The proposal from his property management company, Oralia, arrived in his inbox. “Owners, rent out your home during the sporting events,” stated the email, which was sent at the beginning of February, with the following argument: “Generate additional income with complete peace of mind during the Paris Games period thanks to our exclusive partnership!” Claudine (not her real name), a retiree who owns an apartment in a Latin Quarter building, immediately replied: “That’s out of the question.” “Our property management company is inundating condo owners with this proposal and using information acquired through official business to develop an unrelated business, at our expense,” she protested.
Assuming that many homeowners will want to take advantage of the Olympic Games to rent out their accommodation on online platforms, Oralia, owned by the Nexity real estate group, has deemed it “appropriate to offer condo owners of the residence support in making their accommodation available,” the email explained.
The partnership in question, signed with concierge company WeHost, which itself is a partner of rental platform Airbnb, proposes to “secure” seasonal rentals for the duration of the Olympic Games, by offering to limit travelers’ late arrivals (after 10 pm) “as much as possible,” to supervise the location of key boxes and remove them at the end of the Games and to “display signs in several languages in the residences.” In addition, a €50 gift card on Airbnb awaits apartment owners.
A ‘cheeky’ process
This is a “defensive offer,” argued Karine Olivier, general manager of Nexity’s personal services division. “Rather than going to Airbnb on the sly, we’re offering a very high-quality concierge service,” she explained. The offer has been proposed to some 10,000 apartment owners who are customers of Oralia and Nexity Lamy property management companies, in Paris and six other major French cities. WeHost charges a commission of 20% for each reservation, and Nexity will receive a 4% management fee on this amount.
Six hundred apartment owners have already filled in the concierge form and the first three contracts have been signed. “The property management committees have found the proposal pretty good. Not many have vetoed it,” said Olivier, noting however that “some neighborhoods are more reticent, like the Marais in Paris, where people can’t take Airbnbs anymore.” Some owners, who had not ticked the box giving their consent to receive commercial offers, have been contacted directly, but Nexity “blamed human error, and is preparing a letter of apology.”
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