My husband and I are planning a trip to Paris in May or June. We%26#39;d like to rent an apartment for a month. Has anyone had an experience with renting a great apartment with a particularly reliable company? What are the logistics, i.e. where do you pick up keys; what do you do if the apt. does not meet your expectations; how much of a deposit is required, etc. Is it best to go through a realty agency? If yes, what do you recommend? We%26#39;d only need a studio or a one bedroom in laBastille, the Marais, the Latin Quarter or somewhere in the 1st or 2nd. arrondisements. Thnaks for your help.
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We%26#39;re renting an apartment in Paris for a week in early June. I found some very centrally-located ones with good rates through www.rentalfrance.com. Pascal, the manager, has been really great to deal with via internet; very responsive and helpful. I had to send a deposit in travelers checks though...they don%26#39;t do credit cards, which we would rather have used. I emailed previous clients privately and heard back from all saying good things about the apartment and Pascal. I think I originally found the apartment through www.vrbo.com, another good source. (Vacation Rental By Owner)
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Hi ATP -
There was a posting a day or two ago about an agency Perfect Paris, or Paris Perfect. It was a good review - go back a few pages to find it and take a look.
Good luck.
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Hi ATP, there have been an incredible number of posts on this topic recently, so a search of the forum for %26quot;apartment%26quot; will be useful. Two agencies I had good personal experiences with are
www.parisaddress.com
www.rothray.com
I also had good experiences dealing with Isabelle of apartment-in-france.com/paris-apartments.htm but did not ultimately choose her apartment last October.
Ray from Rothray.com and Frederic from Parisaddress.com both met me in the street outside the apartments at the agreed times (with my calling parisaddress to say I would be a bit late in one case) and then took me in and showed me around and how to work the various things and exchanging mobile and other numbers in case of problems. We settled the bill in each case by credit card when I arrived and in both cases I had paid a deposit of about 30% by credit card when I booked so we just covered the difference.
I did not pay a security deposit to cover either for breakages but they had my credit card and the right to deduct anything that I broke. Apart from a glass I broke at one and replaced there were no problems so I had not extra charges. My experiences were very positive at both agencies and personally.
I prefer to book through an agent and not deal directly with the owner as the agency does that as a profession and has a lot more to lose if an owner is unreasonable and causes it bad publicity. Whereas a bad owner can just move on to another agency or %26quot;clearing house%26quot; if he or she gets a bad name. You pay for the professionalism. (IMO of course)
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Hi there, Worcester! I have used vacationinparis.com four times now, all with great success. I think (don%26#39;t anyone holler at me for this) that their apartments are a little less expensive than some of the other rental companies that I%26#39;ve looked at. I guess it depends on your budget. The apartments have all been clean, very nice, even spacious apartments, but not luxurious. Which is fine with me. And their security deposits are all a flat $300. They are also a US company which eliminates the need for overseas monetary transactions prior to your trip. Each apt owner has their own way of transacting the key pick-up. Some meet you at the apartment and some mail it to you prior to your trip. If they do mail you the keys, someone will still be available when you get there. I am happy to answer any other questions you have. And, regardless of which company you use, if you do your homework and use a reputable company, you likey will have no problems with the apartment and you%26#39;ll have a great vacation in Paris!
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Hello Acrossthepond,
My first advice would be to forget about an agency. They would charge a fee and you will have much more flexibility if you are dealing with the apartement owner, specialy if you are renting an entire month you should have some %26quot;leverage%26quot;
I rented a really nice studio in the 11th district near Bastille, it even had a private garden. THe logistic could not have been easier, a nice lady greet me in the entrance hall, show me around the building and the apartment and answer all my questions about the neighbourhood. After my initial request on VRBO the owner phoned me, I think that is a very good sign when the owner take the time to know his renters.
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I%26#39;m going to Paris for the 8th time in May and for the second time I%26#39;m renting an apartment through VRBO. I was very satisfied in the studio I rented last time in the 7th arr. but will be on Ile St. Louis this time. When renting through VRBO you are dealing directly with the owner and each will differ in the particulars--security deposit, rental deposit, picking up the keys, etc.--so you can shop for what satisfies you on all these essentials as well as the apartment itself.
Some American renters prefer to rent from American owners of Paris properties. Communication and currency issues might be easier. There are many such. Good luck. From now on I will go the apartment route!
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Thank you all for such great information. I%26#39;ll look at the sites recommended and will think about agencies vs. owners. Planning is such fun, and finally being in Paris again will be wonderful. Thanks again.
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I have stayed in some apartments in Montmartre in Paris which were recommended to us. They were absolutely gorgeous; an extremely high standard and they are on the internet. Website is www.parisvacationapartments.com
I am returning to Paris later this year and had no hesitation in booking thru the same people. We have booked a 3 bedroom apartment in the same area.
There are quite a few apartments to rent all over Paris on this website and are quite reasonably priced. The photos on the website are excellent and true to life.
Please do yourself a favour and have a look at these wonderful apartments. If you have any questions, they reply overnight.
I think we paid about 50% deposit on booking.
We met the representative at the actual apartment and she was extremely helpful - spoke both French and english fluently. She made sure we knew how to work all the appliances etc before she went. She was also just a phone call away for any questions we had.
Good luck!
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I have stayed in some apartments in Montmartre in Paris which were recommended to us. They were absolutely gorgeous; an extremely high standard and they are on the internet. Website is www.parisvacationapartments.com
I am returning to Paris later this year and had no hesitation in booking thru the same people. We have booked a 3 bedroom apartment in the same area.
There are quite a few apartments to rent all over Paris on this website and are quite reasonably priced. The photos on the website are excellent and true to life.
Please do yourself a favour and have a look at these wonderful apartments. If you have any questions, they reply overnight.
I think we paid about 50% deposit on booking.
We met the representative at the actual apartment and she was extremely helpful - spoke both French and english fluently. She made sure we knew how to work all the appliances etc before she went. She was also just a phone call away for any questions we had.
Good luck!
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Iozdi...I am very interested in your comments of PVA. I have also been in touch with Alex Mony and Isis with regard to their large studio on Rue Cortot. There are always very responsive and helpful. I am so hesitant about staying in Montmartre as it feels a bit isolated to me.
I am a single woman (56) and what stops me is feeling as though I may be missing quite a bit of the experience of walking around at nite ... taking in the amazing views and not being comfortable taking the metro back home at nightime alone. Perhaps a bit of a NY State of Mind... that I am just unable to shake.
Any thoughts or comments you may have regarding same...or perhaps to alleviate such concerns would be greatly appreciated. The Rue Cortot and Montmartre appeal to me greatly otherwise! - Tre
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