Paris Apartments - Rental Agencies
 

My 5 year old daughter and I will be travelling to Paris in June 2005, and I am thinking about renting an apartment for a week. I have contacted New York Habitat (www.newyorkhabitat.com) and Lodgis (www.lodgis.com). Has anybody dealt with these agencies? Anything I should watch out for when dealing with such agencies? Thank you in advance! (This will be our first time in Paris and my first time renting a vacation apartment).

I don't know either of those agencies, but friends have had good luck with parisperfect.com.

Check into:
http://www.parisinsites.com/currentissue.html

You can subscribe free to this e-newsletter and receive all the latest on Paris doings, including new restaurants, places to stay outside Paris and shopping.

And there is ALWAYS a list of known apartment-rental companies.

I perused the latest newsletter and there are several -- for which I cannot vouch personally, however.

Nowhere else (that I know of) will you get such a complete set of links -- plus lots of chatty info about local doings, including all the "coordonnees" for the shops, museums and restaurants listed.

There is also an e-mail address for the editor, Linda, who will answer questions if she can.....Enjoy the site!

We rented from Lodgis and were very pleased. The apartment was exactly as described, clean, secure and close to the Metro. Our only problem was that the flat owner returned our deposit in Euro as we were leaving the country, and we lost money exchanging it into dollars. I'm not sure how this could be avoided.

We'll rent from Lodgis again.

Kansai,
We rented a shared apartment through New York Habitat 2 years ago and it was one of the best experiences ever. The owners were great and I would definitely do it again.

Kansai,

We used drawbridgetoeurope.com and were very pleased.

You pay in dollars (and get deposit refund in dollars). It was our first trip to Paris too - we gave them a description of our preferences / wish list / price range and they matched us up perfectly, with an apt I wouldn't have chosen myself just based on internet pictures.

You will love having an apt in Paris!

Darn, that's frustrating fodors!, I posted and nothing came up. Oh, well Kansai, my family of 4 visited Paris last June for the first time. My wife spent a lot of time in searching on an apartment. We settled on www.parisinsight.com. A hidden gem for sure! The apartment is very nice, clean, very reasonably priced, great location, and the proprietress is a lovely lady by the name of Virginia Dae. Speaks fluent French and English, knows Paris, well informed, and quite simply an ease to be around. We highly recommend her and the apartment!

Kansai,
For great value and fabulous service, contact Rothray....http://rothray.free.fr
We rented 2 apartments for 2 weeks and will always call Rothray in the future! They are such gentlemen and perfectionists about their properties.

My wife used NewYorkHabitat last year when she took culinary courses in Paris. She had a one-bedroom in the 6th Arr. and loved the experience.

We don't normally stay for a whole week in Paris, but we will go through NYHabitat if and when we do.

I don't think either of those are apt. rental agencies in the usual sense -- you aren't renting from them at all. They are middlemen who take a percentage addon to the rent to cover their advertising services, that's all. You are renting from the owner directly. That is why someone above mentioned when the apt. owner did regarding the deposit, etc. YOu will be on your own regarding everything in that regard, for you to work out with the owner, and for deposit returns. Any problems, etc., you have to deal with the owner. All NY Habitat does is advertise, collect a large fee, and FAX some papers back and forth between you and the owner. I think Lodgis is the same thing.

I personally would not recommend that arrangement for someone for their first time in Paris and first time renting a vacation apt.

I rented a studio apartment in Montmartre from www.parisvacationapartments.com last summer. The owners, Isis and Alex, own and manage their own properties. They have several other properties of various sizes throughout Paris. Check out their website and look at the apartment I rented, Rue Lepic. The studio apartmetn looked exactly like the pictures. Alex took us to see couple other apartments they own and they too looked just like the pictures. The best part is Isis, Alex, and their staff are always available to help or answer questions, just GREAT! I can't say enough about Paris Vacation Apartments.

I am going back to Paris in April and guess where I will be staying? The same studio apartment! And since Isis and Alex quote the rental price in U.S. dollars, I am paying the same $650 a week no matter how weak our U.S. dollar gets!!!!!!

BTW, that was my trip to Europe. My first stop was London where I rented an apartment before arriving in Paris and rented the Rue Lepic studio apartment. I didn't stay in a hotel and I don't plan to for my 2nd trip in April.

Thank you so much for all of your great responses. I will let you know how everything turns out.

I don't know if you are still looking but my wife, my 13 year old grandaughter and I rented an apartment from www.parisbyheart.com this past June. We had a great experience throughout the entire process. Our apartment was not luxurious but it was a very nice place to come home to every night after all the Paris activities. We like to eat breakfast in our apartment before going out and there were several bakeries I could pop out to and buy fresh pastry while my wife and grandaughter were getting ready. It also had a very "local" feel to it so we actually felt like Parisians. Our deposit was returned promptly and in full so I would recommend Paris By Heart.

If you're not afraid to climb five flights of stairs in an historic building, we just returned from Paris and stayed at VRBO #35715. It is one block from Notre Dame, extremely quiet, and completely modern--think slate shower, dishwasher, Calvin Klein linens, glass tabletop. Like all Paris apartments it was small, but very efficient and just right for a couple or a couple and a child. Thierry owns the apartment, and is wonderful to deal with--you pay in US$ and there are no hidden 'surprises'. Check out this property, or reply back with you e-mail address if you have questions and I'll be glad to help.

Just returned from spending a week with my daughter in the most perfect one-bedroom Paris apartment. It was rented through Lodgis, but the owner now has a website, so agency fees can be saved. See www.monparis.online.fr
Located on the garret floor (8th, with elevator up to the 7th) of a beautiful art nouveau apartment bulding in the 7th arr. It is around the corner from Unesco; half block off Saturday and Thursday Ave de Saxe market. Perfect view up to the Eiffel Tower which sparkles for ten minutes on the hour.
Rennovated with modern conveniences.
It's just the most perfect place to be!!!

If I am incorrect, please don't be offended, but in reading through this post I can't help but feel that most of them are posts by rental agents. I have never read such glowing posts.

Mine is real,I guarantee, and is no exaggeration. Rothray is very efficient and accommmodating. The others do seem suspicious.

I WISH I were a rental agent for an apartment in Paris!

Trust me--I'd be LIVING in Paris if I were a rental agent/owner! Stuck in the Midwest instead...I own a beach cottage on the east coast which we rent out during the summer, but we'd NEVER play that game on Fodors...

ditto.

All you gotta do is read the posts I have ever done and you will instantly see I am no rental agent! So Kansai wherever you decide for you stay in Paris I hope it works out. All I know is we didn't deal with any agency.

javawater, we stayed in the apt on Rue Cortot and had the same wonderful experience.

I am sure there are other reputable apartment agencies in Paris, but I just can provide confirmation that this is a great one since I had the first-hand experience. ((b))

You can find many on the www.vrbo.com site..another good one that I have used is www.paris-sleeps.com, the paris perfect that was previously mentioned is very nice..probably the most expensive......

Nothing I've read would indicate most of those posts are by agents. It seems to be a general thing that most people are not merely happy with the apartments they rent, they are ecstatic. I've seen people post things like "it was tiny, we had to clean the tub before we used it, and the windows wouldn't open but they left us a small fan" and then rave as if they had stayed at the Ritz!
I posted just yesterday on the US board laughing because someone loved the house they rented in New Orleans. They said it had termites, but they didn't bother them! Now that's funny!

we are planning a month long stay in paris this fall. i have looked into some of the websites that were posted here. parisinsites.com seemed the best as they have long term rentals. one was in the 4th, "prestigious neighborhood" one bedroom, but it was only 1395, including fee. in fact, there were quite a few in that price range. it seems too reasonable. any thoughts? also, moondoggie, what agency did you use to find your 5th floor walkup? i would love to stay somewhere that is tried and true.

Rothray is wonderful and rates are less for a month's stay. Website is good.

Kparrish, I did not usde any agency--I merely found this listing on VRBO--it's #35715. There is no additional 'fee'. I e-mailed the owner (Thierry) back and forth several times, and it was everything I expected--we would definitely stay there next year. If you have other questions, post your e-mail address and I'll send you mine.
moondoggie

Ok here goes, Pros: price, space(4 people), great neighborhood, true taste of Parisian life, clean, easy access to train, kitchen, awesome view of Eiffel tower. Cons: no credit card service, no 24 hour check-in, no room service, limited towels, no daily maid service. Maybe we were lucky things turned out so well. We were limited in our choices of hotels because we were a family of four. We were very skeptical and nervous about renting an apartment whether it would be convenient as a tourist. It was beyond our expectations. www.parisinsight.com

We have recently booked our accommodation for our family (including 2 children 7yrs & 5yrs) with Paris Insights which comes very highly recommended. Has anyone stayed in this Apartment? It is really well priced and the assistance and advice with booking from Virginia is fantastic

Regarding rental, a good one web site will be www.pap.fr. It is well known in France for long term lease and is worth a try for short term stay... You will be in touch with ownwers

I have used www.parisattitude.com with no problems. There are so many to choose from good luck.

Just to expand on one curious point that was raised in this string (Full disclosure: We are the owners and sole "agents" of a couple of Paris rental properties). Very few short-term properties offered by agencies are owned by the agencies. (That's why they are called agencies, isn't it?) But that doesn't preclude the agency having someone on hand to deal with problems if any should arise.

I don't see who exactly made that statement, but it isn't clear from the grammar what that means to me. It's possible they are owners of a couple and the sole agents of a couple more, that's certainly possible. It is true few agents own the apartments they manage, although I think a few do.

However, there is some point to being the "sole agent" of an apartment because that means if you request vacancy info they will know and have the sole right to rent it. Some apts. in Paris are literally available on about ten different websites and through many different agents, as well as the owner perhaps finding their own renters or letting relatives stay there -- so it can take a while to actually find out if you can rent a place for the time you request. It also can lead to possible confusion or double-booking. In any case, there is some point to that statement, but I don't know what the author meant.

My apologies for any confusion created by my previous post in this string. What I should have written was: "We are the owners of a couple of Paris properties that we offer as short-term rentals, and we do all of the management ourselves -- advertising, bookings, greeting guests and any needed follow-up during renters' stays. One very good reason for renting from an agency that handles several properties is the liklihood of feedback (on this site, for example) from other folks who have used the same agency, if not the same apartment. On the other hand, some people feel they'll receive more personal attention if they deal exclusively with the apartment owner. One the other hand, yet again, it's daunting to deal with a lone person one doesn't know and perhaps less daunting to deal with an agency. One key question, I think, which was raised in this string, is: Who is going to respond if a problem arises during the rental? The agency or the owner? This is worth clarifying before you commit, if it is not clear from the "fine print."

Not to detract from Fodors, but I'd encourage those who have rented apartments in Paris to leave a review at slowtrav.com. It is a great web site, and IMO the best one for reviews of apartments in European cities.

what district is the paris insights apartment in?

Try www.parischoice.com. Good luck.

My relatives had a good experience renting from www.yourparishome.com

The 11th.