How to find a Paris apartment

by Thomas Springett

Finding an apartment within your means in Paris can be a nightmare. The shortage of affordable rentals in the city is due to both lack of space and cautious landlords who fear the long legal procedures involved in removing tenants who default on their rent (you cannot evict tenants during winter, for instance). And, if you are looking for a small place to live in September and October, you'll also be competing with thousands of students.

The two most common approaches to apartment hunting in Paris are to use a weekly paper called De Particulier à particulier (website www.pap.fr), in which landlords advertise directly to prospective tenants, or to use a realtor or agent immobilier.

If you are expecting to stay for any length of time, don't mind paying a fee, and don't want to waste time, a realtor is probably the best solution. The agency should be able to offer a range of properties to suit your budget, will act as your interface with the owner for payment and any repairs needed, and can arrange several visits before you sign the lease.

A fee of one month's rent

This service is not free, however. Be prepared to fork out approximately three months' rent at the outset: agency fees are roughly equivalent to one month's rent; a returnable deposit (or caution) of one month's rent is required for breakages; and the first month's rent is payable in advance. Unfurnished 200-square-foot studios start from 500 euro or $670+ a month. The owner will receive your rent each month via the agency, minus a handling fee. If work needs doing on your apartment, you may face delays, as the agencies tend to work office hours and may not be able to contact the owner easily.

Most of the large real estate agency chains, such as Century 21, www.century21.fr,and LaForêt, www.laforet.com, are reputable and have online databases for you to access, but local agencies in the area you're interested in may have lower overheads and fees.

Act quickly

De Particulier à particulier, on the other hand, cuts out the middle man, allowing owners and tenants to save money. Dealing directly with the owner may also give you more flexibility to negotiate your lease and payments. And, once you've found what you're looking for, it's in the owner's interests to get you installed as soon as possible.

The drawback is that this publication is so successful that you need to act quickly: apartments advertised in this way are often rented on the same day, and generally offer a single viewing opportunity-along with everyone else who is interested. As the owners are not easily made answerable to dishonest claims, you may also find yourself wasting time visiting apartments that don't correspond to the advertisements. Added to this hurdle is your profile: It may not be what the landlord is looking for, and opportunities for discrimination are rife.

That said, if you have a limited budget, don't mind the occasional wild goose chase, and are not hunting at the beginning of the school year, De Particulier à particulier is a good way to save money. If time is your only obstacle, an agent immobilier is the most efficient way to move into your new home quickly.

Furnished accommodation is another story-along with the arrival of independent rental websites-and will be covered in a future article.