Gîte rental terms

These terms apply to stays booked directly with the companies that operate the gîtes of the La Baume estate and Château de Thésée, without going through a platform. Last updated: 2 November 2026. This is a translation: in case of discrepancy, the French version prevails.

1. The landlords

Each gîte is let by the company that operates it. The contract is made with that company alone, named in the booking confirmation.

• La Baume estate (Roc Blanc, Pour les Amis and Clos des Étoiles gîtes), La Baume, 34620 Puisserguier, France: MAS LA BAUME, agricultural partnership (société civile d’exploitation agricole) with a share capital of €263,253, registered office La Baume, 34620 Puisserguier, SIREN 752 466 912 RCS Béziers, VAT FR64752466912.
• Château de Thésée (L’Orée des Bois, La Closerie and La Longère gîtes), 51, rue Jeunier, 41140 Thésée, France: SCEA DU BOUC, agricultural partnership with a share capital of €20,000, registered office 53 rue Jeunier, Le Bouc, 41140 Thésée, SIREN 909 799 892, VAT FR11909799892.

Contact for any booking or question: lila@frenchieswines.com.

2. Purpose

These terms govern the rental of a furnished gîte for a short stay, booked directly with the landlord (website or e-mail). The guest does not take up residence there.

They apply to the exclusion of any other terms. A booking made on a platform (Airbnb, Booking) remains governed by that platform’s terms.

The guest declares that they are of legal age and have accepted these terms before booking.

3. Booking

The guest chooses the gîte, the dates and the number of guests. The total price, fees and tourist tax are shown before any payment.

Bookings are made by request. The request only binds the landlord once accepted in writing (e-mail); the acceptance sets out the gîte, the dates, the price, the payment schedule and how to pay the deposit.

The booking is confirmed on receipt of the deposit. If no deposit is received within 5 days of acceptance, the request lapses at no cost.

4. Prices and tourist tax

Prices are in euros, all taxes included. They include the rental and utilities (water, electricity, heating). The end-of-stay cleaning fee, specific to each gîte, is added and shown before any payment.

Tourist tax is added to the price. It is due per adult per night, collected by the landlord and paid to the local authority. As the gîtes are not star-rated, it is a percentage of the price per person per night excluding tax (nightly price divided by the number of occupants, children included):

• La Baume estate (Sud-Hérault community of communes): 3.50% capped at €3.64, plus 10% for the Hérault department and 34% for the Montpellier-Perpignan new rail line, i.e. 5.04% of the price per person and at most €5.24 per adult per night.
• Château de Thésée (Val de Cher Controis community of communes): 4% capped at €4.00, plus 10% for the Loir-et-Cher department, i.e. 4.40% of the price per person and at most €4.40 per adult per night.

Exempt: minors, seasonal workers employed locally and people in emergency accommodation. The price confirmed at booking does not change, except for a change in tourist tax decided by the local authority.

5. Payment

• At booking: a deposit of 30% of the price of the stay.
• 30 days before arrival: the balance and the tourist tax.
• Booking less than 30 days before arrival: the full amount at booking.

Payment is by bank transfer, or by card on a secure payment page when this option is offered. Advance payments are a deposit (acompte), not a refundable down payment (arrhes): they bind both parties, subject to articles 7 and 8.

If the balance is not paid when due, the landlord may, after a reminder left unanswered for 7 days, treat the booking as cancelled by the guest (article 7).

6. No right of withdrawal

Renting a gîte for set dates carries no right of withdrawal (article L221-28, 12°, of the French Consumer Code). Only the cancellation rules of article 7 apply.

7. Cancellation by the guest

Cancellations are made by e-mail. The date of receipt determines what remains due:

• more than 30 days before arrival: full refund of all sums paid;
• 30 to 8 days before arrival: 50% of the price of the stay retained, the rest refunded;
• less than 8 days before arrival, or no-show: the full price of the stay retained.

Tourist tax is always refunded on cancellation. A stay cut short by the guest gives no right to a refund. The guest may take out cancellation insurance with the insurer of their choice.

8. Cancellation or change by the landlord

If the landlord cancels, all sums paid are refunded immediately. Where possible, another gîte or other dates are offered, which the guest is free to refuse.

In case of force majeure making the stay impossible (disaster, administrative decision), the sums paid are refunded, without further compensation.

9. The stay

• Times: check-in and check-out times are given in the gîte description and the confirmation. A late arrival should be announced by e-mail.
• Length: the minimum stay is shown for each gîte.
• Capacity: the number of guests may not exceed that of the booking nor the capacity of the gîte. The landlord may refuse entry to extra guests, without refund.
• House rules: pets, smoking, parties and events follow the rules given in each gîte’s description. The guest is responsible for everyone they host.
• Use: the gîte is to be used with care, respecting the neighbours and the surrounding wine estate.

10. Security deposit and inventory

A security deposit is handed over on arrival, by cheque or in cash, or as a card pre-authorisation when this option is offered. It is not cashed unless there is damage. The amount depends on the gîte:

• €500: Pour les Amis, L’Orée des Bois;
• €1,000: La Closerie, Roc Blanc;
• €1,500: Clos des Étoiles, La Longère.

A check-in and check-out inventory is carried out. The guest reports any problem within 24 hours of arrival.

The deposit is returned, or the pre-authorisation released, no later than 7 days after departure. In case of damage, missing items or exceptional cleaning, the landlord retains the amount, with supporting documents. If it is not enough, the guest pays the difference.

11. Insurance and liability

The guest is liable for damage they or their guests cause to the gîte, its furniture and equipment. They check that their home insurance covers holiday rentals, or take out suitable cover.

The landlord is not liable for personal belongings lost, stolen or damaged during the stay, nor for an interruption of service (water, electricity, internet) beyond its control. Faulty equipment is repaired as soon as possible.

12. Personal data

The landlord (article 1) is the controller of the data given at booking: name, contact details, dates, number of guests. They are used to manage the booking, the stay and the tourist tax, and kept for as long as accounting and tax rules require.

They are processed by the landlord’s service providers for booking management (SuperHote) and online payment when offered (Stripe), and are never sold or transferred.

The guest may access, correct or erase them, and object to their use, by writing to lila@frenchieswines.com. They may complain to the CNIL (www.cnil.fr), the French data protection authority.

13. Complaints, mediation, applicable law

Complaints should first be sent by e-mail to lila@frenchieswines.com, preferably within 15 days of departure.

Failing agreement, a consumer guest may refer the matter free of charge to the consumer mediator: CM2C, 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris, France, www.cm2c.net.

These terms are governed by French law. Any unresolved dispute falls under the competent courts according to the ordinary rules.