Finding a rental property in Paris can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
But imagine there are hundreds of other people looking for that needle too. And now imagine that when you find the needle, the needle’s owner is very likely to ask you for a large amount of money and many, many documents before you’ll be allowed to have it.
So with this in mind, I’ve talked to property consultant Adrian Leeds (from House Hunters International) to get the golden rules for renting in Paris.
Here’s what she said.
- Understand what you can afford to pay for rent: no more than one-third of your disposable income.
- Understand that the quality of the landlord is more important than the quality of the apartment.
- Work with professionals to find your perfect apartment: the landlords will respect you more if you are well represented.
- Do whatever you can to prove to a potential landlord that you can afford to pay the rent and will: put together a strong financial dossier and make a good impression when visiting the apartment.
- Be aware of what you can’t change vs what you can change in every respect.
- Be willing to make “trade-offs” for what you can live without vs what you can’t.
- Remember that the laws are in your favour: 30-day cancellation clause on all leases in the City of Light, for example.
- Be prepared to pay first month, last month and one month security deposit…at least! Also be prepared to put one year’s worth of rent in escrow, or negotiate to pay a lot of the rent upfront.
Yes, it’s best to be prepared when renting in Paris. Adrian has written more about renting apartments in Paris here.
But sometimes, even when you’re prepared, finding a rental can still be a time-consuming and gruelling affair.
For this week’s Earful Tower podcast episode, you’ll hear about the struggle from the perspective of a man who had his own tricky journey, Australian entrepreneur Mitch Pascoe. He sent in 150 applications and was once asked for three years’ rent up front before he secured a home.
Have a listen below and be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Some important house-hunting sites mentioned in the show were pap.fr, leboncoin.fr, and seloger.fr.
And lastly, if you’re a step ahead of the renting game and you’re ready to buy, here’s some info for you too from the last time Adrian was in the studio.
Not a supporter of the Earful on Patreon? Now’s the time to join! Here’s the link – plenty of bonus content out there.