I put this question in my last post but wanted to post it separately as well. I'm looking to rent an apartment in Paris for one week in the 1000 euro/week range and don't know what's reasonable for a security deposit. Any tips?

It should have something to do with the elegance of the furnishings. (Presumambly you'll be paying the rent in full in advance, or no later than when you move in.) In an apartment furnished to medium-high standards, damage to one piece of furniture or a rug could easily amount to 1,000 or 2,000 euros, and either of those sums would be "reasonable." Some agencies and/or owners may allow you to write a check for the deposit, to be held, uncashed, "in case," and returned upon leaving everything in good order. (More likely if you and the owner have accounts in the same country.)_And you may even find some owners, if you deal directly, who don't ask for anything at all.

There isn't any standard "reasonable" amount. if you find a flat and the deposit seems unreasonable to you, look for another.

I've seen security deposits from zero up to the full amount of a week's rent. Each owner/agency will have their own requirements.

We will be renting through parisperfect.com in January 2006 our deposit was $650 I guess that's about 1/5 of the stay. We found that perfectly normal. Most hotels want a first night deposit; unless they're a major hotel chain. I guess $250 sounds about right! Though,if it would be my rental property I would make it non-refundable at a certain point to rental date.

Hi Scott,

That sounds like a deposit to secure the reservation rather than to cover possible damage to the apartment and its contents, and it is VERY reasonable indeed.

About 20% of the rental cost to cover possible damage/extra cleaning to the property is average for France. They normally take your credit card imprint, but sometimes they insist on cash euro, so it's well to check.