More than half the properties you will find for sale in the Cote d'Azur/Provence region of France will be second residences, either of French residents or foreigners. While one can only generalise, it is usually true that second residences are neither built nor maintained to the same standards as a principal residence.

Often the construction has been funded out of spare cash and therefore a cheap method of building may have been used or corners may have been cut to meet the limited budget.

Since the owners are present only occasionally for holidays, they usually organise for work to be done when they are absent or, worse, they do it themselves. Either way there is a good risk that the work is left too late and is not done to the highest standards.

Finally, it is also possible that they simply are not aware of some problems or do not consider them important enough to fix in what is, after all, only a summer home.

The combination of these factors can result in properties which are far below acceptable standards.

Here are some examples of things to look out for in a secondary residence:-

Lack of insulation, lack of adequate heating - a summer-holiday home does not need much in the way of heating, however Provence can be quite cold in the winter and electric heating can be very expensive to run.

Dampness and leaks - again in the summer most dampness will disappear whereas it can make the winter months quite miserable as well as being unhealthy.

Inadequate septic tank - any septic tank can cope with a short period of use without too many problems but when it is used more regularly it can be subject to blockage, odours or overflow.

Poor electrical installation - the use of electricity is limited in the summer months but in winter the increased usage can result in circuit breakers constantly tripping.

Poor plumbing installation - again, in summer little is asked of the hot water system but in winter the demands can soon show up any weaknesses.