Kwren- to answer your question, I booked a hotel as a backup, only because many of the posters here on Fodors made me feel worried. So I have only reserved the hotel, but not paid for it. I can cancel up to 5 days in advance without penalty. I realize this is not as good as same day cancellation, but I believed that if there was an issue with my rental apartment, I would hear from PP before the 5 day mark.

Their policy is stated in their web site, as well as in my contract, that if they for some reason had to cancel my reservation, they would place me in an equal or superior rental. If I was not happy with the replacement rental, they would refund my money 100%. They also state this has never happened in the history of their business. Because they have a large number of rental properties, I was satisfied with this policy.

<<Having a hotel as back up is intelligent but clear proof that one is skeptical about legality of the apt her rents.
Ethically it means : I am doing something probably illegal so in case the other hoes bust better be prepared. >>

No, Whathello, it is not proof of anything like that. PP has given me sufficient info that my rental is legal. I only have a hotel as a backup in case of an unforeseen cancellation.

regarding above that it has never happened that renters were not happy with replacement....I know for sure I have read here that is not true...not interested enough to try to search for those posts but it has been discussed. PP owners do have a very strong and friendly relationship with frequent renters...and that group is very very loyal and of course they will tell them 100 % legal but this has to be taken with a grain of salt. For most renters all will go well and in all honesty most renters do not read these boards and thus do not have a clue that apartments for rental in Paris are under this type of investigation...they just go and stay...enjoy Paris and go home. But once you know it changes things a bit in terms of being comfortable in an apartment rental.

I don't understand why PP's website still solicits apartment owners to list with them. I would think that would be a risky proposition currently.

http://www.parisperfect.com/contact-...tacttype=owner

Though I have enjoyed staying in apartments in Paris in the past, the last time I visited I elected to stay in a hotel. And I survived!!! In fact, I had a wonderful time, just as wonderful as my prior visits. A little different, yes, but just as fun.

I live in a renovated condo in an old "charming" building in San Francisco. Our HOA specifically prohibits any sublets under six months' duration. We can rent out our apartments, but not to vacationers.

Lois- I'm sorry, I guess I should clarify: their policy states that they will place you in an equal or superior rental if there is a cancellation. They state that not having an alternative rental in which to place someone- has never happened in their history.

"If we have no availability in our apartments we will refund your payments immediately and do our best to help you find another one. Please note that this has not happened in the history of our company."

Again, the decision to rent or not to rent is an individual one. I chose to rent because it is difficult to find a 2 bedroom hotel room for a family of 4 that is reasonably priced and in the location that I want. I also prefer to have a kitchen and laundry, to make life easier with children along. For some people, hotels are fine. For us as a family, we need more space and privacy and a kitchen.

Each person can decide what is best for them.

From the link just posted:

"Owners retain full flexibility to schedule and enjoy their own special stays in Paris."

Certainly implies absentee owners only using the apartment for vacation stays, not resident owners only renting for 120 days.

>>They have been working since 2011 to make their units legal -<<

Isn't the law much more recent than 2011? I honestly don't know but I <i>thought</i> all this turmoil started in the last 18 months or so.

Wonder what legalities they were working on before their flats were possibly illegal?

Janisj - just like in San Francisco, the short term rental regulations come & go in phases, with "vague" rules & regulations that are un-enforcable at the beginning, to be replaced by more stringent laws later. See above post by me about SF.

Paris Perfect was aware of the impending problems with short term rentals in about 2010, and alerted us to that fact at that time (very long story - I don't want to elaborate - take my word for it). This whole PP enterprise is a husband & wife thing - not a corporation like Homeaway or AirB&B. PP has to play by the rules - or they're "outa-here".

We had a great escape in Nevada City for 2 days last week.

Stu Dudley

I have just read the entire content on the ParisPerfect website.
It's obviously geared to upscale visitors who want to be coddled and can afford to stay in their apartments - not the average family on a budget. It is also geared to foreign investors with a fantasy of living for a few weeks in Paris, loads of available cash, and who would like a solid return on their investment.

You would think, with all the current controversy regarding the legality of vacation rentals, that PP would have a banner featuring the "Mayor's Seal of Approval and Legality" at the top of the page. Instead, there is no mention of the current situation at all - but there is a mention about owners "who can spend part of the year in this beautiful city and we can manage and rent their apartments when they are away."

Then there is this, which is a sour grapes story, warning that the buyers should have asked the agency's expertise before purchasing:

"Recently, friends who live in Paris and speak fluent French bought a beautiful apartment in Paris. They are a busy couple and didn’t have time to get into the nitty gritty of the paperwork. We would have happily taken a look at the rules and tests – but it didn’t occur to them there could be a problem.

After spending a fortune to renovate it, they asked us to rent and management it for them. But, after reading the building rules we discovered short term rentals are forbidden. There is little possibility to change the rules and the only advice we can offer is to sell and look for another. It isn’t pleasant to hear, but if they’d taken the time to read the rules or have an expert read them, they would save themselves a lot of hassle and money."

The rest of the website includes the standard boilerplate that can be found on any other rental management/real estate website. Fees are listed for various services, and the client is assured that everything in the search, purchase, renovation and rental process will be - well, "perfect". But there is no mention on this website about the legality of their apartments.

I really think it's terrific that the owners of ParisPerfect have collected enough money to purchase and renovate an old hotel - I know a few people who would love to do the same, but lack funding. I'm sure the owners will have a ball decorating to their high standards, once the renovation is completed and the City inspects the hotel before granting the appropriate licenses. Hopefully, this will not take too many years to accomplish.

Perhaps StuDudley would like to share some of the private information he mentioned above, as he so freely does with his itineraries?

I forgot to mention that I have never paid "$10 for a cup of coffee in a sidewalk cafe" - and wonder where this information comes from.
Perhaps this site has not been updated since the exchange rate was really unfavorable...

fuzzbucket - We are not an upscale family who want to be coddled but rather a average family of 8 who actually find the apartment we rented from Paris Perfect less expensive then three hotel rooms. We have reserved an apartment for one week in October 2016. I am satisfied with the explanation we received from Paris Perfect regarding the legality of their rentals. I had reserved this apartment months ago only to find the judgmental posts implying renters don'ts care about breaking Paris laws. Actually, as an American, I know that corporations here in the US "ALWAYS" pay all of their taxes. They never try to skirt the law to make a profit. Who is to say the hotels in Paris aren't breaking any laws. Paris Perfect is out in the open, well known, written about in magazines, newspapers, etc. If they are breaking the law, wouldn't they be one of the first companies to be investigated and charged? Everyone travels differently and in ways that best suit their family. I really do believe that most people who post here are good people, who don't damage property and are respectful of the other tenants.

@rfbk50 - I guess you missed the posts where it was explained that it is the apartment <b>owner</b> that is breaking the law, not the company representing them? I know it seems crazy, but PP - and AirBnB for that matter - are not (currently) breaking the law, even though they are making it easier for others to do so.

<i>Who is to say the hotels in Paris aren't breaking any laws.</i>

This is a poor attempt to diffuse scrutiny of Paris Perfect. Do you have any evidence, any hint of impropriety or disregard of the law on the part of any hotel operator in Paris?

I have read the portions of ALUR which sanction short term vacation rentals such as what PP offers. The requirements are onerous. Very few owners will be able to purchase the required commercial property and convert it into residential apartments for residents at the ratio of 2 square meters for every allowable square meter given to vacation apartments.

In other words, for locations such as the 6th or 7th arrondissements, an owner would need to convert 100 square meters of nonresidential property into residential apartment space to receive approval to place a 50 square meter apartment on the market as a short term rental.

What I see as Paris Perfect´s business model, and there are other profiteers doing the same thing, is to entice wealthy foreigners to purchase an apartment in Paris and place the apartment on the vacation rental market with PP as the listing agent. There are two obstacles to this strategy:

1. Copropriété bylaws prohibiting short term rentals in their building.

2. National laws, specifically ALUR, which prohibit vacation rentals, unless approved as outlined above, in any city with a population greater than 200,000 inhabitants.

Paris Perfect obviously recognizes obstacle #1 but they blatantly ignore obstacle #2. Doing so allows them to continue earning their profits while the possibly misguided apartment owner assumes the risks which includes heavy government fines when caught.

The city of Paris has 25 inspectors and thousands of apartments to regulate. The city´s primary object is to remove short term rental apartments from the marketplace and return them to long term rentals for residents. It´s a big job. I seriously doubt that Paris Perfect and companies like them, whether they are owned by an nice old couple or not, will be operating in the same way with a 2 to 3 year time frame.

RFb : congrats ! A family of 8 is not average anymore.
It used to be, last century.

However being nice or respectful of the others has no impact on legality, at least it hadn't last time I checked.

I'm sure PP says they are legit and fulfilling all legal aspects.
Clinton said he had never had an affair with Veronica.
Cahuzac (minister of the budget in France) said with equal convition that he didn't possess any money outside of France.
Platini had forgotten he had gotten 2 M€ of 'dubious' fee.

Maybe some owners of PP have forgotten to fill in all papers too ? or maybe the majority of them.

But if you want to believe everything that is advertized, ok for me. I don't care and have no apt to rent, I just give info about a situation that I know better than you, living part time in Paris and speakling French.

But you are welcome to ignore my advice - just don't say it is totally untrue.
Just rent from a large company (PP seems to fit the bill) so that if the owner realizes they were renting illegally and suddenly stop, you don't find yourself on the street.
Avoid direct contact with owners, for the same reason, avoid paying in cash, for the same reason.

And it will be probably ok.

To expand what Sarastro has suggested.

The city of Paris and Airbnb's 60,000 apartments as of March 31st, 2016.

http://bonjourparis.com/apartments/I...ion-apartment-

My building meeting for co-owners is coming up soon and among the things that we have already decided to vote are 1) no vacation rentals in the building and 2) when the bank agency on the ground floor is inevitably closed in the coming years, no restaurant or food commerce can occupy that space.

rfbk50 - the people who stay in vacation rentals in Paris are not breaking any of the City's laws. But in a growing number of cases, by choosing to rent an illegal apartment, they are breaking the regulations of the building's residents, which are established when someone purchases an apartment, and may be amended on a yearly basis. Residents and their guests are expected to obey these rules, or can expect a lawsuit on the part of their neighbors.

It doesn't matter how respectful, quiet or pleasant any one is - and you must remember that you are not likely to be the only illegal rental in the building - the other residents have voted to not allow strangers in their building, and this right should be respected.

If you lived in a condo in the US, no doubt you would want everyone to respect your building's regulations, too.

The problem of stretching one's allowance for lodging is another matter - but the end does not justify the means, and it's a poor argument for renting an illegal apartment. If someone can't afford Paris, maybe it's time to think about visiting a less-expensive city, or wait until there is some more money to spend.

Kerouac, I am curious. Does your building "own' the bank on the ground floor. I just say that because in buildings I am aware of in the US the commercial business is generally not "owned" by the homeowners who might own the condos above it. Just sounds like it might be different in France if you have that ability to "refuse" a tenant.

Having read this and similar threads, I foresee the day when apartment and other vacation rentals in some markets will all be required to advertise via some government-owned agency. Privately-owned information agencies like airbnb, vrbo, ParisPerfect etc etc will simply not be permitted to list rentals in certain markets.

I have not had time to analyze the implications in detail as to the costs and benefits of such an arrangement, I say only that it is likely coming. Hotels and aparthotels might be able to operate as exemptions if they pass certain requirements, much as some people now are exempted from undergoing the full security clearance in airports if they apply for Global Entry/Trusted Traveler status. But small operators in tightly regulated markets will one day have to list only with government websites.

I can't see any other resolution to the conflict between governments who wish to highly regulate their housing markets (and, while we're on the subject, vehicle-for-hire markets) and those who want maximally DEregulated markets, like airbnb. Somebody is going to win, and if the majority of voters are on the side of regulated markets, then that is what will win.

As for the current situation, poster 'Judy' above hit it most accurately: most of us might want to be on the right side of the law, but at the moment it is extremely difficult for the average person to discern a sheep from a goat, when it comes to a non-aparthotel Paris apartment. Agencies might likewise sincerely believe they are '100 per cent legal' but any credible evaluation of legality has to be, for obvious reasons, independent of those with a vested interest in the outcome of such an evaluation. Which mean, it will be up to the government to come up with a better system, independent of the say-so of apartment owners and agencies, that will allow tourists to judge whether a place has met both the local building rules and the government's requirements.

Meanwhile the situation is a mess, as Judy has inferred. I wish everyone luck in making their decision.

Hello...Clinton's muse was Monica!! but true nothing happened with her.

Louis2; ????????