Renting a Paris apartment - what else to ask?
 

Hi- we've found an apartment to rent in the Marais with our 2 kids in the Marais, off of Rue Bretagne. Our main requirements were 1) either an elevator or on a low floor, 2) air-conditioning, 3) clean and updated.

Once I read the rental agreement I became more hesitant to give a deposit to a company in Europe (Paris Deluxe), with whom I've had no previous experience. We have rented vacation homes many times here in the US and the rental contracts have been more "air tight," so to speak. (Yes I have googled the agency and read reviews here and on other websites. There are few reviews.)

What other questions should I be asking of the agency to make sure they are reputable?
Anything else we should consider about the apartment to make sure it's a pleasant stay? This is a big trip for us so I'd like to make sure the apartment is a nice place to come home to at the end of the day. A good night's sleep makes a world of difference to our kids!

There is a "no cancellation" policy on the rental. I'm not sure if this is standard on apartment rentals in Paris. At a hotel you can usually cancel at some point in time in advance without penalty. Does anyone know if travelers insurance would provide coverage for the apartment rental in case of emergency?

Thanks so much.

You saw some reviews: were they good? I generally go with the impression I form from reviews.

Are there pictures? Do you see each bed? Are the details about the apartment itself exactly what you want? Sometimes for me, the actual apartment details are much more important than the details of the contract.

I rented an apartment in Venice this September that required NO deposit and about a one paragraph agreement. But reviews of the agency were all good, so I felt confident.

I've seen apartment contracts that only allowed for a very partial refund several months in advance if the apartment was cancelled. I do believe you can get insurance to cover cancellation, but only if the cancellation is an eligible one. Cancel for any reason insurance is available only within a short window of time from your initial payment on the trip, and it's expensive.

All that said, I'm not in the insurance business nor the rental business. Everything above is only based on my own experience.

I really don't think you should rent apartments if you have the expectations that it is like a hotel. I'm sure even in the US, you could not just cancel vacation homes that easily, like a hotel. No, it isn't the norm for a strict "no cancellation" penalty, but many apt. rentals have very stiff cancellation policies, so you may lose 50-75 pct no matter when you cancel. YOu can view various apt agency websites and see what their cancellation policies after, have you looked at any others at all? Because then you could see. I have never seen a vacation apt rental that had such a liberal cancellation policy that you would ever get all your money back, even if you cancelled 2 months in advance.

Yes, travel insurance should cover that if you cannot go because of some real emergency, but you'd have to be sure it was covered by the policy. Some illnesses/death in the family usually would be, but you'd have to be sure the illness wasn't preexisting or buy that policy as soon as you expend any fees on your vacation.

I don't know what questions you can ask an agency other than the obvious details you would want to know about deposits, payments, etc., and reading reviews. You can check and see if they are affiliated with the French tourism agency or something like that, or if they are listed on www.parisinfo.com, that should be some guarantee. Also, are the contracts in French legalese? Then they are probably legit.

There are many agencies you can find more about than that one, of course, such as on tripadvisor, here or www.slowtrav.com

If you are concerned about no cancellation, don't use that agency. As for an agency being "legit", I relaly don't think you have to worry about an agency not existing or something like that if they have an elaborate website. Being scammed by someone that doesn't even have an apt happens on places like Craigslist where there isn't much investment.

I read that agency's website, it does not say no cancellation refund no matter what, actually, not at all. It says they will refund you some money minus an admin fee IF they can rerent the apt for your time frame. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. Of course, how you know if they have or not, I'm guessing you can't. I tend to avoid the whole English expat renting French real estate thing just as a personal bias, but this seems to be who she is.

If you've seen decent reviews and they sound legit, I personally wouldn't worry about the agency not existing. YOu can never totally predict an apt is going to be perfect for you in every way.

What are your concerns about what is so "air tight" in the contracts you've had in the US versus this one? Tamara has a review on this website about vacation rental software, I'm sure she exists and has an agency http://kigo.net/vacation-rental-software-reviews

I would look for a company that A LOT of time in the market and A LOT of recent, good reviews.

I would also want to know if there is a local office, so that if there is an issue you can discuss face to face. What is the policy is something is not working and is not/can not be fixed during your stay? Also, to have a place to store bags as you will likely arrive from the US in the early AM and the apt will not e ready until the afternoon (most likely). Same goes when leaving.

I would definitely want photos of all rooms, especially bed rooms and bathrooms.

You can definitely purchase insurance re: the apartment rental. Paris Perfect recommends it.

There should be some kind of cancellation policy. Just understand that the closer it gets to the dates you book, the less deposit you would get back, apartments are different than hotels.

We use Paris Perfect. Others on this site recommend Guest Apartment Services and I would rent from them, as well. There are lots of services out there but that's who I know. You could check their sites for their terms to compare.

The questions/issues denisea mention are all good ones. Also agree that reading all the reviews one can find on the agent and apt are very helpful. I would also get the precise address and do a "walk thru" the area on google map. It can ensure that you like what you see in the area surrounding the apt.

All the apts that I have rented in Paris have let us leave our luggage in the apt upon arrival while it is being cleaned. We generally drop off the luggage and go find a cafe or do some grocery shopping while waiting.

I do not think it is standard for apts in Paris to have a no cancellation policy. I have rented apts that do not have such stiff cancellation penalties, but generally do not refund all of the deposit and the amount they refund is dependent upon when you cancel. Last apt in Paris we rented from VRBO this past year you could cancel up to a couple weeks before and get a full refund, but that was unusual I thought. Bottom line is if you don't feel comfortable then I would move on and find another apt rental.

Thank you all for your advice.

I was less concerned about the cancellation policy than the overall agreement and the legitimacy of the agency. The contract says: "we may have to cancel the agreement for reasons beyond our control." I hadn't seen anything like that before and was worried that it might be a potential red flag.

Otherwise, I get a good feeling from the agency. Their representative has been responsive and informative. They will accommodate an early luggage drop off.

Thank you for the suggestion to check out google maps....have spent too much time on there today!

Well, of course they may have to cancel the agreement for reasons beyond their control. It's smart of them to put that clause in there. As owner of a property in France that I have rented out in the past (and may again in the future), I know that occasionally things DO happen that you can't predict. I would expect it's pretty rare for most owners, but if, say, your house is on a river and gets flooded, or if tennis-ball-size hailstones destroy your roof, or terrible storms knock out the power in your neighborhood for weeks, what are you going to do but cancel the agreement and send back the money?

The 2 big ones for me are plenty of excellent reviews for the particular apartment and can I pay with a credit card. There are so many that fulfill both those requirements and also have liberal cancellation policies I see no reason to rent a place that makes you uncomfortable in any way.

I deal almost exclusively now with Airbnb. With so many properties on their site I can always find something that's just right. Some people don't love the site, I know, but I do. My guess is that most, if not all, of those who criticize the site have never used it, base their remarks on hearsay. I look carefully and it's always worked out very well for me, including in Paris.

I know that others have had agreements cancelled or were given a different apt than originally booked because of construction the building. Have you asked the agency to provide some explanation or reasons that they would need to cancel. I feel like St Cirq's explanation is dead on. I mean if the building burns down, they'll have cancel, of couse.

I look at those reviews and email responses.
I like when they communicate back and forth with you. So far it has worked. I also use paypal for deposits.
StCirq, as the owner of the apartment do you also try and get a feel for the person renting your property? Scary on both ends.

Had a look at the site, and it appears that this is a smaller agency that actually manages the properties rather than just handling advertising and booking tenants. Don't see any red flags. The cancellation policy is reasonable, IMO - if they can re-rent the time period you cancel they refund what they are able to recover, and they provide referral information for travel insurance.

The property on Saintonge is in a great location - we stayed a couple blocks away and loved it. I would not hesitate.

flpab, I don't have an apartment. I have a large 4-bedroom house with a pool and a verandah and land and other accoutrements in the Dordogne, not that it would be any different from having an apartment. And yes, I always talked at length on the phone with renters and exchanged many emails and texts and such with prospective renters. And ha very comprehensive contracts. It is a two-person deal, always. I think most renters don't even think about what the owner's side of the equation is - they are very selfish about just wanting stuff and have no idea what the responsibilities of being an owner are, and the liabilities. I had a renter once who wanted me to reimburse him for the price of a spatula because he "accidentally" burnt it on the stove (maybe 2 euros). And another who actually broke one of my bed frames in half. I'd love to do a blog about what it's like to be a property renter.

You wouldn't believe the stuff that renters leave behind, BTW. Talk about a drawer full of 46+ D bras and a cabinet full of Betty Crocker cake mixes.

There's room on both sides of the rental equation for discussion.

It does look like they actually manage the apartments themself.

As for few reviews, perhaps you are aware of this, but this agency has their apartments on VRBO and there are quite a few reviews on there for them, going back several years. I know one cannot know if negative ones were deleted, but you can get a sense of their authenticity, I believe. I believe those more than ones posted on their own website, which I'm sure would be censored if undesirable.

I do think rue Saintonge is a pretty good location.

I like their calendar function, it is easy to see when the place is free at a glance.

At the moment, due to a lot of legal issues, it is very important to refuse to rent any apartment that requires cash payments.

Good point, Kerouac. Makes me glad I booked through Airbnb for our May rental because, though you need to pay the whole amount up front, Airbnb holds the money until 24 hours after you check in. If the apartment does not exist, is not up to snuff, or one of the "legal issues" you mention raises its ugly head, the money is never transferred to the owner and one gets the money back.

kerouac - what is that about? While I have always paid despots via paypal or credit card, the final payment has always been made in cash. Are you saying not to use cash for the final payment?

Sorry to jump on your post cmm6797

kerouac - I'm curious too. I inquired about an apartment in Lisbon and though they want 25% deposit, they want the final payment in cash. My rentals in Paris never required this, so I'm wondering if it's a new thing. Any information would be great! Thanks!

As I understand it there is a huge controversy raging in Paris right now about short-term rental properties. They are supposed to be classified as commercial properties, and as such they are regulated by the city and the owners are required to pay the city fees. So, if someone wants payment in cash, it's very reasonable to assume that the property is operating outside the law, not being regulated, and not paying the fees. In other words, it's an illegal property, or use of the property.

I'm sure kerouac can correct me if I'm mistaken.

Cash isn't a new thing, it's an old thing. I don't care if an owner is trying to skirt laws, taxes, or whatever by collecting in cash. I DO care about having recourse, as nukesafe says. If you pay by cc you're protected by the website, Airbnb is the one I have experience with, and your credit card company. I won't pay a deposit by wiring (another form of cash/no recourse/expensive) and I can't be bothered giving cash on arrival, still too soon to see if things are as they should be and a bother, in general, to come up with on arrival.

There are so many places to rent without these bothersome payment details I just don't understand why travelers continue to put up with owners that put them through hoops, no matter how small the hoop. The only reason I can see to do it is if there's a place & owner you like enough and like to return to it. IN which case the owner knows you too and likely grants some leeway.