Trying to determine whether an apartment in Paris is legal
 

Hi,

I'm looking at an apartment in Paris for next June that's listed on VRBO. There is no registration number, so I emailed the owner and asked whether the apartment was in fact registered with the city. He wrote back a curt reply: Oui.

I then asked him for the 13-digit registration number, and he wrote back, rather nastily, that I don't understand anything about the system and that he runs the apartment as BnB professional, whatever that is, and that it's done not through the mairie but through Siret (which I have never heard of), which has the number.

Can anyone clarify this for me?

Thanks--

It is extremely clear. The apartment is illegal if he is being evasive.

Ask him for his SIRET number. He should be happy to give it to you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIRET_code

One wonders why he would be advertising on VRBO is he is a legitimate business.

>>There is no registration number,<<.

If it is an apartment and IF it is legal, it will have the reg number and it would be displayed on the vrbo listing. A Siret is like a business license. So if it is like a B&B with several rooms to let, common breakfast room, etc. and it has a license # then it would seem to me that is not a short term apartment rental. Maybe provide the link and some of the locals can work put what is actually going on . . .

OK -- one of the locals was posting the same time . . . you are in good hands :)

This is the VRBO number: property # 405559

https://www.vrbo.com/405559?utm_camp...3102078a1-hasc

This is his reply to me (rather rude, I thought--no need to insult me):

Chère Madame,
Vous ne connaissez manifestement pas la réglementation (très compliquée, mode socialiste à la française). C'est chez moi et je gère directement en BnB professionnel: pas de no en mairie, mais un Siret.
-------- publie dans ses annonces ce no Siret, pas Vrbo...

Qu'est-ce qu'on en pense?

Thanks again--

OK kerouac or someone else will have the 'details' and know more -- but it looks like a single apartment, it seems to be rented to one party, it is obviously short term. If all that is true -- it is not a B&B and AFAIK it has to be registered to be legal.

Too bad, because it DOES look like a lovely place

He is a crook. Look for something else. Send him the link to this thread and see if he decides to add to it. If he is totally legal and decides to reply with more precisions, he should be happy with the free advertising.

Thanks for your quick and helpful responses. Moving on . . .

I didn't put it in the earlier post but he signed off Au revoir, which I found odd. No one has ever signed off like that in all the years I've been renting properties in France. I assume he figured out this wasn't going anywhere . . .

Merci encore--

What a nasty reply to your question. I would never rent from him after that reply. And as others have stated, he is clearly renting out an illegal apartment. B&B my a**. Perhaps HE doesn't understand what a B&B is by French law standards (tongue in cheek). He knows exactly what he's doing. He just doesn't like to be questioned about it.

I'd post his reply all over the internet, with a link to his illegal rental. Perhaps he'll like that kind of advertising.

Final postscript: I just received an email from the owner: I'm sorry. My property is not available.

Maybe I should send him a copy of Dale Carnegie's book. Wow!

If he is totally legal and decides to reply with more precisions, he should be happy with the free advertising.>

well he looks like a total jerk so that free advertising would be bad.

I thought the armchairs in that apartment looked horrible anyway. :cry:

What kind of enforcement is there in Paris against illegals - can this jerk be reported? Would anyone listen? Seems like it would be easy to ferret out illegals - tax moneys brought in could pay for that?

Pretty apartment.

Nice apartment!

And yet not available... one wonders why....

So how do you explain the 44 positive reviews (4.8 stars)?

43 of which were perhaps placed by the owner himself? You trust those so much? Have not you heard about gerrymandering those reviews - what reviews are you talking about - TA - well haven't you heard about all the fake reviews they get? Could be a great place or not.

The apartment looks very nice. I suspect if you book it and ask no questions regarding legality, the owner is quite nice and very happy to take your money. Hence the good reviews, which do note that the owner lives in the same building.

That's not surprising to me -- it looks very nice and I'd think most renters love it. But my guess is 90% + of Paris visitors have no idea there is an issue about legality. Posters on Fodors are more 'aware' of travel in general and issues re legality than most. And yet we regularly (like just about daily) have members surprised that short term rentals are illegal. Same with Amsterdam, or Pacific Grove, or Santa Monica, or New York. So glowing reviews have nothing at all to do with it being legal or not.

I doubt few if any of the reviews are 'fake'.