When you visit Paris, where you stay is an important part of the journey. Staying in an apartment really enhances the whole Paris experience enabling you to live more like a local than a visitor.

Why rent an apartment in Paris?

Whether you’re solo, a couple, friends or a family, renting an apartment can give you a whole load more options than renting a hotel room.

Cost: It’s usually much more cost-effective to stay in an apartment in Paris. You can rent one a one bedroom apartment, two bedroom or more and share.

“If you’re planning a long term stay, you’ll almost certainly be able to make savings by renting one of Paris’ luxury vacation rentals.

Freedom: If you’re in Paris for a week or more – you might value being able to cook your own breakfast, lunch or dinner once in a while instead of going out all the time. And, shopping at a fabulous street market is a brilliant experience in itself.

For families it means you can put kids to bed when they’re tired and then still enjoy the rest of the night without turning the lights off and keeping quiet in the hotel room so as not to wake them up! Maybe you’ll sit on the terrace looking out over the rooftops of Paris, or plan the next day’s itinerary, enjoy a take away meal or cook something that you got at the market earlier. Or maybe you’ll pop their clothes in the apartment washing machine – it might not be glamorous but with kids, it’s definitely a plus!

Local life: There’s not much that beats getting up early and heading off to join the queue at your local boulangerie to buy freshly baked croissants to take back to your apartment – it really does feel like you’re a local when you do that! And – you’re never far from a brilliant boulangerie in Paris.

Bring home a bunch of flowers, some fresh fruit, a fabulous scented candle to personalise “your home” in Paris.

Where can I rent a holiday apartment in Paris

There are several companies which specialise in short and long term furnished rentals. Whether it’s a studio apartment for one or two, something for the whole family or a group of friends, a luxurious loft or a townhouse, there’s a massive range of styles in all neighbourhoods from the Louvre to the Champs-Elysées.

When you’re searching, consider not just budget, location and number of rooms, but also the property type and even if you want a balcony or terrace.

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House sitting: the doorway to an authentic travel experience.

Australians Gai Reid and Neil McClean took what started out as a simple holiday in a place they had not yet seen, and it morphed into a journey in four different countries. Neil explains “We’ve lived in other people’s homes – rent free for 9 months!”

House sitting in France

When my partner Gai and I looked for our next travel destination, we wanted something different to traditional holidays. We wanted an authentic travel experience to truly see how people in other countries live their everyday lives. You never really know what it’s like to live in another country with a different culture and possibly a different language – until you live like a local. You simply cannot get that experience staying in hotels and visiting the tourist sites. And so began the search for a way to be able to travel for up to a year, without waiting to win the lottery!

The practice of ‘house sitting’ is sweeping the world, but why would someone invite strangers into their home and entrust them with their belongings and precious animals? Well, it’s based on a mutual trust. Both parties benefit.

For the home and pet owner – instead of locking up your place leaving it unattended, there is someone living there which reduces the likelihood of being burgled. The garden is kept trim and the mail is collected. For many pets, it is extremely stressful when their owners are away, so ensuring pets (of all shapes and sizes) are cared for in their own environment works really well.

For the sitter – there is free accommodation in locations around the work and the joy of caring for beloved animals – without the long term commitment of owning a pet.

We decided to hone our house sitting skills at home. As it happened, friends were off on a break and we jumped at the chance to sit for them and enjoy the company of their adorable little dog. We were only a few kilometres from our own home on the Gold Coast in Australia, but it felt like we were in a different city! After that we took the plunge and joined an agency. We did our research, found an agency on line (based on the one with a high number of sits on offer) and started to make plans. Our next move was three states away!

We drove more than 4,000 kilometres, to spend 5 weeks in the Adelaide Hills, soon followed by a couple of weeks near Port Stephens, one of Australia’s most stunning coastlines. That gave us the confidence to plan something BIGGER! We packed up our apartment and set out for the next leg of our four countries, one year house and pet sitting adventure!

First stop? Paris – of course!

Gai had been to France four times before and loved everything French! She thought that her smattering of French would get us through. And it does in the big cities. But our house sits were in much smaller towns and villages where very few speak English and most don’t understand what you’re saying in the French you think you know! Upholding the French etiquette of “bonjour” on arrival and “merci, au-revoir” on departure helped. Maintaining a sense of humour and being great at charades is also useful.

We met many English speakers who had left their own country for the good life in France. Most of the home owners gave us introductions to their friends and neighbours – who invited us to lunches and gatherings based around food and wine. “Bring the Australians, they might be amusing!” In the Haute Garonne we were introduced to English, Dutch and Americans who had made south west France their homes, mostly because of the space around them in the stunning countryside. Few of them seemed to be missing their old lives in the crowded cities. In Coussac Bonneval we met people walking their dogs in the grounds of an abandoned château and joined the Easter egg hunt in the garden of the château that was still a home.

In Normandy we were lucky enough to meet four British veterans who were visiting. We tried local cider and Calvados at the St.Vaast market. We “went to work” with a British expat who now works protecting the natural environment of coastal Normandy. He showed us the remains of a WW2 German bunker. In Martres Tolosane we saw the horseback commemorative “Bataille de Saint-Vidian” and down the road in Cazeres we came across a parade that would be at home in Brazil! In a tiny village called Saint Blancard – we were shown how to eat snails!

So far we have:

Travelled more than 15,000 km across France and UK in our trusty little Peugeot.
House sat in more than 13 locations, from simple cottages to castles.
Looked after dozens of animals from dogs and cats, to sheep, horses, chickens and hedgehogs!
Established new friendships in every location.
We’ve also shot ten episodes of our TV series “Village to Villa… Living Like Locals”..

Does it take courage?  Yes.  Does it take an adventurous spirit?  Yes. Does it take confidence in your own abilities? Yes.

House sitting has given us the rare opportunity of being able to try out different ways of living in homes of different styles and sizes. We’ve learnt how a well-designed kitchen can encourage cooking.  We’ve been reminded of the importance of air in a bathroom and sunshine on winter mornings. We’ve learnt how little we really need and how liberating you feel when you live without clutter.

House sitting could be a great way for you to use your annual holidays to visit another region or country. For those who are now ‘free of commitments’ and can be away from their home base for extended periods it can be the ideal solution to get out and see the world. All it takes is an adventurous spirit and courage to step way out of your comfort zone and live like a local in France.

“Village to Villa – Living Like Locals” By global house-sitters Neil McLean and Gai Reid: www.villagetovilla.com

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Paris is one of the great historical cities of the world, from its architecture to the art in its museums which attract so many visitors each year and keep it among the top destinations. However, there are those who criticise Paris as standing still, while other cities such as London and Berlin are constantly innovating with new projects, which is certainly a worry for the Paris real estate industry.

This is a reputation that Paris refutes and wants to change, through a series of new projects coming up in the next couple of years that are sure to attract yet more tourists to the city of lights.

The first idea is certainly one for discerning shoppers, with the planned opening of the Louis Vuitton foundation for creation in October of this year. The building in the 16^th arrondissement has been designed by the internationally renowned architect, Frank Gehry, who created the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Even more good news for shopaholics is that Les Halles shopping centre will see the fruits of its 1 million euro renovation, which includes a draping roofed shopping area effortlessly mixed with an open outdoor park area so that everybody can enjoy the area.

Even the Eiffel Tower, perhaps the most recognisable of Paris’ monuments, is undergoing a minor facelift this year. Its first floor is having a glass bottom floor added to it, in a bid to encourage visitors to take more than a brief look at this level before heading further up the tower. This should be open towards the end of the year, allowing the Tower a new lease of life and of course providing another reason to return to the grand monument to experience what has been described as a ‘sensory experience’.

Finishing off with two perhaps fanciful ideas put forward by opposing candidates for the Paris mayoral elections which take place in April 2014. The first is by Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who has proposed the idea of converting Paris’ ‘ghost’ metro stations into cultural centres or areas where people can meet, for example; a theatre, a swimming pool or a nightclub. Her popular rival, Anne Hidalgo, has come up with her own idea to change the face of the city, by proposing a cable car across the River Seine, to link important train stations Paris Gare de Lyon, which has arrivals and departures to the South of France, and Gare d’Austerlitz on the other side of the river. Neither of these two ideas is set in stone for the moment, but they could provide yet more reasons to visit this fascinating city.

It is clear that through these projects, Paris is trying to shed its reputation of standing still and is trying to create a modern landscape which goes hand in hand with its obvious historical attractions. If you are looking to visit Paris this year and would like to stay in comfort in a luxury apartment rental, English speaking agency Handsome Properties International can help you find the perfect base to discover the best that the beautiful French capital has to offer. You can reach their website by clicking on this link.

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Every expat I meet here has either rented from other expats or bought their home all of which is well covered and to me a well-known and fairly painless and simple process. But renting from French owners it appears has quite different requirements.

My experience has always been that one looks at ads in local newspapers or goes to an agency to rent a property. As long as your credit rating is good, you have a reference and/or you have sufficient funds to pay the rent 6 months in advance then renting a property is not an issue.

Renting in France though is not quite so simple. There are agencies who advertise properties for rent and there are ads in local papers, shop noticeboards etc. as per normal. However as a foreigner renting in France there are some hoops to jump through. Landlords usually require a lot of paperwork and guarantees before they take you on as a tenant.

First of all, to make sure you don’t waste time and go in making a good impression put together a “bon dossier” – a good file in other words. Its a requirement if you want to rent in France from an agent and from some landlords. If you are employed, your “bon dossier” should include copies of your Passport or ID card, driving licence, most recent tax form, most recent three pay slips, and confirmation from your employer stating when you started work and that you are still employed (not unlike applying for a mortgage really). If you’re unemployed you’ll need to include all the above excluding employment information plus the last three tax notifications and confirmation that you are who you say you are from an official such as a lawyer. The “bon dossier” is for the rental agent or landlord so be prepared to hand these details over. You should check with them exactly what is required as you may find that more documents and proof of earnings are necessary and some agents may insist that you provide details for someone to pay the rent if you don’t and then you’ll need to supply the guarantor’s “bon dossier”. The agents are very likely to contact your employer, bank or guarantor for confirmation so be prepared for that.

This can of course be very testing if you’re a foreigner looking to rent in France. And don’t even mention Paris where there’s such a lack of rental property available that not only will you need to provide the paperwork but you’ll have to compete with everyone else looking for rental property. All of which means the high earners will win over those less fortunate every time.

So, how to work with these requirements and find somewhere to rent.

One way is to rent directly from owners who may not be quite as demanding as rental agents. Certainly expat owners don’t seem to apply such complicated requirements to their rental packages. You could also flat share which will keep the costs down as well. Subletting is another way but you need to be really confident with whoever you’re subletting from. It’s not uncommon for people to be cheated in this way so don’t be taken in – check them out and do your homework thoroughly.

If you’re working in France, your employer should be able to help you rent somewhere and provide support with the administration requirements and paperwork.

If you’re a foreign student coming to France to study, your University administration staff should be able to help you and for much more detail on this see our Students in France section.

There are plenty of English language sites specialising in long term rental properties which may also be helpful. A quick search on the internet for properties to rent in France will turn up a big selection.

When you do find somewhere to rent, you’ll need to pay a month’s deposit plus one month’s rent in advance. Get a receipt for the deposit as you’ll need that at the end of your rental term to make sure you can claim it back.

If you have an area in mind for renting – you can check on the Clameur website – a rental analysis company – for average rents in the area.

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