Paris rental situation - twitter feed

Having taken the initiative to discuss with our owners and some press the major and minor players on the Paris vacation rental market came together this week.  I was reminded of the Mafia heads of the Family meeting in the Godfather.  After some buried their heads in sand, it is time to face the music.  Therefore there was not a great reception for me as I was seen as having broken the omerta.  Stay tuned here, I have set up an emergency twitter feed to send alerts easily to you so that you can get the up to date information as this unfolds.

So I was asked to speak about my meeting with the Department de Logement, which I did and transmitted the information I shared with owners which work with my company last week.

French based rental agencies are mobilising to set up a professional body, pressure group and employ a political lobbyist. It is very diificult to ascertain exactly how this will unfold but it is clear that it will take time to see exactly how the laws will be applied.  This could be a long, drawn out saga.  

Comments

[Nina]

How come all the other rental agencies are somehow a "mafia" who have "buried their head in the sand", while you simply just found this out now? Were you burying your head too, or are you just slandering other agents to promote yourself?

What's more, it's totally bizarre for you to say that "I myself have no wish for Paris to be turned (further) into a Ville Museé" when your entire business is finding properties for investor clients, helping them renovate and decorate to luxury standards and then managing their short-term, luxury rentals to tourists.

Instead of putting your energy toward finding solutions that are in the best interests of your clients, your colleagues and yourself, it seems your only interest is in shameless self-promotion. You might spend less time trying to get a story done on your company and more time trying to figure out how to help those of us owners who might really get hurt. Shameless.

It sounds like your colleagues in Paris are rightfully putting their heads to that task. From the start I was wondering why that wasn't what you were putting together, instead of just scaring everybody with your "exposure". I hope this Federation of agents quickly realize that you have no place in their efforts.

Something tells me this post may not get past your "mafia" clearance but I'll be glad to have said it anyway. Shameless.

[Susie Hollands]

Thank you for commenting on the site, it's an open forum so it's great to hear your view.

Many of our owners are people who started to arrive in droves after Bush got elected in the US or are generally what we call in english "liberals", though not all.

Many of them speak french, have french friends and interact with the french neighbors and community around their properties (which are not all luxury and very few which are rented weekly as this is not our business, our properties are for longer stays).

I have also struggled for years to upkeep VINGT paris arts and culture blog and series of events (formerly IVY Paris) and seek to promote, an immersion in Parisian life, the diametric opposite to the formation of "anglophone" ghettoes which prevail in Paris. So no, i do not believe our company is adding to the Muséefication of Paris. Far from it! We tell it like it is and have done since 2003.

I do not have the money to employ crack teams of lawyers to advise me on this so I chose to go to the authorities to satisfy myself of the seriousness of these moves so I could advise my clients.

I have been digging and digging and trying to get support from people in the legal, accountancy and immobillier professions for just over a year. Finally I had to go to the powers that be which was not an easy decision. Why was it that a very small company, run by me, practically a one woman show had to be the one that spoke up about this.

The great news is that the profession is mobilising now - there was no where to go but forward and to take heads out of the sand. I am vbery happy to be one of the founder members of FLAT - see the post - and will be signing up on December 10th.
http://www.bonapartparisnews.com/2009/12/f%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration-des-loueurs-dappartements-temporaires.html

Not just our owners, but all owners need to know about this, and especially those who are about to invest. So instead of relentlessly selling the hype of Paris to vulnerable people based abroad, it was up to someone, and that happened to be me, to talk about the problems....before people invest and until this situation is sorted out.

It's great to see all this action now, finally, surrounding these issues. Join the twitter feed for more info and to return to the blog to comment and discuss. Or I'd be happy to meet you in person to discuss this further, if you are in Paris.

Thanks again!

[Nina]

I don't understand: you have an apartment on your website for short term rental for 7000 euros a week in the most touristy area of Paris. How can you say you aren't part of the museefication of Paris? At that price I should hope it's a museum.

If you have known about this brewing issue for a year as you say, what about the buyers and owners you worked with you in the last year? didn't they have the right to know earlier than now if you knew already? What your saying just doesn't add up.

[susie hollands bonapart consulting]

We didn't have any buyers who were specifically buying to rent WHO WERE NOT INFORMED because i would not accept to help purchase property unless there was complete transparency. We're a small company, we only deal with a few buying clients per year. And in the last two years, virtually none due to the worst economic crisis in living memory.

[Vlad Krylov]

Susie
As for your mafia comment, you might find that ridiculing other people who disagree with you is not the most useful way of winning an argument.
I have no idea who you are, but your behaviour on this thread would make me think twice about asking you for advice or using your services.
Will there be a website for your new organisation, FLAT? Who are the members and are they happy to have their names put into the public domain as being part of that organisation? Is there a manifesto or charter, a board or committee?
I'm interested since I own property in Paris and I rent it out while I am away.
Vlad

[Bonapart Consulting]

Dear Vlad - I will be absolutely sure to publish the details about FLAT as soon as they are agreed. It is a completely new organisation. I welcome it's development as I believe the industry needs: a body which is focussed on it's own industry, unlike the two main syndicat for the immobilier profession, a code of conduct and of course, right now it's obviously important to represent us at governmental level.