The host of international movies already scheduled to be shot in South Africa this year are providing owners of luxury villas and apartments along Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard with excellent opportunities to rent out their properties over the winter months.

Tanya Joubert, a director at Cape Town luxury accommodation agency Inhouse Properties, says that, over the last two months, movie production companies have approached them to find accommodation for the film crews of three separate movies due to be shot in Cape Town.

“Preproduction and shooting of these films can last up to six months. The production companies realise it is often far cheaper to rent apartments for the crew members than to put them all up in hotels for that length of time.”

She says production companies often require up to thirty or forty properties at a time, varying from middle of the range apartments and houses for the majority of crew members all the way up to top of the range luxury villas for the directors, producers and actors.

According to Inhouse Properties director Michelle Jackson this situation provides an excellent opportunity for owners to earn a good rental return on their properties over the winter months. “Renting out your property to international production houses is a great way to ensure occupancy at decent rates between April and November.”

Up-market houses can fetch from R25 000 to R500 000 per month

The rates vary according to area, views, number of bedrooms, furnishings, proximity to amenities and distance to the beach. “So, while not everyone should be expecting the R15 000 a day that a five bedroom luxury villa in Clifton with a rim-flow pool overlooking the beach can fetch, up-market apartments and houses along the Atlantic Seaboard can still fetch between R25 000 to R50 000 per month.”

People in the film industry have a somewhat unfair reputation for late night reveling, but Jackson says owners should not be concerned.

“Firstly, most of the crew members work very long hours and barely have enough time to go home and sleep, let alone throw parties. Secondly, we always insist on a deposit that will cover any damages and breakages. Finally, all rentals are done through the production companies rather than the individuals as this provides owners with far greater security. To date we have had no complaints from owners whose properties we have rented to film crews.”

Jackson says that while these production houses filming in Cape Town are willing to pay top dollar for the opportunity to stay in style along the Atlantic Seaboard, they also demand the highest standards. “We are extremely careful to ensure that the experience meets the expectation and that clients receive value for money. Many of these production companies will use Cape Town as the location for other movies, so the opportunity for repeat business for owners is always there. And with the 2010 Soccer World Cup just around the corner, many of these crew members will be testing the accommodation waters for the sporting spectacle in two years’ time.”