Finding an apartment in Paris

FINDING AN APARTMENT IN PARIS

Apartment hunting in Paris is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for those who have decided to move here. Even worse is all the paper work that goes with it. Most agencies or landlords will require what’s called a “GUARANTOR” which in effect is a guarantee from a French person that assures that for some reason you cannot pay your rent, they will pay if for you. For someone like me- coming from Ireland- finding a “GUARANTOR” is next to impossible unless of course your have "Parisian contacts"

We spent two weeks looking on websites in magazines and advertorial boards. Many phone calls were made- some promising some not so promising. We even tried the American Church in Paris but as we were looking for somewhere for 3 it proved more difficult to find. 2 bedroom apartments and studios are easy to find- if you look hard enough. The PAP newspaper comes out Thursday morning but you need to be careful to get it as early as possible as they are usually snapped up on that day if not that week.

The good thing about finding an apartment by an advertisement in the paper or online is that there are usually no agency fees attached. For those of you who are lucky enough to be able to afford the luxury of having an agency doing all the work for you, be aware when choosing what agency to go with. Some of them charge huge fees which means on top of a deposit could you might be expected to fork out anything from €3,000- €7000 upfront! After many hopeless days of roaming the streets we found an online website which offer holiday apartments to rent short term and long term. The apartments come furnished – which is a huge bonus but of course this is all accounted for in the price! The site http://www.parisianhome.com/ offers a range of different sized apartments throughout Paris. As a student, we decided to rent an apartment for four- even if it meant sharing a room. It cuts down on costs in the long run.

It’s always a good idea to find somewhere central to all the metro lines and the RER. Before renting an apartment you should always check for amenities in the surrounding areas- evidently being Irish our primary concern was somewhere close to pubs and a good night life. It’s also a good idea to make sure you have a grocery shop, pharmacy and boulangerie in the surrounding area- just some of the essentials!

One the last and perhaps the most important piece of advice I can offer is to make sure and read your contract properly and if theres anything you dont grasp dont hesitate to ask questions.

BONNE ROUTE!!!