VINGT Paris

Bed & Breakfast in Paris in the home of an owner

From the newsletter of Jean Tacquet A Survival Kit for Paris

Who can be a B&B host?

Anyone can be a host, provided that it is done at his/her primary residence and at least one independent and comfortable room is dedicated for this activity.

How can one get endorsed by the Paris City Hall and benefit from the label Hôtes Qualité Paris?

You must contact one of the organizations approved by City Hall, and sign up with them. Then they will send a professional to visit and make sure your guest bedroom complies with the guidelines.

Can I be independent?

Yes, but you must be registered with City Hall under the latest version of the tourism ordinance, Articles 324-3, 4 and 5 of April 2006, which gives the legal definition of the B&B (called “chambres d'hôtes” in French) as: “Furnished bedrooms located inside a lodging dedicated to welcoming tourists who pay for one or more nights and the related services.” In French: "Chambres meublées situées chez l'habitant en vue d'accueillir des touristes, à titre onéreux, pour une ou plusieurs nuitées, assorties de prestations".

You can download the registration form here: "Formulaire de déclaration à la Mairie".

A copy of the relevant regulation may be found here: “Décret du 3 août 2007".

Can I be a B&B host if I am myself a renter?

Yes, you can, if the lease does not explicitly forbid it. In any case, it is highly advisable to inform the landlord, who in return will check the by-laws of the co-ownership to make sure that there is no provision against this activity. Of course, if you rent in a low-income housing project, in French (H.L.M.) then it is completely forbidden.

VINGT Paris owner Susie Hollands in New York Times article on Paris rental market

From New York Times Text: Jean Rafferty,
Image: Benoit Tessier, Reuters

Many people buy a pied-à-terre in Paris to use for a few weeks a year and to rent the rest of the time. Most of them don’t realize, however, that they are breaking the law. Now, the city government is trying to address the problem with a more direct approach to enforcement.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoë ordered an agency last year to warn property owners that renting out residential apartments for less than a year at a time violated French law. The move was intended to address the lack of affordable housing in the city center. Those who ignored the warning, he said, would be prosecuted.

Only about 25 letters have been sent since enforcement began last autumn - most of them in response to complaints made by neighbors. And only a handful of those cases have gone to court.

But the rental industry in this most-visited city in the world is concerned and, as more owners slowly become aware of the issue, confusion is growing. A few have pulled their properties off the market, others have deleted addresses or other identifying details from Internet listings. And dozens of rental agencies have banded together to try to save their lucrative business.

“No one seems to know what this crackdown means, but I feel my business will have to change,” said Susie Hollands of Vingt Paris, a property advisory and management company.

Fédération des Loueurs d’Appartements Temporaires

 
This week, we got together with representatives of some of the key players of the short-term Paris rental sector in order to act in a concerted and efficient manner to defend the sector and our clients with the aim of obtaining a modification of the law or of its application.   The « Fédération des Loueurs d’Appartements Temporaires » (Federation of Renters of Temporary Apartments), or FLAT, has been created and will be the organ through which the profession will get together to express in a unified voice the value of our sector and the direct and indirect implications. FLAT has identified and commissioned a specialised lawyer, a press relations agency and a political lobbying agency to accompany us swiftly and effectively, to start a dialogue with the political leaders, to evolve the laws and their application modes.

Crackdown on Private Landlords - Paris moves to free up housing in the city centre

Recent moves made by the City of Paris to apply laws restricting the rental of apartments in central Paris may have significant effects for thousands of private owners, in Paris and abroad.  According to the Prefecture de Paris, nearly 38,000 apartments in Paris are being rented for short stays and moves to prosecute some owners of these properties have begun.The reasons cited for the application of this law is to alleviate the chronic shortage of affordable housing in the city centre (see our posts about this from 2006).   Bonapart Paris's Owner, Susie Hollands and well known blogger about French life and property, Tony Tidswell, held a meeting with François Plottin, Chef du Bureau, at the Mairie de Paris’ Direction du Logement et de l'Habitat in Paris on Wednesday, 19 November and Thursday 26 November 2009.

Hidalgo : "Jeudi noir défend une cause juste"
envoyé par LEXPRESS. - L'info video en direct.

Report on L'Express on the housing shortage in Paris.

It is technically illegal for any owner of a property in Paris not classified as commercial to re-let their property for any period of less than one year. The sole exception is for student rentals, where the term can be no less than nine months.    Property owners are obligated to make sure their apartments, and the rental activity, comply with the law, in order to satisfy the legal aspects Paris has set for retail rental "commercial activity" and we are assisting our owners to regularise their situations  Any apartment advertised for short-term rental can be considered as having been rented, and therefore scrutinized under the law, by the authorities.

Rue Jacob, Paris, Saint Germain des Prés

Michaël Harrington, Communications Coordinator of Information Services and Technology, M.I.T., wrote to us about these photos of an apartment we had for rental on rue Jacob in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés.

"I was especially curious to see them since I lived at #9 Rue Jacob while attending Paris IV in 1974 and 1975. A tiny studio that cost the equivalent of $50US a month back then! I appreciate the nostalgia. Wish I were there again—at least I visit as often as possible. How I miss those days, though we did not have a nearby Ladurée back then. We had to go to the Drugstore Publicis (which is where Emporio Armani is now, I believe) for treats and sightings of movie stars and other glitterati."

Renting your new Paris property

Apartment owned and decorated by Christiana Konstantinou
One of the first things to decide is whether you are aiming for long-term or holiday short term rentals.

As Paris is the most popular tourist destination on the planet, it can be suitable for short term rental but location is crucially important. Go for properties within shooting distance of the major attractions, basically, arrondissiment's 1 thru 8. I have my own particular preferences (based on most requested by rental clients!) which top the rest (the Marais, St Germain/Luxembourg Gardens and Montorgueill and Palais-Royal/Louvre areas). Take my advice and avoid the over-priced 8th (Champs Elyseés) and difficult to access Montmartre.

Rental property notice period

Normally, a tenant must give one month's notice to quit a property (previously 3 months in the old 2005 law) at any time but must use a registered letter (lettre recommande avec avis de reception), with no reason reason needed to explain this.

Recently, a busy owner who was about to take off himself for a year or two wanted to cover the eventuality that the proposed tenant might leave before the twelve months were up therefore requiring his input when he really doesn't want to be bother for the forseeable future with more tenant search and screening.

In this case, because the rental contract was a furnished retal classed as a second home/residence secondaire (the tenant's home address in the USA was added to the contract), he was able to make the notice period (on the part of the renter) longer than one month

The reason for this is that if the rental is classed as a second home/residence secondaire then it falls within commercial law and whatever is written into the contract applies.

Owners must just make sure the contract is clearly marked as second home/residence secondaire if they wish to take advantage of this.

Paris Rental Glossary

The Parisian rental lexicon can be charming, baffling or scary, depending on your position. It certainly takes a little getting used to. For furtyher real estate terms have a look at our comprehensive glossary.

“American Kitchen” or” Cuisine Americaine”
Equipped kitchen and dining room which is open onto the living room. We're still not sure how it gained this moniker, but we've grown to love it.

Dépot de Garantie
The deposit on an apartment rental requested by the owner to cover any breakages or damage to their apartment. Normally 2 month’s rent in Paris, often one month if you book via Bonapart Consulting because we make an effort to negotiate less for you. By law the owner does not have to return this to you until 2 months after the date you move out (giving them time to assess any damage you have done or bills left unpaid). In reality most reasonable owners (and certainly all of those that Bonapart work with) will be happy to hand it over immediately on moving out after checking the apartment with you on your last day and following the last bill received if there were utilities included in the monthly rent.

Cave
Cellar - handy for storing extra gear, bikes, suitacases etc.........as well as it's traditional use, for wine. To establish your collection in the Parisian cave, make sure it is far away from any heat source, vibration (Le Métro!) or strong odours (like fuel). Insulation and humidity are primary considerations. The drier the cave, the faster the corks will dry out. If the stopper lets too much air pass, it will ultimately spoil the wine. Aging wines for ten years requires a minimum of 60 percent humidity.

Etat des Lieux & Inventaire
Literally the “state of the place” which is a check made between yourself and the landlord to agree on the condition of different parts of the apartment such as the walls, etc. Basically this is to protect you so that you are not blamed for a streak on the paintwork that you are not responsible for when you move out. The Inventaire is the inventory of items in the apartment when you move in – the number of glasses, TV, stereo etc.

Floor System
Ground floor is known as Rez de Chausee. After going up the first flight of stairs you arrive at the 1st floor and so on.

Gardien/Gardienne
The lady or gentleman who lives in your building and takes care of all the cleaning common parts, post, delivery of parcels – an important person to have on your side. They generally know all the important information about your building, the inhabitants and the neighbourhood. Make yourself known to them and a little present now and again will make your life 100% easier.

Parquet/Moquette
Wooden floors/wall to wall carpet

Pièce
A room. A one bedroom apartment is a “2 pièce” – it has two rooms, a bedroom and sitting room. A 3 pièce is a two bedroom apartment, and so on.

Quittance de Loyer
A receipt for your rent – you should keep these as they are often required as proof of address when you need this for something official. And to prove you've been a good tenant and been paying your rent!

Property pitfalls of renting in Paris

Flat hunting in Paris is a bureaucratic nightmare, and that's only if the landlord likes the look of you! Check out this article from Greatreporter. The author Sally Rubery is right, you need determination, money and a sense of humour!

The need to provide a Guarantor is a particular problem for non-French renters because it's not that easy to find someone who will co-sign with you and agree to pay if you default on the rent if you're brand new in town. French landlords won't accept a non-French based Guarantor because they can't hunt them down if you turn out to default on your rent.

You could just come direct to Bonapart Paris and we'll ease the pain because most people agree after they finally find their home alone, it was a nightmare!

I feel so sorry when people call me and tell me they've been here for a week staying in a hotel and have had no luck finding a place, they are exhausted, disheartened and usually quite uncomplementary about how owners and agencies do business. It can get you down being treated with a complete lack of respect day after day!

It's even horrible for the French, here's a site called JeudiNoir which is a pressure group made up of young people who can't find proper accomodation in Paris. They are protesting on the humiliating process particularly through the Particulier Particulier (PAP), a property magazine carrying listings for apartments for rent and for sale direct with the owner (it comes out on a Thursday, Jeudi, hence the "Black Thursday/Jeudi Noir" name).

Yesterday a family from Mexico city told me that they'd gone to visit an apartment for their son who is coming here to study. On a visit they were let in by the Gardienne who was rather vague about the apartment, it was either this one or another on the 3rd floor. They confirmed the apartment, saw that it was the one they'd seen photos of online and went to the agency to sign the papers only to find out just before signing that they were about to put down a deposit on the grotty, semi-furnished box with a view onto the wall of the neighbouring building. Thankfuly they spotted the trick as the son is already speaking excellent French - they were the lucky ones.

Place des Vosges, Marais

Here is a rare opportunity to live like a Noble in the heart of Paris. It's not everyday that an apartment ON the historic Place des Vosges comes up for rental - with modern conveniences! This is a one bedroom apartment with 2/3 rooms - spacious living room with cathedral ceiling. Windows + skylights on both sides of the apartment flood the space with light. There is a small bedroom at one end of the apartment and a sleeping cove for your guests at the other side. Available now for long term rental (which means a minimum stay of 6 months).
See photos