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Paris apt rental, has anyone used france homestyle or parisaddress lately?

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Paris apt rental, has anyone used france homestyle or parisaddress lately?

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Old Jul 10th, 2006, 05:48 PM
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Paris apt rental, has anyone used france homestyle or parisaddress lately?

We are looking at renting an apt for next spring in Paris using one of these agencies.

I know about ParisPerfect, but they are a litlle too expensive for us. Both of these have several apts on or around Rue de Seine, and Rue des Beaux Arts. Anyone familiar with these streets?

As always, thanks for any replies!
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Old Jul 11th, 2006, 06:46 AM
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Old Jul 11th, 2006, 01:35 PM
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you might try checking with www.vrbo.com where there are over 300 listings for Paris apartments.
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Old Jul 11th, 2006, 04:09 PM
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We have rented four different apartments from France Homestyle.

#1 & #2. in 1994, were two apartments for a five week long trip. I started my negotiations with Claudette the owner, and then was turned over to the owner of #2 and we dealt with him for the remainder of the time. France Homestyle is in th State of Washington and John Q. was in New Jersey. Apparently he was and still is, an independant agent who works with France Homestyle.

Since neither of the above apartments were available for the entire 5 weeks, so we had to stayed in the two separate apartments, two weeks in one and three weeks in the other.

#1 belonged to a friend of this man and #2 was his own apartment on rue Dauphine.

#1 was very comfortable and we hated have to leave it after only two weeks.

#2, his own apartment was a dirty, disgusting, dingy, small one room dump with a useless kitchen (too small and the refrigerator door was almost falling off) Besides we didn't want to eat in that place. The pillows were like pancakes and the towels that he bragged about, were almost thread bare. The studio couch that doubled as a bed, should have been dumped years before. We stayed out from morning until late at night, and took several previously unplanned overnight trips, during those three miserable weeks.

We complained to his agent in Paris, a 20 year old girl, to no avail. We tried the entire time of our stay to find something else, again to avail.

When we returned and complained to France Homestyle, Claudette said that neither she, nor any of her representatives in Paris had ever seen the apartment prior to recommending it to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She just took the owner's word that it was a swell place. She said that she would check it out herself on her upcoming trip.

She called me a few weeks later and said that she had not been able to see the dump on rue Dauphine, but that she has seen his other apartment in the Marais and that it was unsatisactory and that France Homestyle would not be representating or recommending either of these apartments again. I didn't ask for anything, from France Homestyle in restitution, future credit, etc, and that is exactly what I got NOTHING.

I called the owner in New Jersey, said he said that he would give me a discount on my next trip when we stayed in his other apartment in the Marais ...RIGHT.

Apartment #3, l996 - was Claudette's own apartment, which is on her site, rue de la Montagne. It has just been entirely redecorated and we were the first renters. It was fresh, very clean and very comfortable. The only fault was the shower, DH said that it was too narrow. Good location, resonable rent, and it worked for us.

Why did we go back to France Homestyle after the first disaster - I thought that we could trust them as we already had a relationship. We didn't think that they would dare do that to us again, and afterall, it was the the agency owner's own apartment.

I'm going to post a a continuation of this saga, because the last time I tried to post this, it was too long and the cyber goblins ate it.

Nina
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Old Jul 11th, 2006, 06:10 PM
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Between l996 and 200l, every year we rented apartments in Paris from other sources. Our favorite, which we rented twice, was unfortunately taken off of the rental market.

So..... in 2001 we returned to France Homestyle for a five week stay. They had sent me pictures a few year prior, of a lovely apartment on St. Louis directly across the street from the river. (remember the 'old days' when things were handled by telephone and snail mail?)

For a five week stay this apartment was a little over our budget, but they kept telling me what a fabulous place it was, blah, blah, blah. We love the Ille, so we decided to take it. Why not live like French royalty.

We even invited my SIL and BIL to stay with us for three days as they were visiting Germany. BUT that is a whole other thread.

So, how was that apartment you ask, .... Tres Cher, fantastic location, and building, but it was old, tired, long overdue for a through cleaning and minor repairs. There was mold all around the bathtub, the phone wouldn't stay on the hook, which was especially bad because we were there on 9/11 and our family kept getting busy signals.

The location made it bearable, and if you looked out of the window with your back turned to the living room, it was wonderful. We had to call the local representative for a few minor things, and when several light bulbs burnt out, we were to told that they were cheap and that we should buy them.

I immediately called France Homestyle when I returned home, and was told the exact thing that their Paris rep had told us. The wealthy older woman that owned it, lived in Nice for most of the year and even though they had gotten complaints in the past, she refused to do anything about them. Despite knowing all of the above, France HomeStyle had touted that apartment to me for several years. I think the owner went to another agency and that may have been the last year that they represented it.

July 2006 - We will be in Paris over the Holidays and we have rented an apartment from VRBO. Coincidentaly, this apartment is also rented though France Homestyle. Before I sent the non-refundable deposit, the other day, I wanted to get as much information as possible. So last week I called France Homestyle and asked them about this apt. Heck, I figured that they owed me that much. Mainly I wanted to know if the woman who answered the phone had seen it herself. She hadn't.

She read me the two evaluations that they had on it, one from 2003 and the other from 2004. Both were very favorable. One of the evaluations said that on France HomeStyle's site and when they made the agreement, they were led to believe that the apt. had 1.5 baths - when in fact there is only one - athough the toilet and tub are in separate rooms.

So much for paying attention to detail. Either no one at France HomeStyle had read the two or three year old evaluation, or they had just plain ignored it! So much for renters taking their time to help future renters.

The woman that I spoke to seemed surprised about the bathroom - that was early last week, as last night it was still listed on their site as having 1.5 bathrooms. This is a minor detail, but tells me something about the agency.

The areas that you asked about are nice and it appears that all of France Homestyles listing are in good areas - it's the apartments themselves that I would question.

Get all of the details that you can, ask for personal references. I always tell agencies that they can give my name and phone number or email to anyone who want a reference.

Sorry that this took so long, but when I saw the name France Homestyle, it awoke the sleeping bear.

Caveat emptor.

Nina
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Old Jul 11th, 2006, 06:29 PM
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Me again... When I spoke to the France Homestyle, I mentioned the horrible #2 apartment (1994) and she immediately called the owner by name, and voluntarily told me that he still represents apartments and they do business with him. I was afraid to ask if he was still renting r. Dauphine.

Would I ever go through them again .....NO WAY.

Nina
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 06:47 AM
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Old Aug 7th, 2006, 12:47 AM
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Wow,
Thanks Nina!

The apartment we are interested in is listed by another agency as well. We will definately avoid France Homestyle at this point
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Old Aug 7th, 2006, 01:09 AM
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latenighter - let's us know how the apartment and the agency turned out in your trip report, hint, hint, hint.

I hadn't realized just how angry I was with FranceHomestyle until I just re-read my looooooong tirade. I've written shorter trip reports!

Thanks for not thinking that I am a nutcase

Nina
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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 07:31 AM
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Good Grief! Seems strange that a person who had such a "bad" experience kept returning to the source doesnt it? During the past 7 years, I have rented a house in Provence and 4 different apartments from Francehomestyle (returning to one location for three consecutive years)-- I've lived in a one bedroom, a 2 bdrm, and the third a fantastic 3 bdrm; I have shared these accommodations with over 15 additional people through 8 years of continually renting from FranceHomestyle. NEVER, NEVER have we experienced ANY problems! Claudette the owner went so far as to provide a floor plan for us on the first year so we could better understand the layout of the 3 bedroom apartment! Her on-site, English-speaking Parisian staff have magically connected us to the internet (when we couldn't); made a doctor's appointment at the American Hospital for a sick guest; provided excellent and trustworthy cleaning staff during our mulit-week stays; provided their cell phone numbers for 24/7 assistance. Every apartment was very clean; linens immaculate; kitchen and bath and laundry all have a 'starter' supply of soap and paper goods; they provide a 3-ring binder with maps of the area, where to find the metro, grocery, pharmacy, market, ATM, etc. I have referred others to FranceHomestyle and EVERYONE has returned so happy that they stayed in a FRANCEHOMESTYLE apartment.
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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 08:15 PM
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We have had a very positive 8-year history of renting one or two apartments and/or houses (in the provinces) through France Homestyle each year except 2001, when we did not travel to France. We always rent the apartments in Paris for a month at a time. The facilities have lived up to their descriptions and our expectations, except for one several years ago. That apartment had been inspected a few months before our arrival, but something had happened and it had deteriorated rapidly, apparently like the elderly couple who owned it. Despite great efforts on the part of the local France Homestlye representatives, the mess was unsalvageable and we moved to another apartment. France Homestyle did not hesitate to offer us a complete refund.

Prior to renting from France Homestyle we had a very bad experience with a large international agency. From that we learned to consult with prior renters and learn directly their assessment of any property before we would rent it. Claudette has always provided the names of recent renters as references and we are happy to respond to people who want to know about places we’ve rented.

We do recognize that things can go wrong in old Paris buildings. The France Homestyle representatives have always been exceptionally helpful and responsive. We must admit that we wouldn’t expect them to come across town to change a light bulb—or even a few--for us. When there has been a repair problem, the rep has always come to sit and wait for the service person so that we could continue to enjoy Paris. A new phone was personally and promptly delivered when one stopped functioning and an additional lamp appeared the day after we stated that the reading light in a living room wasn’t adequate. During an unexpected cold snap a floor heater was provided because the heat was not yet turned on in the building.

We have recommended France Homestyle to a number of our friends and friends of friends and have had nothing but positive feedback. We enjoy staying in different areas of Paris and are looking forward to staying in yet another France Homestlye rental apartment for which we have already contracted for June 2007. We’d be glad to respond to any inquiries about apartments we’ve rented through what we think is a wonderful agency.


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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 11:20 PM
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I have just got back from a trip that included 2 weeks in a flat that I rented from Parisaddress. So far, my experience has been a good one and I am just waiting to see whether they claim I caused any damage (I didn't) and seek to claim against the "guarantee" that allows them to claim against your credit card for up to 1,000 Euros for damage. I am not expecting this but I should just note that this is something that could still occur.

Leaving that possibility aside, I had a very good experience with Parisaddress from the time of booking (you pay a deposit of 30% to secure the booking). Parisaddress arranged to meet me outside the traffic at 1pm on a weekday and although Frederic was held up in traffic, he was there within 15 minutes of the appointed time and called to say he had been held up.

He carried my bag up the two flights to the second floor (French second floor) and then showed me around the flat, explained how to use the washing/drying machine, TV (for the cable channels) etc. He gave me a map and his telephone No and those of the other employees of Parisaddress in case I had any problems. He went down and tested the buzzers so I would know which name was for my flat (he had not seen this flat before). He gave me a map and a few other useful bits of information and all in all he was very helpful.

The flat was clean, comfortable and pretty well appointed. It was great to have a washer/dryer and there were enough cooking appliances - a two hotplate (glass bench top) cooker and a large microwave oven that I did not use.

There was a drip coffee machine, an electric jug and a small Italian stovetop coffee maker and a decent amount of white crockery and utensils. I bought a bigger Italian coffee maker, a few bowls and so on and a little free standing electric flat grill that I used to make toast and to warm my goat's cheese, so the flat ended up better equipped than when I started.

The bathroom window and the window by the bed were both very big and overlooked the small street. Two large windows on the other side near the sofa overlooked the courtyard inside the building.

The bed was comfortable and queen sized. The sofa was a two seater that converted to a smallish bed. There was a round table with a glass top with 4 chairs near the kitchen area. Hanging space was tight and could be difficult for more than one person but there was also a metal coatstand that I did not use. There was plenty of drawer space for clothes. My only complaint would be the screen that visually divided the bed area from the rest of the room as it was small and not robust.
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Old Oct 29th, 2006, 12:34 AM
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I am the poster who had the bad experiences with FranceHomestyle. Yes, we should not have returned after the first time, except that the first of the two apartments we rented during that trip, was very nice. It was not available for the entire five weeks of our stay, so we had to move to the second one for the three remaining weeks. That is the one that was so disgusting.

Claudette, the owner of FanceHomestyle, apologized profusely, and said that she would personally visit that apartment on her upcoming trip to Paris, and that she would never rent that apartment on Rue Dauphine, again. She told me that she was sorry that she had rented it to us, and admitted that neither she nor any of her employees had seen either unit that we rented through her agency!!!!! She had taken the owner's word for it - John Q.

That alone was more than enough reason to never do business with her again, but since she was so apologetic (OK I'm a sucker for a good apology). I contacted her again for our next trip. DH wanted to go to another agency, but I honestly thought that after our numerous telephone conversations, that I had established a relationship with Claudette and that we could trust her properties.

So, on our next trip, we stayed in her own apartment on rue Montagne St. Genvieve (sp) and it was very nice and very reasonable. We subsequently recommended it to friends who also stayed there. It is still being rented by her company. It should be noted that her own apartment is the only one of the four separate apartments that we rented from FranceHomestyle, that they still list.

After a pleasant stay in her apartment, we had no reason not to contact her again for our next trip.

For several years, both Claudette and her employees had touted the St. Louis apartment, but because it was more than we wanted to pay, we had not rented it. This was back in the 1990's, and they weren't online yet and had had snail mailed me some lovely pictures and a glowing description of the apartment, which I kept for a few years.


So in September of 200l, based on their recommendation and the lovely pictures, we rented the apartment. That apartment was totally misreprented, as it was tired, and in dire need of a thorough cleaning and general maintence. When I returned home, I telephone Claudette and she admitted that the owner would not listen to their complaints and had refused to follow their suggestions for maintenance. Yet, FranceHomestyle still continued to rent it, for at least several years. Shortly after that, the apartment owner went to another agency and no longer dealt with FranceHomestyle. Even with the ignored complaints of the agency and previous renters, FranceHomestyle did not drop them, they dropped her.

200l was the last time that we used FranceHomestyle, even though we continue to rent apartments in Paris every year.

I'm sure that Claudette will remember me and she knows that everything I have posted is true.

I am glad that others have had success with their rentals and hopefully will continue to do so. Neither of you rented the apartments on Rue Dauphine, or on Quai Bourbon, or you would probably feel the same as that I do.

The OP asked if anyone had used FranceHomestyle, and I answered merely answered that post. Even with your good recommendations, I would still not use them again, nor recommend them.

Final score:

Trip #1 - 50% satisfied

Trip #2 - 100% satisfied

Trip #3 - 0% satisfied

Some of us are just more forgiving - but eventually it sinks in!
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Old Oct 29th, 2006, 01:58 AM
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paristraveler1 - Good grief ... lest you think that I again returned to FranceHomestyle in July 2006 to rent from them, I was merely trying to get more information on the apartment in question - a different perspective and possibly some negative feedback.

The woman in the office, not Claudette, knew nothing about the apartment and basically was of no help. In fact, she was kept steering me away from it, suggesting other apartments instead. I have no idea why she was doing that, as she said that all she knew about that apartment, was the same as the information that was on their site.

After both unpleasant episodes with FranceHomestyle, all we were offered were excuses, and what later appeared to be feeble, and insincere apologies.
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