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French Law Makes All Holiday Homes Animal Friendly

A French law dating back to 1970, which makes it illegal for people letting their homes to refuse customers who want to bring pets, has been brought back. What this means is that holiday home owners who don't want pooches, felines and other furry guests coming to stay for the summer are going to have to think of creative ways to say 'no'.

You can imagine that a certain portion of leasers (particularly those who are allergic to pet hair, uncontrollably irritated by shedding or just plain scared of dogs) are annoyed. It would be upsetting to have no choice in who you can and cannot say no to when it comes to letting your house out. While those who have apartments or tiny homes won't be badly affected by it (purely because families with pets won't be as keen), it's the big country home owners who will have to adapt or accept a new client base.

Boxer Dog

And what about pet-friendly venues that stand to lose out on business because their niche in the market has been lost with the standardisation? There will no doubt be home owners who previously closed their doors to all travelling animal owners, who will now give it a try.

Although the law is binding, there are ways around it. The Holiday Home Rental Site recently published a few key ways to prevent unwanted guests from coming, or to get around the mess they will leave behind.

At the end of the day, holiday home owners still reserve the right to lay down ground rules, which may drive home the message: pets are not welcome here. They can insist that pet owners pay for any and all cleaning costs after leaving and insist that animals be supervised at all times when in the house. So pet owners might feel like their options for French holidays have just quadrupled, but would you really want to stay somewhere where your animals weren't truly welcome?

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Clayton Truscott

Clayton Truscott

Clayton is a comfortable traveller, having grown up in a small city that was far away from everything. He spent lots of time in the car as a child, driving up and down the coast of South Africa on surfing trips with his family. After studying abroad in the United States and spending a year working in London, he moved to Cape Town, where he completed a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. He now works as a freelance writer for various travel, surfing and action sports publications.