House for rent in Paris: instructions for use

Finding a house for rent in Paris is one of the most hospitable stages for those who want to live in the French capital. The difficulties are mainly linked to three aspects:

• high demand, much higher than the offer;
• the high costs of properties;
• strict selection criteria and guarantees required for future tenants.

As in many other things, calm and organization remain the key. Looking for home in Paris, however difficult, is never an impossible mission.

1. Build a solid dossier de location

♪ obtain a job is relatively simple, finding house for rent in Paris may take even a couple of months. To speed up time and hope to sign a contract in a short time, it is absolutely necessary to present a dossier de location complete and impeccable. Like a good curriculum for a job interview, the dossier de location will be your "visit ticket" as an ideal tenant.

A non-exhaustive list of documents required is made up of:

• contract of employment or of internship, necessary to compromise your economic stability;
• last three pay envelopes and last three income statements, if available;
• photocopy of a ID, including passport or driving licence;
• one proof of residence in France, like the last three rent receipts or the last gas/electricity bill.

Owners often demand that the monthly salary of tenants be for at least three months of rent.

This is obviously not always possible, especially for stationers and employees with little experience. Who does not own a dossier solid is therefore required to seek a guarantee with stable and living economic situation, if possible, in France.

Personal experience: I have happened several times that they did not accept my parents as a guarantee, because foreign and non-resident in France. Years ago, a homeowner preferred to rent the apartment to a student who, although not losing income, had the most "reassuring" French parents as a guarantee. Such absurdity is unfortunately the practice when looking at home in Paris, although they may appear as real discriminatory acts.

If you don't have a French guarantor, no panic!

In France there is an opportunity to apply for a visale guarantee completely free and proposed by the French state. Like other official information, find more details on how to get visale guarantee on the website of the Service public.

2. Fix a budget and search criteria

In real estate ads, properties are indicated as appartements. For ♪ (translation to the letter of "house") means the independent house with garden. The T, followed by a variable number, indicates the number of rooms intended as a living room and bedroom:

• study or T1, studio with one room;
• T2 or deux pièces, apartment with living room and one bedroom;
• T3-T4, trois, quatres pièces and by saying, apartments with living room and respectively 2 or 3 bedrooms.

Full bathroom and kitchen are not included in the room count, but it is good to verify that the accommodation is provided.

In Paris it is not unusual to find accommodation with kitchens or even shared toilets! It may therefore be useful to remember some French words related to real estate:

• WC sur palier: "WC on the landing", i.e. toilettes shared with other tenants of the palace. They are frequent in case of rent of a chambre de bonne, small room located on the highest floors and once intended for domestic employees. "Bonne" means waitress/ruler in French;
• Cuisine équipée: kitchen with stove, refrigerator, oven and in some cases also dishwasher and washing machine;
• Salle d’eau: bathroom with shower but not bath;
• Salle de bains: bathroom with bathtub, in French baignoire
• Toilettes séparées: this word indicates that the toilet is separated from the rest of the bathroom. The toilettes séparées are very common in France and other countries such as Luxembourg and Belgium.

In addition to the classic real estate agencies, there are several reliable sites in which to look for house for rent in Paris:

• Jinka, both for private and for agencies;
• pap.fr, reserved for private persons;
• leboncoin;
• Appartager, especially for those seeking roommates;
• Logic-immo;
• Lodgis, with Italian real estate agents.

How much does that cost me?

I prices of apartments in Paris and surroundings vary according to the district, the date of construction but above all according to the square meter. A studio between 15 and 30 m2 can cost between 650 and 1000 euros on average. A deux pièces from 35 m2, at least 1200 euro. For an apartment with 2 or 3 bedrooms, maybe equipped with balcony and parking space, you could ask 2500-3000 euros per month.

It is quite high costs that can be reduced by living in the outskirts, but not always. The prices of real estate in the so-called petite couronnas are now absolutely in line with those of the main arrondissements Paris, especially if well equipped with public transport. Savings is more interesting if you decide to live in great couronne, far from the centre of Paris. However, if you are working or studying in the capital, be ready to spend 3-4 hours on public transport, often unefficient in the Paris suburbs. Your choice!

For information:

• The petite couronnas designate the three departments closest to Paris: Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne;
• the Big Couronna instead indicates the departments of the "great suburbs": Yvelines (where is Versailles), Val-d’Oise, Seine-et-Marne and Essonne.

3. Watch the scams!

As in any other country, the scams linked to real estate remain a threat in France. To recognize and avoid them, I recommend some simple rules:

• never pay any sum of money before visiting the apartment and signed the lease;
• do not rent a closed box accommodation, without having visited it before;
• when possible, meet the owner directly, unless an agency does not do through;
• do not trust the ads too convenient: in Paris you will never find an apartment in the center, of 50 m2, for only 600 euros per month.

Ultimately, to search for house for rent in Paris it is necessary to arm yourself with patience, organization, attention, and above all to be always realistic. In case of questions and comments, please do not hesitate to leave a comment.