Villauthyrning: Bedrägerier och varningar

The French Riviera is full of both good people and scammers, but the concentration of the latter is especially high when dealing real estate and luxury villa rentals. Renting a villa in the South of France can be a delightful experience, but like in many popular tourist destinations, it comes with the risk of encountering scams and dishonest tactics.

Vårt #1 viktigaste tips: besök alltid villan personligen innan du bokar den för att undvika bete-och-byte-situationer.

Här är vad du bör tänka på om du funderar på att hyra en villa på Franska Rivieran:

Bokning via en byrå

Booking through a large well-known agency may verka safe, but it’s only as safe as you are savvy. There are many ways that these agencies can –and frequently do– scam people, in both big and little ways. Knowing their tricks can help you avoid them, but be prepared to put in some work before renting anything.

In fact, the CEO of Carlton Group emailed us trying to get us to remove their name from this guide, and in his email he said “Your journalism may have been appropriate, if unfortunate, in its negative slight against Rental Agents in general, but naming our company…” admitting that what we warn about below is true.

Bete & Switch

Du vet redan att alla byråer försöker få sina listor att se så tilltalande ut som möjligt. Men vad du inte kan veta förrän du kommer, är hur mycket de har ändrat bilderna, vad de gjorde det inte show you in the pictures and video, and what problems the villa has that they’re not telling you.

We audited luxury rental listings from the big agencies (in the price range of €20,000 to €50,000 per week) and found that they routinely advertised villas as “luxury rentals” even when they were in very, very bad condition, or not luxury at all.

We found that most of the villas were in very bad state of disrepair, with major water damage and mold issues, many maintenance issues, and things like massive overhanging power lines and overlooking neighbors that had been edited out of photos.

We even visited one “luxury villa rental” where –to our surprise– a new house was being built right next to it and there was one shared private road. It took the construction vehicles, that were blocking the entrance, 25 minutes to move, despite them knowing we had a previously scheduled viewing, with us and two agents waiting. When we finally got to the house we noticed that, unlike what the agent had just told us, the construction noise was mycket loud, and the ‘sea view’ photograph had clearly been taken with a telephoto lens, zooming in on the tiny far-away slice of sea view — and cropping out all the ugly rooftops in the view. Beyond that, the two bathrooms that weren’t in the photos were in a very bad state.

Det enda sättet att verkligen veta vad du kommer att få är att besök villan i förväg, innan du bokar det.

Hyreskontrakt

The big agencies’ rental contracts typically have many loopholes that would allow them to kick you out at any time. Don’t assume they won’t do this.

We hear stories of big agencies evicting people at the beginning of their stay, and keeping the entire rent and deposit for a seemingly inconsequential infractions, like having a visitor, or leaving towels outside (yes, these clauses are in contracts from big agencies like Carlton, etc.) Many agencies also include clauses that let them evict you and keep the money if a ‘neighbor’ complains of noise.

Agents also often agree to terms verbally, then leave them out of the contract so they don't have to adhere to them. Or they tell you verbally that they never enforce those clauses, but then refuse to remove them (…because they intent to enforce them).

Usually, the agencies keep the villa listed online even once it’s been booked. If there’s someone else who is willing to book for the same time-frame, and they have a legal (unethical, yes, but legal) way to get you out, keep the money, and get paid twice for the same weeks, then they really have no legal reason not to. Agencies are more concerned with making maximum profit than potential bad online reviews. After all, it’s easy to have bad reviews removed, most people don’t leave or check reviews, and there’s no way to review individual villas.

Volymen är nere och priset är mycket förhandlingsbart

After Covid, when Americans were able to travel to Europe again, there was a boom in travel and bookings. Even then, the most that luxury villa rentals were booked was around 40% to 70% for the very best villas. From 2023 to 2025, villa rentals were only been booked up less than 20% of the time.

Before Covid, the typical discount you could negotiate on a luxury villa rental was about 30% to 40%. However, we had been hearing that in 2024, people were getting massive discounts on luxury villa rentals of around 50% to 75% off of the asking prices. We did some negotiating ourselves and found this to be true. We expect this to continue throughout 2025, especially with what’s been happening geopolitically.

Hur du skyddar dig själv

Om du funderar på att hyra en lyxvilla på Franska Rivieran via en byrå, finns det några saker du kan göra för att minska risken för att bli lurad:

• Do your research on the property before you book. Ask for a video tour and information about the villa, including its exact address and amenities. Read reviews from other guests and check the villa’s address on Google Earth to make sure it actually exists.
• Betala aldrig för en villa i förskott. Ansedda uthyrningsbyråer kommer bara att kräva en deposition, och du bör kunna betala resten när du anländer till villan och har inspekterat den.
• Make sure the contract contains a clause that gives you a full refund (within a specified time-frame, with penalties for not refunding you on time) if you arrive and the property doesn’t meet your expectations, or has damage, privacy issues, bedbugs, or nearby construction.
• Read the rental contract very carefully before you sign it. Make sure you thoroughly understand Allt the terms and conditions, and that the contract includes all of the details you agreed upon with the rental agency or individual. Do not trust what is only said verbally.
• Skriv inte på ett kontrakt som har kryphål som kan tillåta uthyrningsbyrån eller ägaren att sparka ut dig. Om byrån inte tar bort dessa klausuler vet du att det beror på att de planerar att använda dem.

Vårt uppriktiga råd? Boka inte via byråer eller direkt med ägare, där du inte har något sätt att få en återbetalning om det finns problem. Boka endast via webbplatser som AirBnb och VRBO, där du kan få en återbetalning om annonsen är en bluff, inte ser ut som bilderna eller andra former av bete-and-switch.

Onlinebokningsplattformar

Webbplatser som AirBnb och VRBO har också sina problem (om än mindre än med stora byråer), men de är det säkraste alternativet eftersom du kan klaga till plattformen om det finns ett problem. Det största problemet med bokning på dessa webbplatser är att ägarna ibland ljuger om "skador" och behåller din deposition.

Aldrig boka en villa som du hittade på en hemlig webbplats som LeBonCoin (Frankrikes version av Craigslist). Bedragare använder ofta dessa plattformar för att skapa falska listor för lyxvillor. Dessa listor kan ha foton och beskrivningar som ser övertygande ut, men de kan vara för fastigheter som faktiskt inte finns, eller som är kopierade från en legitim lista.

Här är några av de vanligaste problemen och bedrägerierna att vara medveten om:

1. Falska listor: Scammers may create fake listings to attract attention and money before individuals realize the place doesn’t exist. Once a deposit is paid, the ‘owner’ becomes unreachable.
2. Förvrängning: The property doesn’t match the description in the advertisement, or has major problems with it.
3. Dubbel bokning: Fastigheten kan redan vara uthyrd och du kunde inte hitta någon tillgång vid ankomst.
4. E-postkapning: The email address of the owner or agency might be hijacked or spoofed, and you could end up interacting with a criminal instead of the actual owner. An owner or agency avoiding in-person meetings could be a red flag as they might have something to hide.

Genom att vara vaksam och vidta försiktighetsåtgärder kan du avsevärt minimera riskerna med att hyra lyxvillor i södra Frankrike.

OBS: Brottslighet

Rental villas are the prime target of the crime rings and criminal gangs that operate along the French Riviera. They often don’t have bars on the windows and they know that tourists are not as cautious as locals. There’s a major problem with these criminals breaking in, often using sedative gas, and stealing valuables like your watch and wedding rings right off your hand. Learn more about that here.

Given all the risks associated with villa rentals on the French Riviera, we recommend that you book a hotel instead (here’s our guide to help you avoid disappointment when booking a hotel). But if you’ve got your heart set on a villa, make sure to follow these tips to protect yourself from scams and enjoy a luxurious vacation on the French Riviera.