Job Discussion Forums

-Stu- · Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 92 Location: Santiago, Chile

My partner and I are starting jobs in Paris early next month. We have a 2 week homestay sorted but will want to get an apartment sorted as soon as possible. So any tips on where to look, ie what districts, and how to do it, ie through letting agencies, recommended papers, etc.

Ideally our budget would be around 500-700 euros per month, but we don't want a studio.

Any advice is appreciated

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

Well good luck with that...

You could try here: http://www.easyexpat.com/viewads_en.htm

But not wanting a studio you may have to resign yourselves to the banlieu.

PT

loyal_canine · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 5

Check out Craigslist as well. There are lots of roomshares and sublets etc listed. I also posted an ad stating what kind of place I was looking for and my budget etc got better responses that way (along with some scam apartment ads, so be sure not to use your real email address and if it looks too good to be true then it probably is)
Best of luck!

sally2005 · Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 9

If you speak (a bit of) French, Particulier � Particulier is good.
http://www.pap.fr/

There are lots of ads, so it can help you get an idea of what's reasonable or isn't.

Sally

phatbaldvoyager · Joined: 28 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

I easiest way to find a flat in Paris is to phone agencies and simply ask them what they have available in your price range. Regardless of what, you'll have to pay the first month's rent plus the last two months rent, there's often 1/2 a month's rent as a fee. You might need a co-signer too.
Another option is to buy a place. It's a running joke now in Paris that it's easier to buy a place than rent one since you don't always need to have money down, but you do need to have a salaried job.

forest1979 · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 507 Location: SE Asia

In regard to the OPs question I think you might be hard pushed unless you're extremely lucky to find somewhere that is not a studio for the budget you have. Paris is an expensive city for housing especially if you live inside the city limits and want something furnished and basically ready to live in. In the suburbs it's cheaper but some suburbs don't have good reputations and can be dodgy at night. That's not to say all are though so check where your company is based and see what trains and metro provide access. That way you can live 30 mins or so away (by train) but won't pay so much rent.

About buying houses....someone mentioned this. Let me be frank. I had a friend buy an apartment when I lived/worked in Paris and the process was slow, he needed to put a substantial deposit down (I can't remember the amount but it was at least 10% of the property's value), and ther was lots of paperwork to wade through. Unless you're in for the very long-term my advice would be to not even consider this option. It is hellish stressful in France to buy, as my colleague found out. I don't know too why the poster mentions you can buy without a deposit as I doubt not many banks would lend 100% mortgages to newly arrived TEFLers. The TEFL industry in France is not known for high salaries and frequently TEFL contracts can be quite short as well.

If you already have jobs lined up then I would email your company to phone around and arrange for you to visit some places in the first week or so once you arrive. My company did this for me and basically I got myself set up by my second week in France. It can be that quick if you have someone phoning around offering a little assistance. I visited a range of places for a range of prices (within my budget) and these ranged from suburban places to roof apartments around Boulevard Haussmann.

As much as a budget is important make sure you get a good location. Most places around Paris have access to public transport so again your company should have a better idea of what districts are accessible for you to commute to the 'office' and back. Location is also vital if your contract requires you to visit companies to teach. The last thing you want is to be teaching in the late afternoon in a part of Paris that is awkward for you to get home. Trust me, it's not fun commuting 90 minutes each way on a crammed Paris transport system!

personae gratae · Joined: 15 Sep 2007 Posts: 21

hi,

Finding an accommodation can be areal headache in France. With that kind of budget you might be able to find a decent one or even two bedroom flat in the outskirts of Paris. i don't think you ll be able to find anything in central Paris though. Paris's train network is pretty good, so it shouldn't be a problem for commuting.

All the best

lolwhites · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 158 Location: France

Often the problem is finding someone who will rent to you, even if you can show you have a contract. Landlords are often reluctant to rent to people who don't have references, which is near impossible to set up if you're coming from abroad.

The Locapass scheme can provide some guarantees if you can sign up. Also check out the ads in Fusac. It's a free ads magazine (and website) for expats; the flats may be more expensive but the landlords might be more understanding of foreigners without French-speaking referees.

andidance3 · Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Posts: 7

Yikes. I'm sorry dear but 500-700 euros is simply not going to be enough for anything decent in Paris. If space is more important than privacy, have a look at the craigslist Paris apartment sharing. On the other hand, you could possibly find a nicer place if you compromise on what area to live in. The 10th and 18th arrondisements are the roughest, but I have seen some not-so-bad apartments on some bad streets.

Just a note- if you are only going to be there a short time and the internet is very important to you, make sure you find a place that already has it installed. Some landlords say it can't be (read, they don't want the expense) and the companies take forever to get it done.

PM me with anything else on Paris- spent last year there and many months before that as well.

-Stu- · Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 92 Location: Santiago, Chile

cheers for all your answers guys.

I've been in Paris eight or so months now and it's not been as bad as people make out.

I rented a nice studio with separate, eqipped, kitchen in the 17th right by Parc Monceau just within our budget. Dead nice it is too. 20-25 minutes to La Defense, and 15 minutes walk from Blvd Haussmann, pretty perfect.

I agree with the above about the internet though. It took ten weeks for it to be installed, nightmarish, but once it's in no problems, and fast too!

OSCAR1777 · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 1

You can try this site: http://paris-apartments-for-rent.com I had stayed with them and does some work as well and these ladies (its a pair of ladies who runs this comany) has some nice selections of good apartments in Paris and france. Dont mind the prices as you can probably negotiate
I personally stayed in their B and B http://www.paris-apartments-for-rent.com/en/d/262.html . You can also try other sites or Craiglist
Cheers.