“To be a Parisian is not about being born in Paris, it is about being reborn there.” (Sacha Guitry) Paris is a vibrant and much-loved capital city, a popular place to live in for many expats planning a new life in France. While buying an apartment in Paris is something well out of reach for most people, renting in Paris is a popular choice.
The cost of rent in Paris tends to be expensive, around $2,500 per month, but the price drops as you move further from the city center. Renting an apartment in Paris is definitely the best option if you are on a temporary work assignment. It’s also the ideal living arrangement when you start out a new life in France, as it gives you time to decide whether living in Paris is for you, without a long-term commitment.
The challenges of renting an apartment in Paris
Successfully finding a Paris apartment to rent can be easier said than done. In the current Paris rental market, demand definitely exceeds supply. Consequently, French landlords can be choosy as to whom they pick as tenants – especially as French laws favor tenants.
Not surprisingly, landlords prefer to rent to French people for several practical reasons. There is no language barrier and they will be able to provide a French guarantor and a work contract known as a CDI, contrat à durée indéterminée, which stands for proof that the rent for the apartment will equate to no more than 33% of their monthly salary. However, you should not have any problem renting an apartment as a foreigner in Paris.
What is the first step to finding rent in Paris?
To find a suitable apartment to rent in the City of Light, you need to know which neighborhoods in Paris appeal to you. Paris is divided into 20 administrative districts known as arrondissements and they all have their own character and attractions. It is well worth spending time exploring them and finding out about rental prices, shops, and public transport services in the area.
If you find a particular neighborhood that you like, it could prove beneficial to book a room through a short-term rental for a few days so that you can get to know the district better and research the rental market.
Parking in the city is difficult and unlikely to be available right outside your apartment. Many residents in Paris either walk everywhere or use public transport. Most car parking is for permit holders. If you are going to be a resident in Paris with a car, the residential parking permit costs €45 for one year or €90 for three years. There are also a number of underground car parking lots where long-term parking permits can be bought. As an alternative, some residents rely on bicycles and these can be seen stored on balconies.
Types of rental apartments in Paris
Rental apartments in Paris are available either furnished (meuble) or unfurnished (non-meublé). For your first rental in Paris, it is a good idea to opt for a furnished apartment.
Although you may not like the style of the furnishings, the extra you are paying for a furnished apartment will be a lot less than buying all new furniture and kitchen equipment as well as all the essential electrical appliances for an unfurnished apartment.
What paperwork do I need to rent an apartment in Paris?
Before you begin your hunt for rental apartments in Paris, you should prepare all the necessary documents. Rental properties do move really quickly in the capital. It’s smart to have everything ready in a folder so that you can act quickly if you find an apartment you like.
If you are dealing with a person at an agency, they will tell you exactly what documentation you will need, and likewise, if you are dealing directly with a property owner. It is usual to be asked for the following:
● A scan of your French ID/ passport
● Copies of your three most recent pay slips (les fiches de payes)
● The details of the French person who is acting as your guarantor (un garant)
If you have a problem with any of these requirements, there is an excellent service that can be used called Garantme. This company provides a service that landlords like. Garantme will provide a certified application on behalf of the foreigner wanting to rent with all the required documents and will also guarantee rent up to €90,000. This service does come with a cost, but it is fast, straightforward and efficient – with the bonus that all conversations are in English.
How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Paris?
It is important to understand the cost of apartment rentals in Paris as it varies. Some apartment listings include the words charges comprise and this means that the rental price includes all maintenance charges for the building and common areas such as stairways and halls.
Other charges for rental apartments in Paris are split into two payments. The first is le loyer, which is the rent paid to the landlord. The second is les charges de copropriété, the maintenance charges for the building itself. These two amounts added together give the total monthly rental charge and both these sums are payable to the landlord each month.
At this stage, it is also important to check whether gas, electricity, heating and water charges are included in the rent or whether these must be paid for separately by the tenant. It is important to ask the landlord who will be responsible for electricity, internet and television. If new contracts are needed for these services, it is well worth shopping around as there are a number of providers for each.
The average monthly rent price in the city of Paris is €30 per square meter, according to SeLoger, or about $3 per square foot. For instance, to lease a 100 square meter apartment, the average rent in the city of Paris would be around €3,000 per month, a 50 square meter apartment around €1,500. For a 1,000 square foot apartment, the average rent in US dollars would be $3,000 per month, while a smaller apartment will be proportionately less.
However, rent prices can vary significantly depending on the neighborhood, the size of the apartment and the quality of the finishes.
To get a rough idea how apartment rents in Paris vary by location, here are the average rent prices by arrondissement, sorted from the most expensive to the cheapest:
How to find an apartment to rent in Paris?
There are a variety of ways to track down a good rental apartment Paris, France, but the key to success is to work fast because they are quickly snapped up. Good to know: the French word for lease is location and loyer means rent.
The main ways to find rental apartments in Paris are:
Visit a real estate agency
This method works well if you have a work contract and extra money to pay the agency’s fees. You will find several estate agencies specializing in rentals in the district that you have chosen. It is best to see an agent in person to find out what properties are available and to explain what your ideal apartment requirements are, plus your budget. Staff in the agencies do speak English too.
There are apartment rental offices in Paris that specialize in helping foreigners find an apartment in the capital, but not surprisingly, they are not cheap to use and it is best to not choose them as your first option.
Best rental listings websites in Paris
It is easy to find a rental apartment in Paris online, as there are several popular websites with apartment listings in France:
1. HomeLike
HomeLike is a popular rental listings website that specializes in furnished apartments for rent in several major European cities, including Paris. They have a generous offer of over 2,200 of rentals in Paris. Apartments are rented for a minimum of one month lease, and you may select your preferred lease length from 1-6 months or over 6 months. The site is well designed with an international audience in mind, useful filters for your search, excellent photos of each apartment and descriptions in English, German, French, Spanish and Dutch.
2. Wunderflats
Wunderflats is a German-based company specialized in medium-term furnished rentals in Paris from 1 month to 1 year. Wunderflats makes it easy for international professionals and students to find accommodation and settle temporarily in Paris through a fast, reliable, and secure 100% digital process from online visiting to lease signing. Moreover, the French rental market in general and Paris in particular is very tight, and the documents required are complex.
To help out with your paperwork, they offer alternative solutions to facilitate the rental of a furnished flat for non-residents. Apartments are fully furnished and equipped with all services included (water, electricity, internet, etc.). All you have to do is put your suitcase down. The site is available in English and four other languages.
3. SeLoger
SeLoger is a great way to keep a firm eye on the rental market as the website is a compilation of all the apartments for rent in Paris. It can be really helpful to start logging on as earlier as possible so that you can get a feel for the going rates for apartment rentals of different sizes in the different districts.
If you find a rental apartment you like, you can get in contact with the agency handling the rent directly. The SeLoger website is in French, but you can select for it to be in English, if it is easier.
4. Morning Croissant
Morning Croissant is a great listings website which specializes in private apartment rentals. The text is in French with comprehensive information about the location of the apartment, who it is suitable for plus photographs and a comprehensive list of all the equipment provided. Hopeful renters can contact the landlord via the website.
Marketplaces with private rental apartments in Paris
LeBonCoin is a well-known online marketplace throughout France where you can buy almost anything, including cars and furniture. It is a popular forum with house owners selling property and also landlords with apartments to rent. Communication is handled directly with the property owners. The website is nationwide and once you have logged onto the home page, you can choose the district for apartment rentals in Paris that you are interested in.
PAP stands for Particulier à Particulier (meaning ‘Person to Person’) and is an equally popular website to find an apartment in Paris. It is possible to search for rental apartments in Paris and communicate directly with the owner. Both of these websites have the advantage that you do get to meet the owner and do not have to deal with them via a third party. Many of them are more flexible about the documentation they require from a foreigner wanting to rent their apartment.
Renting an unfurnished apartment in Paris
While rental periods for furnished apartments can be shorter, the minimum period for a lease for an unfurnished apartment is three years. The tenant does not have to stay in the property for this length of time, it just ensures that the landlord does not give a tenancy for a shorter length of time. There is an exception to this rule, where the landlord can offer an apartment for rent for at least one year but less than three years, if there is a particular reason for him to do so. This, however, must be clarified at the time the lease is signed.
If an unfurnished apartment is going to be rented for a short period only, it must be the landlord’s primary residence and the maximum short-term lease is strictly 120 days or four months.
What does a Paris apartment lease entail?
Once the lease terms have been agreed upon between landlord and tenant, le bail or the lease agreement can be drawn up. It is important that the contents of the lease are fully understood before signing.
When the lease is signed, a security deposit will be payable. Legally the security deposit can be either equal to or less than the cost of one month’s rent. The security deposit is returned to the tenant once the rental agreement has been completed – as long as there has been no damage incurred to the property.
Before your move in date for your rental apartment in Paris, it is important to purchase Assurance d’Habitation or home insurance, so that you can really relax in your new home peacefully and enjoy your time in Paris.
