Managing Long-Term Rentals Without a Carte G: Mission Impossible for a Concierge Company? (Not If You Know This Trick…)

No, a concierge company can’t manage long-term rentals in its own name without a carte G (the French property management license). The law blocks it. That’s where carte G delegation comes in: it legally opens up the whole property management chain without you having to hold the license yourself.

You built your concierge business, you’re crushing it in short-term rentals, and you want to scale into long-term management? We’ll explain why the carte G blocks you, and the legal trick to get around it without breaking a single line of the law.

Why you can’t manage long-term rentals without a carte G

What’s this carte G, again?

It’s the professional license issued by the CCI (the French chamber of commerce). It’s mandatory to collect rent, manage leases and security deposits, collect money on behalf of the owner, and issue rent receipts. In short, everything that makes up long-term property management.

To get it yourself, you need to prove professional aptitude (a degree or experience in real estate), a financial guarantee of at least €110,000, and professional liability insurance, then file an application with the CCI, which issues it for 3 years.

Without it, you can’t legally offer long-term property management, even if you’re a well-organized, serious concierge company with real short-term expertise.

What do you risk if you do it without a carte G?

Real, heavy trouble:

• Up to a €7,500 fine and 6 months in prison for unlicensed real estate activity.
• Voided contracts, civil lawsuits, and a ruined reputation.

The Hoguet Law (the 1970 French law regulating real estate professionals) doesn’t joke around: lawmakers want certified (or delegated) professionals overseeing long-term rentals.

Why it’s frustrating for you, as a concierge company

In short-term rentals, you do just fine without a carte G: guest welcome, cleaning, maintenance, listing optimization, premium guest services… But as soon as you want to professionalize and offer full management over 12 months or more, you’re stuck, even though the demand is there, owners want to delegate, and you already have the network, the know-how and the tools.

The legal trick: carte G delegation

It’s a carte G delegation agreement signed between your concierge company and a company that already holds the license, like Unlocker Pro. Thanks to this agreement, you can legally:

• manage properties in long-term, mid-term and short-term rentals;
• sign property management mandates legally carried by the delegate, with the option to take the mandate back if you ever get your own carte G;
• structure your business on a complete platform;
• collect rent through a payment interface that complies with the Hoguet Law;
• automate the split of your owners’ rent and the payment of your commission, with no manual chasing of unpaid rent.

You keep doing what you do best (the field work, the tenants, the client relationship), and the delegate carries the legal and administrative framework. That way you manage short-term and long-term rentals from the same platform, with no duplication.

Unlocker Pro: who is it for, and why?

This agreement is designed for:

• existing concierge companies that want to diversify;
• founders who want to launch straight away with a complete offer;
• real estate professionals without a carte G who want to earn more without building a heavy structure.

You stay independent, you manage your own clients, and you benefit from the legal framework and tools of a company that’s already compliant. Check out our offer for concierge companies to see if the format fits you.

Open up this revenue stream, or keep turning owners away?

You have two choices: keep turning away owners who want to rent long-term and let revenue slip by, or put a carte G delegation in place and open a new revenue stream with no legal risk.

Once the delegation is in place, you still need to choose the right contract to sign with each owner: a property management mandate, a partnership agreement or a service agreement don’t carry the same commitments. And if you’re still torn between building your own structure and delegating, our comparison of concierge company vs. real estate agency lays out both paths, as does our complete guide to the real estate professional license.