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.

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.