Hello! My husband and I want to spend a full month in Paris sometime between late May and mid-August. Price is our main concern, and we're trying to pick the travel combination that will get us flights for under $800 RT each (from SFO) and an apartment for less than 1200 euros for the full month.

We're not too obsessed with any specific neighborhood; just looking for a cozy place to cook, sleep and stash our stuff. We're both laid-back, artsy, nearly 30, savvy metro riders and cool with no a/c and the red-light district.
We've heard horror stories about renting apartments online. Can anyone recommend a place they've stayed in recently, or a company they REALLY trust?

Also, we were *this close* to booking one through NY Habitat, before I saw they required a full month's rent deposit + a 35% service charge + utilities AND the the contract seems to release them of liability and any guarantee that the owner -- who we can't communicate with until we've paid -- won't somehow rescind the whole thing when we get there. Still, I'm in love with this place: http://www.nyhabitat-vacation.com/pa...furnished/2289 and could be convinced. (We're suckers for views!) Has anyone stayed there before?

Thanks in advance to all who reply!

I don't think I know of any apartment that rents for that little in Paris -- at least, not a furnished rental that is rented shorterm to vacationers. I consider myself lucky if I find one I like for around 100 euro a day. I do have a couple companies I trust that I've used -- Locaflat and PSR (Paris Sejour Reservation), but I don't think I've ever seen them with apartments that cheap, at least not ones I wanted to stay in. Locaflat just sent me a nice Christmas card, even though I haven't used them in a couple years, I thought that was nice. They both have websites if you want to browse them -- www.locaflat.com and www.psryourhomeinparis.com (I think).

I think at that rate, you are probably going to have to book directly from an owner. Have you looked at VRBO? I know a few French rental websites I might be able to find, do you know French fairly well? If not, I think that might not be the best idea.

Good luck on your search. I'd look at some of the outer or less popular arrondisements, such as 9, 11, 12, 13-15, 17, maybe even 18.

I had some conversations with NY Habitat, also, and didn't rent from them for about the same reasons you had. they aren't really an agency like Locaflat and PSR who take responsibility for things and are the people you are dealing with. They are really just a broker who sets you up with a private owner and then charges a huge commission, as you found out. They did have a few places that looked good, and even with the commission they were about the same as some other agencies I was considering (who no doubt add on a commission of around that). However, the other agencies at least take responsibility for something. I wouldn't care about the utilities, you are going to pay for them one way or another, and I've always paid for them separately, but they didn't amount to much (about 20 euro over a couple weeks). I just didn't like the idea of a very large deposit in my case, also (I think the owner sets that), and having no recourse if the owner didn't return it or there was some problem. As I recall, they were so weird that they wouldn't even tell me the address of the apt. I was interested in, just the street. I don't know what they were afraid of, any other agency has told me the exact address when I asked (which is important to me).

Expect to pay that for a week, not a month.

Hi

This one is available from July 2006 - http://www.christoph-grandt.com/paris.html

Cheers

Have a look at this website, We have booked an apartment thru them for next year for a week so don't really know what they are like as yet but worth looking at
www.parisattitude.com

Try pap.fr, click on vacation rentals or short term rentals. Not many have pictures, though, so be careful.

You'll be lucky indeed to find something at your price, though, and forget about a view at that price.

Happy hunting!

I hope the owner of this apartment, who posts here and on SlowTalk.com, won't mind me posting a link. It's one of the cheaper apartments I've seen.

http://www.slowtrav.com/cl/detail.asp?l=1208

It's most obvious drawback is that it's a sixth-floor walkup (so American seventh floor).

I hope that the owner won't mind me saying that he really does post like a gentleman on all forums that I've seen him at, and other persons have attested to his helpfulness and kindness. I don't know anything personally, though.

I have also seen cheap apartments at the http://www.jack-travel.com site.

I'd recommend going to the SlowTrav.com and accompanying SlowTalk.com board, because they really are experts on European apartments.

Here are some more cheap apartments:
http://www.an-apartment-in-paris.com/index.html

All of the cheap places will not have air conditioning, and as mentioned on another thread, for most people this will probably be uncomfortable.

Thank you all for your help. The apartment that Worldinabag referred me to is just perfect for us! (Thanks for proving that these can indeed be found for a song!)

I have e-mailed the owner of that apartment and will explore the other sites as backup. Thanks again!