When an owner decides to delegate the management of their seasonal rental, they quickly face two models presented as equivalent: the concierge service and management under mandate. Both promise to look after the property, the travellers and the revenue. Yet legally, they have nothing in common. The distinction is not a matter of marketing vocabulary: it determines the level of responsibility, guarantee and protection you actually enjoy. Understanding this difference is essential before entrusting a valuable real-estate asset.
Two models, two different logics
A concierge service provides operational services. It handles guest reception, cleaning, key handover, sometimes listing management and coordination of service providers. It is a service provision, useful and often well executed, but by nature limited to carrying out the tasks assigned.
Management under mandate follows a different logic. The manager acts in the name and on behalf of the owner, within a precise legal framework defined by the loi Hoguet. It does not merely carry out tasks: it assumes legal responsibility for the management of the property, collects funds on the owner's behalf and accounts for them in a formalised manner.
In practice, the difference comes down to one word: responsibility. The concierge service executes; the manager under mandate answers. It is this transfer of responsibility that changes everything for the owner.
What a loi Hoguet management mandate entails
The loi Hoguet governs professionals who manage real-estate assets on behalf of others. A manager operating within this framework is subject to strict obligations that directly protect the owner.
- The professional card (carte CPI, known as the "carte G" for management): it attests that the professional meets the conditions of aptitude, integrity and competence required by law to manage properties.
- The written mandate: the relationship rests on a clear mandate contract, precisely defining the scope of powers conferred, the duration, the remuneration and the reciprocal obligations. Nothing is left implicit.
- The financial guarantee: it protects owners' funds. In the event of the manager's default, the sums collected on clients' behalf are covered by a guarantor.
- The escrow account: owners' funds are kept separate from the manager's own cash, avoiding any commingling of assets.
These obligations are not mere formalities. They form a foundation of legal and financial protection that a concierge service, which does not operate under this regime, is not bound to provide.
Why legal responsibility changes everything for the owner
Entrusting your property means entrusting financial flows, a relationship with travellers, declaration obligations and a valuable asset. In a simple concierge model, the owner remains legally on the front line for many of these matters, with the concierge acting only as a service provider.
Under a management mandate, the manager carries this responsibility. It collects rents into a dedicated account, accounts for them, handles the obligations attached to operation and engages its professional liability. For the owner, this translates into a clear and enforceable chain of responsibility, where a service provision leaves more grey areas.
This difference becomes particularly noticeable as the sums at stake increase, as the property sits in a high-traffic resort such as Tignes, or as the owner seeks complete traceability of every euro.
The Serava model: management mandate and excellent local execution
Serava has made a clear choice: to operate under a management mandate, within the framework of the loi Hoguet, rather than as a simple concierge service. This means that the relationship with each owner rests on a written mandate, a professional card (CPI 67012023000000016) and a SOCAF financial guarantee of €150,000, with funds managed separately.
For local execution, reception, cleaning, maintenance, on-the-ground presence, Serava relies on exclusive partner concierge services, selected and steered within the mandate. The owner thus benefits from the best of both worlds: the legal protection of a manager under mandate and the operational quality of specialised local execution.
This architecture reflects a conviction: legal responsibility and financial transparency must not be diluted, while operational excellence benefits from being entrusted to specialised and closely supervised partners.
Transparency: seeing every euro in real time
The difference between the two models would remain abstract if it did not translate into the owner's daily reality. That is the role of the Serava owner portal: every reservation, every statement and every euro is visible in real time.
The owner does not depend on a monthly report sent at the manager's discretion; they can consult the exact state of their operation at any moment. This transparency is the concrete expression of the mandate regime: to account, precisely and continuously, for the funds collected on the owner's behalf.
How to choose as an owner
The choice between a concierge service and management under mandate depends on your priorities. If you are seeking only occasional help with execution and accept retaining legal and administrative responsibility, a concierge service may suffice.
If, however, you want to genuinely delegate the management of your property with a protective legal framework, a financial guarantee, separation of funds and complete traceability, the management mandate is the appropriate model. For an asset located in a valuable resort such as Tignes, where the financial and regulatory stakes are significant, this protection is not a luxury but a matter of common sense.
Entrust your property to Serava
Choosing management under mandate means choosing a framework where responsibility, financial guarantee and transparency are not optional. Serava operates under the loi Hoguet mandate and gives you an owner portal where every reservation and every euro is visible in real time, while relying on exclusive partner concierge services for local execution. To assess your property's potential and understand what this framework changes for you, request a free study.
Information current as of July 2026, indicative data that does not constitute personalised advice, please verify with a professional.