rialtogrl

-Unless I am mistaken, you need to have a verifiable academic affiliiation to register with Sabbatical Houses.-

No direct experience but was considering an apartment in Paris through them at one point, and all my research seemed to indicate the "academic affiliation" was a bit loose - you can be an "independent scholar" or "philosopher..." etc. But again this is just some research, not first hand experience.

f1racegirl

I just moved into my 2nd Sabbatical Homes apartment in Paris and can confirm that there is no requirement to have any sort of academic affiliation.

The site takes a little bit of work to navigate. And I would recommend checking often as the good apartments can get snatched up quickly.

I got lucky on my current apartment and was the first person to inquire. By the time I went to see it the next morning the owner told me that he had received 25 more inquiries.

I've been a fan of Airbnb, but for a longer stay I probably wouldn't use them due to the requirement to pay in full up front. With both of my SH apartments I just pay monthly rent to the owners.

I've even become friends with my first SH landlord and she came to see my new apartment last night.

hellomoe

^ You don't have to pay in full upfront with Airbnb. I'm using it for 88 days starting next week, and you pay monthly just like a regular apartment. I went with a unit that has 40+ reviews, with renters who have had long term stays there. YooperLJ, I can let you know how it's going in a few weeks, incase you might be interested in the same place!

welltraveledbrit

<As a matter of practice many properties are listed on multiple sharing sites. We have usually rented through VRBO (now Homeaway) but it would not be a surprise to see the same property listed with Airbnb and others, so most cringing around that particular company is unwarranted. >

Ackislander I couldn't agree more.

It's less the site than the integrity of the individual you are dealing with. Site that have reviews can help you navigate this as can systems where you pay through a third party (like Air BnB) but essentially it's all about picking the right owner to do your business with.

yestravel

sandralist -"There are many reports on Fodor's on other message boards from people who thought they had locked up an apartment rental in Paris but who got a notice from the owner or agency that the apartment was no longer availaible due to "works" or "plumbing problems".

Any sites you can share where this has been reported? I've been watching for some examples but have yet to run across any. Thanks

MmePerdu

Regarding a longer-term rental through Airbnb, they bill for those monthly, rather than all up front.

From the site: " Guest payments and host payouts for long-term reservations happen monthly."

iris1745

yestravel; Don't hold your breath.
Its been the same old, same old from these naysayers.

Generalizes are the main comments from these people.

Specifics, facts are questionable from these people, but certainly welcome.

sandralist

yestravel

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions...ndation-needed

you can also ask over on TripAdvisor. I've seen reports there, although less specific than this one.

Iris,

you really are irresponsible.

iris1745

Perhaps, but you are in the mix!! Irresponsible, Ok, but for me it's more a question of integrity--Yes [yours?]

You decide!!

http://next.paris.fr/english/english...956_port_19237

Sarastro

<i>a residence dedicated solely to short-term leasing requires a requalification as a furnished commercial rental property.</i>

The above is from iris1745´s link.

The requalification is a rather complex and expensive process. There may be some qualifying rental listings on sites such as airbnb. Has anyone found a listing claiming to be in compliance with ALUR, the law requiring owners to register their rental apartments with the city?

yestravel

Thanks for the link. It's the first one I have read. I have been watching TA regularly and havent come across any issues with renting an apt since this "crackdown" started. I have also been googling occasionally and never come up stories of specific situations. I don't doubt that here are situations where people loose out on an apt, but just so far don't see it as happening regularly. However, its definitely a buyer beware situation now.

manouche

The relatively few "naysayers" iris so gleefully refers to are doing their best to keep the travel community abreast of current events - as they occur in Paris, not in the great fantasy La-La Land where the "gung-ho renters" apparently live - if they actually do rent in Paris.

It is true that the Mayor's office has only made a dent in the illegal rental issue. This is because the wheels of justice move extremely slowly in France, while greed knows no bounds - this applies to both owners/agencies who accept rental fees in unreported cash, as well as to tourists who don't care about anything except a cheap place to stay. There are a lot more of both of them, in comparison to the minuscule number of owners/agencies operating in full compliance of the law.

Things do take more time than anyone would like, in Paris. This does not mean that nothing is happening, or that people who plan to rent should depend on finding lots of negative reports on travel forums like Fodor's, TripAdvisor, LonelyPlanet, etc. Many of these reports will never see the light of day, and you should probably be asking yourself why this might be so. Rave reviews outnumber the others by an astounding percentage - just considering the law of averages, there is something not quite right about this. Of course, these sites depend on rental advertising for a large part of their revenue, including regular members who shill for each other's properties/agencies.

Speaking as long-term residents, who belong to several neighborhood associations working with the Mayor on this and other tourist-related issues, we can attest that one of the main concerns with short-term rentals has to do with safety - not who's making piles of illegal cash.

Not all apartments are well-renovated in terms of plumbing and wiring (even though they might look pristine), and when the systems are overloaded, it is the residents who have to live with the mess - and attempt to locate and sue the owner for repairs. Definitely not easy when the owners live outside of France, or when there are multiple owners involved.

The City is extremely concerned about fire, due to overloaded electrical circuits. Unfortunately, the safety code cannot be upgraded overnight, since most people could not afford to retrofit their residences. It was a huge step just getting approval for each apartment to have one mandatory smoke detector - which only cost about 15EU per apartment, but which is beyond the financial means of many Parisians. Try adding fire escapes, requiring fire extinguishers in each apartment, regular wiring and plumbing controls, etc - absolutely impossible.

There's a lot more at stake than just avoiding tax revenue, annoying the neighbors and so forth. There are life-threatening issues at stake, as far as vacation rentals in Paris (and other cities) are concerned. Chances are very good that the vast majority of tourists who rent in Paris automatically assume that safety measures are the same in apartments as they are in hotels - but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Might be a good idea for some of you to consider - especially if travelling with your families or anyone with mobility issues. If more people realized how difficult it is to get out of a burning apartment building in Paris, they might re-think their budget and opt for a hotel, instead. The recent fire which Kerouac just referenced was a terrible reminder.

Sarastro

I didn´t see were the recent apartment fire was mentioned but it killed 8, including 2 children. Smoke detectors were not required in residential buildings until last March and then only in single units which would only warn an apartment´s occupants not others staying within the building itself. Most buildings have no fire warning systems triggering evacuation, something that has been required in the US for decades.

I haven´t seen much written here about safety issues; few seem interested. The overwhelming concern appears to be a tourist´s right to cheap accommodations, a view of the Eiffel Tower, and one´s overriding desire in <i>living like a local</i>.

manouche

This was towards the end of Kerouac's report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...m#last-comment

Tragedy struck yesterday right in the middle of the area I wrote about. A fire was started by an arsonist on rue Myrha and killed 8 people -- the biggest death toll in 10 years.

Here is the story from the newspaper:
http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-diver...w.google.fr%2F

The over-hyped myth of popping down to the nearest bakery to grab your fill of morning pastries does not mean you are living like a local - though this seems to be of utmost importance to most renters, who march through the streets looking mighty pleased with themselves for having bought a baguette. Most locals just toast a piece of yesterday's bread and have a quick espresso - if that.

pariswat

I travel with my smoke detector when I stay in B&B's...
My wife says I'm paranoid.

Ackislander

"Most locals just toast a piece of yesterday's bread and have a quick espresso - if that"

I suppose the people lined up at 7 AM every morning at the bakery across from our last rental in the 10th were all Americans looking for a pseudo-authentic experience. Perhaps a tourist bus arrived at that evening at 7 PM to deliver all those people who lined up to buy an "authentic Parisian baguette" before the poor woman closed for the evening. And over the course of the day, she sold massive numbers of gooey pastries and quite a few sandwiches, no doubt all to tourists.

There were two other bakeries in the same short street, another large bakery at the other end and a small Tunisian bakery that made sandwiches to order. Trust me, their customers were not subsisting on last evenings toasted crusts.

Thus I question how you could make this statement. It wasn't true at our rental in the 14th two years ago or our rentals in the Marais either. You may be describing your own experience or the experience of your friends, but your experience on a city-wide scale is limited, necessarily.

You have provided a great deal of useful information here recently, and I hope you will continue to do so.

Happygoin

It's her general derisiveness toward tourists who prefer vacation rentals that she's trying to get across, Ackislander.

pariswat

Ackis

If we start to dissect everything everyone says...

But it is quite true for a lot of the ones who work : they don't want to takes the stairs, queue, then go up, have breakfast and leave.

Maybe Ker is working or didn't lose old habbits !

manouche

HappyGoin obviously has me confused with someone else. Amazing how fast unfounded rumors travel, but I guess that's really not surprising, especially given the highly imaginative sources which flourish in InternetLand. Not that it's anyone's business, but my wife is not gay, neither am I, and only one of our children is.

My bakery rant was directed to those tourists who rent apartments thinking that living like a local is all about stuffing themselves with pastries all day long. That's what I said, that's all I meant.
No idea why Akis is so offended by what we see in our neighborhood every day of the week.

manouche

HappyGoing obviously has me confused with someone else. Amazing how fast unfounded rumors travel, but I guess that's really not surprising, especially given the highly imaginative sources which flourish in InternetLand. Not that it's anyone's &%$%#?$ business, but my wife is not gay, neither am I, and only one of our children is.

My bakery rant was directed to those tourists who rent apartments thinking that living like a local is all about stuffing themselves with pastries all day long and thinking GOSH ALMIGHTY THIS IS IT!!!. That's what I said, that's what I meant. Of course not ALL tourists are like this, but the ones we see most of the time sure are. Of course Parisian residents buy and consume bread and pastries - they just behave normally when they do it.
No idea why anyone would be so offended by what we see in our neighborhood every day of the week. It's a fact of life, except for those "seasoned Parisphiles" who are of course much cooler than the rest of the tourists could ever hope to be.