Expat apartment rentals in Paris

If you’re one of the fortunate few who’re relocating to Paris from Canary Wharf, finding accommodation may be your worst nightmare.

Getting suitable accommodation in Paris at a price you can afford is often a long and complicated process, to the extent that expat arrivals are being advised to book a convenient hotel on an indefinite basis if they’ve no friends they can stay with. For relatively short stays, furnished rentals are the best option, and are also useful as a temporary, private base whilst searching for a permanent home. A few companies offer ‘fully furnished’ apartments with everything including bed linen available, a useful service for those unused to shopping for the basics in French.

If you’re on a long-term contract, unfurnished rentals are the best idea, unless you don’t want to spend your valuable time choosing furniture! Otherwise, there are furnished rentals offered by specialist service providers which include drafting of rental contracts, helping find the best housing and other convenient, flexible services. If you’re going straight into your new job, this is a good option. If you’re planning to stay long-term and fancy an investment in a Parisian property, there’s a great choice available, but at a price! Paris’s housing market is at an all-time high, especially in desirable locations.

If you’ve decided to rent, at least for a while until you’ve settled in at work, you’ll need a pile of documents for your first introduction to French bureaucracy. This should include your first three pay slips, your actual employment contract, your last tax notice, your ID card and family record book, rent receipts from previous rentals and a bank statement showing you’re solvent. The landlord has a right to request any other pieces of paper he wishes to see, especially if he’s requested a guarantor to ensure you don’t skip without paying. It’s possible your guarantor may have to produce the same list as you’ve complied, along with a copy of his property tax notice. By this time, you’ll have realised French landlords are born with a strong streak of paranoia, but it’s the only way to get a decent home.