lease. The lessor has one year to request this revision from the tenant from the date of the revision; in this case, it takes effect from the date of the request.

The calculation of the revision of the rent of a furnished apartment is identical to that of an empty rental and is carried out in the following way:

Current rent x (new IRL of the reference quarter of the contract / IRL of the same quarter of the previous year) = new rent

Example : 630 € x 127,77 / 126,19= 637,89 €.

The tenant of a furnished apartment can give notice at any time with a one-month notice period, without having to provide any particular reason to the owner. As Paris is a "tense zone" city, the notice period for an empty rental is also one month (instead of 3). Note that this obligation to give one month's notice is also valid for 9-month student contracts (see above) when the tenant wishes to leave before the end of the contract.

As for the owner, he can, at the time of the renewal of the lease :

• propose that certain conditions be changed. If the tenant agrees, the contract is renewed for one year;
• refuse the renewal by motivating its refusal, either by its decision to take over or sell the dwelling, or by a legitimate and serious reason (non-fulfilment by the tenant of one of its obligations).

In either case, the landlord must notify the tenant by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt at least 3 months before the date of renewal of the lease. Here again, this period is shorter than for empty rentals, for which it is 6 months.

The minimum legal rental period for a furnished apartment is one year. The tenant has the possibility of denouncing his lease with 1 month of notice. If you wish, we can propose the apartment for a minimum period of your choice.

Yes.

The tenant may, without asking the owner's permission, carry out small renovation or decoration work such as painting a wall, hanging pictures on the walls, or changing the wallpaper. On the other hand, work that involves major modifications to the dwelling must be approved in advance by the owner.

The tenant is responsible for the routine maintenance of the dwelling and for minor repairs. A decree sets out an exhaustive list of repairs that are the responsibility of the tenant: maintenance of private gardens, maintenance and cleaning of walls and floors, unblocking of drains, etc.

The landlord is responsible for all work and repairs that are not the responsibility of the tenant. This includes, in particular, work to bring the property up to standard, energy performance, or major repairs caused by obsolescence, construction defects or faulty workmanship: boiler or water heater failure, roofing problems, double glazing, cracked walls, etc.

A landlord of a rented dwelling is entitled to ask for the tenant's participation in energy saving work, if the work contributes directly to a reduction in the tenant's energy expenses. The tenant has the right to refuse the work.

We can specify that the apartment is non-smoking.

Investing in rental real estate consists of buying a home to rent it out in order to receive additional income and to build up an estate.

The investment can be optimized thanks to tax benefits that reduce income tax. Indeed, the legislator or the government authorizes tax deductions in return for a rental commitment. Any taxpayer who pays taxes can therefore benefit from adapted tax exemption solutions.

Rental investment is the only investment that allows you to build up an asset financed on credit, thanks to the rents paid by the tenant, the tax savings and a reduced savings effort.

Various rental investment programs exist, including the Pinel.

The tax system applicable to furnished rentals is that of Industrial and Commercial Profits (BIC), with its simplified variant known as "micro-BIC" for rental income not exceeding €33,000 annually.

In the case of an empty rental, the applicable regime is the land regime.

In the case of rental income of less than 33 k€ per year, there are 2 options:

1.             Declare under the simplified system (micro-BIC): fixed abatement of 50% of rental income, administrative and accounting treatment greatly reduced (no balance sheet or income statement to produce). NB: in empty rental, the applicable "micro-foncier" flat rate only offers a 30% deduction, and within the limit of 15 k€ of annual rent (i.e. 1250 € monthly)
2.             Declare under the actual regime: any expense is chargeable to the income statement of the activity. The value of the asset can also be depreciated, creating an accounting charge. In some cases, this can be more interesting than the 50% flat rate. Note however the necessity to go through a chartered accountant to make these declarations

The real regime in BIC (thus furnished) is much more interesting than the classic real estate regime (empty rental), because you can depreciate your property.

For rents above 33 k€, the "real simplified" regime applies up to 234 k€ of annual rental income. All expenses are chargeable, and the deficit can be carried forward indefinitely. Accounting formalities are simplified (balance sheet, income statement).

Beyond 234 k€ of annual rental income, only the normal real regime applies (regime applicable to any company).

The civil nature of a Société Civile Immobilière forbids any commercial activity. However, the furnished rental, in a debatable way, is considered by the Law as a commercial activity.

On the other hand, the bare rental for residential use is considered as a non-commercial activity, and therefore authorized for an SCI.

However, there are several ways to rent your property with the status of SCI.

Here are the 2 main methods:

1. Use a third party company (SARL or other) which rents the property to the SCI. This third party company is authorized, by definition, to conduct a commercial activity. It is therefore the company that carries out the commercial operation of the property. In doing so:

• The SCI conducts a civil activity since it only rents bare
• The operating company can be either a SARL, SAS, SNC, etc. owned by the owner or by the agency itself.

In the latter case, a simple contract can be put in place.

• Change the status of the SCI by passing it to the Corporate Income Tax (simple, but irrevocable step). The shares remain transferable, as company shares, but the taxation is to the Corporate Income Tax
• Advantage: the asset, recorded in the balance sheet, can be depreciated, which avoids any tax for a period of several years generally.
• Disadvantage: At the time of resale, the property is valued at its book value, and the potential capital gain is all the more important as the property is depreciated.

At France Ermitage, we offer to prepare your annual rental income declaration (except for furnished apartments declared under the real regime).

The tax on vacant dwellings, or TLV, is a tax intended for owners of a dwelling that has been unoccupied for one year in the tense zones. In other areas, some cities apply a similar tax: the tax on vacant dwellings, or THLV, which concerns dwellings that have been unoccupied for at least two years.

Launched on January 1, 2020, MaPrimeRénov' is a financial aid provided by the State to encourage homeowners to carry out work to improve the energy performance of their homes. It is also open to landlords and co-ownerships. MaPrimeRénov' replaces the tax credit for energy transition (CITE) and the aid of the National Housing Agency (Anah) "Habiter mieux agilité".

The management fees are 8 % exclusive of tax of the rents collected for the furnished apartments.

• research of tenants, inventory of fixtures, inventories (entry and exit)
• drafting of the lease contract
• cleaning of the apartments during the stay and at each departure, with restocking of the inventory and restoration at the expense of the tenant.
• follow-up of telephone and EDF subscription
• collection of rent, payment of various charges, taxes, processing of claims (expertise, estimates, work)
• computerized accounting allow us to send clear and accurate statements of account at the end of each quarter.
• EDF and the boiler contract are the responsibility of the tenant

Minor works are charged directly to the owner's account. When the interventions are more important, we submit you the corresponding estimate.

The rent is announced all charges included except electricity and heating if it is individual. It is a legal obligation to announce in the rental contracts the share of the charges in the rent. There is no regularization of charges at the end of the year.