How to rent an apartment in Paris

Renting an apartment in Paris for beginners: Our guide in 5 Ws

Your dream has come true: You’re moving to Paris! Perhaps it’s a solo temporary assignment, or maybe it’s a permanent move with your family. No matter, the first question you’ll likely ask yourself is: where you’ll be laying down your hat at night? Let’s take a look at how to rent an apartment in Paris.

Want this rather complicated milestone to be professionally and flawlessly managed from A to Z, while always having a say in it?

We’ll make sure to land the perfect apartment for you. Stress-free, easy-peasy, and all you’ll have to do is sign the rent contract and pack your carry-on luggage.

Feeling bold? You should be, considering you’re venturing into an unknown land of 1,200 kinds of cheese. So, let’s read on. Hopefully you’re sitting down, because it’s generally not an easy journey – but we’ll always have your back!

Our 5 Ws to Renting an Apartment in Paris:

• WHO – Learn who can rent an apartment and what documents you’ll need
• WHAT – What kind of apartment can you rent, and what are your criteria
• WHEN – Timing is everything when it comes to finding your dream home, here are our key tips
• WHERE – Find the perfect area for you, and learn where to look for listings
• WHY – Paris isn’t perfect for everyone, so what are your other options

WHO – Can rent an apartment in Paris?

Legally, anyone meeting certain requirements (basically having a visa and income) can rent an apartment in Paris.

Practically, things are a bit more complicated. The Paris rental market is always in high demand. Yet, available apartments (aka supply) are only but so many. This means landlords typically have the luxury to choose their candidate from a pile of dozens and dozens of applications. Couple that with the fact that evicting people from their apartments is very difficult and you get landlords that are pickier than a 4-year-old at dinner time.

But.

Even if the average landlord might want to favor a certain profile (let’s say, French professional, in a straight couple, wealthy and aged 30-40), this doesn’t mean they can. They cannot ask personal questions or classified documents aiming to determine race, origins, handicaps, religion, health, and so on.

This is the so-called “rental discrimination” and is heavily fined (up to 45.000 € fine and 3 years of prison).   

The only documents legally required to apply for an apartment in Paris are:

• an ID/visa,
• proof of residence,
• proof of paid rents,
• proof of professional activity,
• and proof of income.

These documents (the more the merrier!) are usually collected in a nice folder, or dossier, which works like your cover letter when applying for a job: it has to be bulletproof, well organized, appealing but not too fancy, excellent spelling… We are known to prepare perfect ones, and landlords love themselves some perfect dossiers!

If you’re renting an apartment in Paris, you’ll want to open a French bank account. While not absolutely essential, it is strongly recommended (contact us to open up one for you)!

Look for a guarantor, or a garant. Landlords can ask you to have someone as a backup to pay the bills, should you default. Unfortunately, this almost always has to be a French person living in France. Don’t have one of those lying around? Don’t worry. There are quite a few online services, such as SmartGarant and Garantme, that provide affordable alternatives.

WHAT – Kind of apartment can you rent

Ok, let’s talk about fun things now, your future chez vous! And let’s try to match dreams to reality in these 3 steps.

Step 1 – Determine your budget

First things first, the budget (ok maybe not so fun). Rental prices vary greatly through out Paris based on location, type of apartment, and whether the apartment is furnished or unfurnished. Luckily, space is pretty optimized in most Parisian apartments. Thus a 60 square meter (~650 sq ft) flat in Paris is more like 90 square meter (~1,000 sq ft) in the US. To determine how much you can expect to pay for the kind of apartment you’re interested in, it’s a good idea to look on popular rental sites and see what the current rates are.

Landlords and agencies will usually ask that your monthly net income is least 3 times the monthly rental amount. However, this is a rule of thumb and not the law. It’s helpful for you to set a realistic budget as you’ll also have other expenses to account for, like:

• Utilities
• Taxes (such as council tax due by the tenant on occupancy basis),
• Insurance
• And of course, furniture, if the flat is unfurnished or non meublé. Fun side-note, some unfurnished flats don’t have kitchen furniture like cabinets or countertops!

Account for the depot de garantie as well. It’s the security deposit (capped at 2 months’ rent) that’s paid at the lease signing. It covers costs such as any damages (like a broken appliance or a stained wall) or unpaid bills.

You should get this deposit back within 2 months of your moving out. BUT landlords seem to always find a reason to withhold it entirely or deduct a good chunk of it. The best way to make sure you’ll get your deposit back is to have a thorough entrance inspection (also called an état des lieux or EDL). This will help you to prove that the apartment is in it’s original state when you leave!

Step 2 – Decide how much space you’ll need

Now that you have a realistic budget, the next question is how much space will you need. Not only surface area but most importantly the number of rooms.

Attention! In France, the overall number of rooms (pièces) is different from the number of bedrooms (chambres).

So a “4 pièces 3 chambres” will have 3 bedrooms for your family, but only one other living/dining room. A “4 pièces 2 chambres” will obviously sacrifice a bedroom for an extra living/dining room. You don’t count bathrooms and kitchens in the number of pièces/rooms. Speaking of bathrooms, very often a toilet can be found separate from the shower/bath. This is great for the morning rush but sometimes awkward when there’s no sink in the toilet room.

Step 3 – Determine your criteria

Now, for the third and most important step. Write down a list of criteria, from the most important to the least. Let’s say, you’d die without natural light, so an elevated floor facing south/east/west is non-negotiable. That’s understandable, and you can use this as a great filter in your search. With that said, perhaps a balcony (which would be the cherry on top) could go lower down in the pecking order. Or you can go vice versa and elevate the balcony even if you’re facing north. Either way, put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and have your priorities ranked.

WHEN – Should you look for an apartment in Paris

In many cities, renting is nice, calm and can be negotiated over time to ensure everyone is happy.

Not. In. Paris.

As we mentioned before, the market moves fast! You might have to visit a flat with a big, fat check in your pocket ready to confirm the lease on the spot after a 4 minute tour.

If this very idea makes you sweat, or you want to secure a beautiful place before you even land in France, book a call with our experts and let us do the visits for you!

No need to leave your desk, and you’ll have a full report from the professionals (we’ll spot the tiny problems you’d never think to look for).

Key timing tips for renting in Paris

• Try to avoid searching in August. Frenchies are dead serious about the holidays, and if you’re planning visits for mid-summer, you might find only a chaise longue by the river for your sleepover.
• Start planning well in advance, with a realistic budget, market research, and your criteria list.
• Be ready to act fast! A good plan will help because good flats can be gone within 24 hours. Luckily for you, we have inside intel and can visit listings that aren’t even on the market yet.

A quick note on the commitment you’re getting yourself into: The standard, minimum period for renting an unfurnished flat is three years (six years if the landlord is a property company), and one year for a furnished one (reduced to 9 months if the tenant is a student). Typically, the rental contract automatically renews, unless either party gives written notice beforehand.

You can terminate the contract at any time and for any reason with a one to three months’ notice, depending on your situation.

WHERE – Finding the perfect area, and where to find listings

Ask yourself: What do you like?  

No, we’re not playing bingo: These are some of the 20 arrondissements (neighborhoods) of Paris.

Every one of them is like its own village, with its own vibe and, of course, its own pros and cons. It might be love at first sight with a farmers’ market or a green landscape, that will make you decide to call it home. Or you might need a deeper analysis, based on public transport, leisure options, or schools.

In any case, we can help you set the priorities – Paris’ map has no secrets from us.

Once you’ve spotted your “neighborhood to be”, the next step is finding the flat that matches the criteria (which you’ve dutifully prepared).

A good start is either a local website, such as:

• Seloger, one of the most complete ads selection
• PAP, a network of private seller/landlords
• Logic-immo, featuring a wide range of filters for your search

Or a specialized agency, such as:

• ParisRental – Only long-term leases, and open to corporate leases
• Luxury agencies such as Barnes or Vaneau, because dreaming is a right!

You might also want to look to some other listing sites such as:

• Leboncoin, the French gumtree
• or Facebook marketplace, because maybe it’s your lucky day.

WHY – Live in Paris?

Maybe you always dreamed of strolling in Montmartre like Amélie Poulain, but the spectacular view wasn’t worth the bazillion bucks per month rent. Or, your favorite street was Rue Oberkampf (hello, nightlife!), but on second thought you need a tad more than 4 hours of silence per day. We get it: Paris isn’t easy, and its breathtaking, insolent beauty comes with a price. But… What if there was a way to combine more space, a relaxed lifestyle, and great international schools? To afford a house or a garden, and still can hop on a 30 minutes train ride to visit Louvre?

If commuting is an option, the ‘burbs could be the solution! This choice has become more and more popular, due to the expanding public transport network and the relocation of many businesses to industrial parks outside Paris.

Still in doubt? Have a look at our posts about living in Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Maison Laffitte, and you may change your mind!

FAQs

How long is a typical lease in Paris?

Typically, furnished apartments are rented with short term leases of one year, which are renewable for 1 year at a time. Unfurnished apartments are usually given long term leases of 3 years, and are renewable for an additional 3 years each time. Students may be given the option to rent for the school year (9 months), but this depends.

Can I terminate my lease early in France?

Yes, but you will need to give notice. For furnished apartments you need to give 1 months notice, and for unfurnished you need to give 3 months notice. It’s important to know that only the tenant can terminate the lease early (if the tenant respects the contract, of course).

Are utilities typically included in rent in France?

This depends greatly on the building your apartment is in and your landlord. It is not uncommon for some utilities to be covered by rent, and some to be left to the tenant. Be sure to verify with the landlord what, if anything, is included in your rent.

What are some common challenges people encounter when trying to rent an apartment in Paris?

A huge problem people may have is getting real estate agent/companies to respond to them. Due to the huge demand for housing in Paris at the moment, most listings will receive enough visit requests within a few hours to guarantee that someone will apply. Your best solution for this will be timing, when you see something you like call and try to get a visit immediately. You should also be checking for new listings constantly.

Can I negotiate rent or other terms in my lease?

Yes, but keep in mind that with the current market the landlord likely has many options for tenants. If you ask for too much or go about it the wrong way they may decide not to give you the lease and choose someone else who is fine with the current terms. You may want to ask your real estate agent to conduct these negotiations with the landlord as they likely have a better rapport with them.

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