bonapartconsultingparis

Rue Jacob, Paris, Saint Germain des Prés

Michaël Harrington, Communications Coordinator of Information Services and Technology, M.I.T., wrote to us about these photos of an apartment we had for rental on rue Jacob in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés.

"I was especially curious to see them since I lived at #9 Rue Jacob while attending Paris IV in 1974 and 1975. A tiny studio that cost the equivalent of $50US a month back then! I appreciate the nostalgia. Wish I were there again—at least I visit as often as possible. How I miss those days, though we did not have a nearby Ladurée back then. We had to go to the Drugstore Publicis (which is where Emporio Armani is now, I believe) for treats and sightings of movie stars and other glitterati."

Renting your new Paris property

Apartment owned and decorated by Christiana Konstantinou
One of the first things to decide is whether you are aiming for long-term or holiday short term rentals.

As Paris is the most popular tourist destination on the planet, it can be suitable for short term rental but location is crucially important. Go for properties within shooting distance of the major attractions, basically, arrondissiment's 1 thru 8. I have my own particular preferences (based on most requested by rental clients!) which top the rest (the Marais, St Germain/Luxembourg Gardens and Montorgueill and Palais-Royal/Louvre areas). Take my advice and avoid the over-priced 8th (Champs Elyseés) and difficult to access Montmartre.

Rental property notice period

Normally, a tenant must give one month's notice to quit a property (previously 3 months in the old 2005 law) at any time but must use a registered letter (lettre recommande avec avis de reception), with no reason reason needed to explain this.

Recently, a busy owner who was about to take off himself for a year or two wanted to cover the eventuality that the proposed tenant might leave before the twelve months were up therefore requiring his input when he really doesn't want to be bother for the forseeable future with more tenant search and screening.

In this case, because the rental contract was a furnished retal classed as a second home/residence secondaire (the tenant's home address in the USA was added to the contract), he was able to make the notice period (on the part of the renter) longer than one month

The reason for this is that if the rental is classed as a second home/residence secondaire then it falls within commercial law and whatever is written into the contract applies.

Owners must just make sure the contract is clearly marked as second home/residence secondaire if they wish to take advantage of this.

Paris Rental Glossary

The Parisian rental lexicon can be charming, baffling or scary, depending on your position. It certainly takes a little getting used to. For furtyher real estate terms have a look at our comprehensive glossary.

“American Kitchen” or” Cuisine Americaine”
Equipped kitchen and dining room which is open onto the living room. We're still not sure how it gained this moniker, but we've grown to love it.

Dépot de Garantie
The deposit on an apartment rental requested by the owner to cover any breakages or damage to their apartment. Normally 2 month’s rent in Paris, often one month if you book via Bonapart Consulting because we make an effort to negotiate less for you. By law the owner does not have to return this to you until 2 months after the date you move out (giving them time to assess any damage you have done or bills left unpaid). In reality most reasonable owners (and certainly all of those that Bonapart work with) will be happy to hand it over immediately on moving out after checking the apartment with you on your last day and following the last bill received if there were utilities included in the monthly rent.

Cave
Cellar - handy for storing extra gear, bikes, suitacases etc.........as well as it's traditional use, for wine. To establish your collection in the Parisian cave, make sure it is far away from any heat source, vibration (Le Métro!) or strong odours (like fuel). Insulation and humidity are primary considerations. The drier the cave, the faster the corks will dry out. If the stopper lets too much air pass, it will ultimately spoil the wine. Aging wines for ten years requires a minimum of 60 percent humidity.

Etat des Lieux & Inventaire
Literally the “state of the place” which is a check made between yourself and the landlord to agree on the condition of different parts of the apartment such as the walls, etc. Basically this is to protect you so that you are not blamed for a streak on the paintwork that you are not responsible for when you move out. The Inventaire is the inventory of items in the apartment when you move in – the number of glasses, TV, stereo etc.

Floor System
Ground floor is known as Rez de Chausee. After going up the first flight of stairs you arrive at the 1st floor and so on.

Gardien/Gardienne
The lady or gentleman who lives in your building and takes care of all the cleaning common parts, post, delivery of parcels – an important person to have on your side. They generally know all the important information about your building, the inhabitants and the neighbourhood. Make yourself known to them and a little present now and again will make your life 100% easier.

Parquet/Moquette
Wooden floors/wall to wall carpet

Pièce
A room. A one bedroom apartment is a “2 pièce” – it has two rooms, a bedroom and sitting room. A 3 pièce is a two bedroom apartment, and so on.

Quittance de Loyer
A receipt for your rent – you should keep these as they are often required as proof of address when you need this for something official. And to prove you've been a good tenant and been paying your rent!

Property pitfalls of renting in Paris

Flat hunting in Paris is a bureaucratic nightmare, and that's only if the landlord likes the look of you! Check out this article from Greatreporter. The author Sally Rubery is right, you need determination, money and a sense of humour!

The need to provide a Guarantor is a particular problem for non-French renters because it's not that easy to find someone who will co-sign with you and agree to pay if you default on the rent if you're brand new in town. French landlords won't accept a non-French based Guarantor because they can't hunt them down if you turn out to default on your rent.

You could just come direct to Bonapart Paris and we'll ease the pain because most people agree after they finally find their home alone, it was a nightmare!

I feel so sorry when people call me and tell me they've been here for a week staying in a hotel and have had no luck finding a place, they are exhausted, disheartened and usually quite uncomplementary about how owners and agencies do business. It can get you down being treated with a complete lack of respect day after day!

It's even horrible for the French, here's a site called JeudiNoir which is a pressure group made up of young people who can't find proper accomodation in Paris. They are protesting on the humiliating process particularly through the Particulier Particulier (PAP), a property magazine carrying listings for apartments for rent and for sale direct with the owner (it comes out on a Thursday, Jeudi, hence the "Black Thursday/Jeudi Noir" name).

Yesterday a family from Mexico city told me that they'd gone to visit an apartment for their son who is coming here to study. On a visit they were let in by the Gardienne who was rather vague about the apartment, it was either this one or another on the 3rd floor. They confirmed the apartment, saw that it was the one they'd seen photos of online and went to the agency to sign the papers only to find out just before signing that they were about to put down a deposit on the grotty, semi-furnished box with a view onto the wall of the neighbouring building. Thankfuly they spotted the trick as the son is already speaking excellent French - they were the lucky ones.

Place des Vosges, Marais

Here is a rare opportunity to live like a Noble in the heart of Paris. It's not everyday that an apartment ON the historic Place des Vosges comes up for rental - with modern conveniences! This is a one bedroom apartment with 2/3 rooms - spacious living room with cathedral ceiling. Windows + skylights on both sides of the apartment flood the space with light. There is a small bedroom at one end of the apartment and a sleeping cove for your guests at the other side. Available now for long term rental (which means a minimum stay of 6 months).
See photos

Find a flat in Paris, everyone's nightmare

International Living's Thomas Springett has just published this handy article, "How to find a rental in Paris" which I'd like to share with you.

"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 in which landlords advertise directly to prospective tenants, or to use a realtor or agent immobilier. (OR A RELOCATION EXPERT THOMAS)

If you are expecting to stay for any length of time, don’t mind paying a fee, and if you don’t want to waste time, this 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 or (or less through Bonapart's relocation service.........); 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 (WHY SHOULD THEY EVEN CARE, IS MORE LIKE IT HERE HONEY)

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. (THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED THESE PEOPLE ARE THE MEANEST MOST PENNYPINCHING PEOPLE IN PARIS, AND THEY DON'T ALL THINK THAT YOUR HEAVILY ACCENTED FRENCH IS "CHARMANT(E)" - MY ADVICE? IF YOU ENCOUNTER RUDENESS SPITE OR ATTITUDE, DON'T GET UPSET AND OR YOU CAN USE LOGIC, $$$$$ OR OTHER WILES TO GET ROUND IT, JUST PHONE THE NEXT ONE AND PRAY. BE PREPARED TO BE HUMILIATED TO WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE. DOES LITTLE FOR INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL.

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. (YOU SAID IT "C'est deja loué Mr Ngobu"......cue telephone slamming down)

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. AND ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.

As you'll be paying an agency and still have to go through a good part of this it's probably best to go via a relocation firm who will at least buffer you from the worst although some charge a fee and take you to a Realtor to see products they list who will happily charge you again (about one month's rent).

We only charge you once, and we don't work in conjunction with realtors, our portfolio of apartments is direct to the owner - and we've hand-picked our bunch to be honest, fair and not sparing on the decoration front.
See apartments:

Flying the nest and arriving in Paris

Bonapart client from Alberta, Canada, Heather Cutknife and her mom Alison posing in her new Paris apartment - a view of the Tour Eiffel no less.

It is a very busy time of year for me, August is never a month to relax at Bonapart. We have a significant younger clientele as originally the company worked to assist those from overseas arrange their accomodation in Paris in advance of their arrival. This was mainly because when I moved here, it was such a hassle I couldn't believe the service didn't exist - eh voila, Bonapart was born. Later we expanded to assist buyers purchase property but I must admit I love this time of year working with young people arriving in paris for the first time to embark on their first adventures.

We've developed a package to assist young people to get up and running with the minimum of hassle and get on with the important business of starting their new jobs or courses without wasting time and energy. As we have worked in conjunction with schools admissions offices for many years we have clients each year from Parson's School of Design (a personal fave of mine), the American University and the numerous MBA schools.

This means that August and La Rentrée for us means helping new arrivals choose a great apartment (often those we have assisted owners in purchasing - so of course they are great!) but as well as this there are many other things to consider..........

Helping select an apartment before they arrive is just one thing, support on getting to it from the airport, connecting to the internet, purchasing a mobile phone (and learning how to pick up messages, yes, surprise surprise the automated voice speaks French!) all takes careful explanation - not always easy to absorb after sleepily arriving direct from a transatlantic flight.

To save time, we now put together a bag of goodies for new arrivals: a mobile phone, "Plan de Paris" (city map) and a Carte Orange for the metro (monthly travel card).

More boringly but essentially we also organise the obligatory tenant's "multirisque" insurance. Without a bank account (hey we also set this up on the first day - not bad going if you know the usual delays here in France for this........), no means to pay by local cheque (not everyone accepts credit cards here, strange but true), speaking not a word of French and not really understanding the why's and wherefores of the law, I can only guess at how horrible this is to deal with alone.

Many students arrive with family in tow hoping to take a holiday at the same time. Sadly they often spend the precious time anxiously racing through Paris on the metro trying to track down their child's accomodation and feeling worried because they don't really know the layout of the city and the areas to avoid (there are a few....) or how the transport to school or work will be. It's no fun and usually in October we have Les Miserables coming to us to move from the apartment they'd booked up for a year after realising it wasn't at all convenient or reasonably priced.

All can be taken care of in advance of arrival (including financial logistics which can be a little longwinded involving international bank transfers and the like). Therefore during the vist the family can enjoy shopping for knick knacks to make the apartment homely, accompany the kids to buy essential supplies, do some sightseeing and relax in the knowledge that their son or daughter is safe and about to have a really great stay in Paris.

Note for apartment owners: Students are great tenants. Just take a good deposit, two month's is the norm, and touch wood, we've never had any Led Zeppelin style antics from any of them. In fact they've been model tenants and this is why so many owners who have apartments on our database come back to us year after year.