How do I rent an apartment in Paris for three months?

May 15, 2006 11:25 AM

How do I rent an apartment in Paris for three months?

I want to live in Paris this fall and need to find a furnished apartment with enough space for my partner and I to live. We'll be telecommuting a fair amount so I don't want just a crash pad, but rather a comfortable home with space. I'm not looking for the cheapest place possible; would rather have something nice at a fair price.

I'm not able to go to Paris in person and pick out a place, but I do have a friend I could ask to check out one place for me. I've found several online sites like this one that are vacation apartment brokers. But I'm nervous signing up for a major commitment with nothing to go on but a few photographs. How do I go about finding something that won't be awful when I get there? Any advice?

posted by Nelson to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Craigslist Paris may be a good place to start.
posted by borkingchikapa at 11:40 AM on May 15, 2006

I rented a furnished apartment in Barcelona last fall for school, and used an agency similar to the one you described.

Established agencies are not generally in the business of providing surprises or pissing off clients. Only one group of students in our program were unhappy with an agency's apartment, and the group was able to swap places when they got there.

I think an agency is much more reliable than a private individual. The best thing you can do is ensure that the agency has been around for a while and they have a permanent address, the phone number works, they respond to email at a proper domain etc.

Another option is to go there without a rental secured, stay in a hotel for a few days and use the agency when you're there. Some students did that, and it, too, was an effective approach.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:57 AM on May 15, 2006

Princeton Alumni Weekly always has classified listings for apartments in Paris. It might be a good place to start, I'd imagine the other Ivy League alumni magazines might have similar classified sections.
posted by jerryg99 at 12:11 PM on May 15, 2006

The magazine FUSAC always has listings for apt. rentals. It's a free magazine found all over the place in Paris.

Personally, when I went to live in Paris for a few months, I just showed up and stayed in a hostel for a few days while I checked out apartments listed at The American Church.

FYI, though, "enough space" and "Parisian apartment" are not usually found in the same sentence. Even pricey apartments are TINY.
posted by INTPLibrarian at 1:37 PM on May 15, 2006

I was going to recommend Harvard Magazine, because it certainly has a bunch of classified listings every month that meet your needs.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:45 PM on May 15, 2006

I ended up looking at apartments at various agencies: Paris Attitude, Lodgis, and Paristay. These agencies put you in touch with an apartment owner and help you sign a contract, but ultimately your agreement is with the owner, not the agency. Found a place I really like, I hope it's as good as it looks when I arrive!
posted by Nelson at 9:18 AM on July 7, 2006