I rented a lovely little flat in La Rochelle, France through Foncia. They come across as being very professional - almost aggressive in their marketing. They have the monopoly over foreign tenants as most French real estate agents are stuck in a time warp, unable to deal with foreign documents. Once you rent from them, they lay out 'easy' access to wifi and electricity through partnerships- very efficient.
Landlords love them, but actually, they are vicious when it comes to finding any excuse to retain as much money as they can from the tenant. Their trick is to make sure that their agents do not develop personal relationships with tenants. So not only does one have to deal with different personnel, but also personnel who are trained to be cold and robotic.
I maintained the flat impeccably. It had been done up with cheap materials - mostly from Ikea that were already showing signs of wear all over the flat. Yet, I kept it polished and cleaned, signaling any leaks and issues as soon as I spotted them. The shower pan was made of acrylic and had mildew and was yellowed with age when I entered the flat. During my 6 month stay, it further deteriorated and began to develop spider like cracks. One such crack developed into a bigger one until it cracked open. The plumber who came to check told me that it had been badly installed. He tapped all over and it was clear that there were spots below that sounded empty.
Without even coming to see the crack, one of the Foncia personnel wrote to me saying that I had caused the crack by letting something heavy fall on it. No matter how much I explain to them, they refuse to accept reality and say that I must pay for replacing the entire shower pan. Needless to say, this is how they retain deposits.
So if you rent from Foncia, be prepared to give up a month's rent (deposit) read more
