Hi Everybody,

We're thinking of renting an apartment in Paris for a week this summer, and are now planning flights. For weekly rentals, is there a convention as to when the "week" starts, i.e. is is usually Saturday to Saturday (like a beach house)? Are owners flexible on the "start" day? How far in advance should we reserve an apartment?

Thanks for all comments!!

We have rented twice from rentparis.com. They don't require a particular start day.

I don't think there is any set convention, you really need to email the individual owners/agencies and ask them. Some will be flexible and some won't.

>>>How far in advance should we reserve an apartment?<<<

asap imo.

If your plans are solid, I would book as early as possible. More chance of getting what you want when you want it. Up to a year in advance isn't unreasonable, though a few months ahead is probably the most common.

Hi Amie,

why not have a look at a few rental sites and see what their terms are? it would be a shame to find the "ideal" apartment jsut to find out that you should have arrived a day earlier.

i would certainly start looking now for this summer - the best places always go first, credit crunch, or no credit crunch.

you don't necessarily have to rent for exactly a week - in venice, we booked 8 nights, though we didn't stay for the last one as we had a late flight; it gave us the use of our apartment all day which was great, and didn't add a lot more to the overall cost.

you could also book into a hotel if you arrive a day too early for your apartment.

the more flexible you can be, the better choice you'll get.

happy hunting,

regards, ann

Yep, go ahead and book as soon as you can. While waiting to confirm dates for our June trip several of the places on my short list have been booked.
As to check in day - most are pretty flexible, but occasionally you will find a place that only begins occupancy on a stated day. One owner with such a policy told me they do this because the relative that manages the apartment works during the week. Made me wonder what would happen if there was a problem midweek during occupancy.

Thanks so much everybody for the input. I've been delaying reserving an apartment because we haven't booked our flights yet - have been waiting (in vain!) for summer airfares to Paris to drop a bit. I was thinking that if we left mid-week, it would be cheaper, but flights are really sky-high. Will have to wait to get that resolved, then negotiate a start date on an apartment - thanks again!

Yes,a lot of us are in the same position. Reports of decreased business lead to speculation that fares may drop, but so far summer travel season specials are not being publicized. Because many airlines already reduced capacity (e.g., smaller planes, less frequent flights) the fare drops may not be that great.
Apartment owners/agents, of course, need you to specify exact arrival and departure dates. Some may be willing to give you a tentative hold but i thy receive another inquiry for the dates you would need to confirm.