How much should I pay for mowing at French home?
Costs vary depending on factors such as skill level and the exact service provided
Many people pay for help in the garden, and a tax credit can help offset the costs
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Reader question: What is a sensible price to pay someone to mow the grass at our second home while we are away? And where do such people advertise their services?
The gross minimum wage is €12.02 gross per hour, which can be used as a guideline for basic, unskilled labour.
You should also consider whether you expect them to use your lawnmower (with fuel supplied), or their own, and what degree of professionalism you expect.
A rough cut with a sit-on lawnmower will take less time than using a push mower and strimming the edges. Whether you expect the grass cuttings to be raked into piles or taken away will also affect prices.
Online research suggests that prices for professional grass cutting in France vary significantly €0.15 and €0.50 per m², with the average price per job being €35.
France has many training courses for professional gardeners, and those offering lawn care generally have at least a CAP (certificat d'aptitude professionnelle) diploma.
They tend to have fixed rates for jobs in mind and can judge quickly how much they will be happy charging. Some will only offer an annual rate.
This way they can better juggle spring and early summer, where lawns need cutting every 10 days, with the late summer and autumn when, if it is dry, a monthly cut will suffice.
Finding someone locally will cost less than if they have to drive a long distance to your property.
Word-of-mouth recommendations are often the best place to start. Newspapers and magazines, including sometimes The Connexion, may also carry advertisements for garden services.
Finally, check whether any local associations helping long-term unemployed or disabled people get back into work can help.
We have heard of one second-home owner who uses them – in this case groups of 10 people in full protective gear arrive in two vans, with a mini-tractor and strimmers, and do a whole large garden in less than an hour.
It is important to note, with any jobs at your home such as this, that there are two options in France: either you become the person's employer for the time they are working for you (this is often paid under the CESU scheme), or you pay an established self-employed worker/firm/association to do work for you.
In either case, the work can attract a tax credit to help offset part of the costs.
