How to Rent an Apartment in Paris

Here is a quick summary on how to rent an apartment in Paris.

1. If you are looking for a furnished apartment then I recommend FUSAC. It's a French/American magazine which lists apartments for rent, amongst other things. It's available from the American Church and from some cafes and internet shops. It's good because the landlords are usually used to renting to foreigners so they are more flexible.

2. If you are looking for an unfurnished apartment then I think you are best to avoid agencies, unless you have been working a while and have a good financial history, and try De Particuliers a Particuliers. It's a paper which comes out every Thursday and you generally deal directly with the landlord.

3. Get your 'dossier' organised. Here is what you'll need:

a. Proof of your income. ie. Your 3 last pay slips and bank statements. Good luck if your income is outside of France or if you have just started work and are still in the trial period.

b. Your 3 last rental receipts. Good luck if you haven't rented in France before.

c. Someone to guarantee the rent if you are unable to pay. This person has to be in France and be working with a good income. Good luck if you are foreign and you don't know anyone in France.

d. Six to 12 months rent so you can pay the deposit. Most agencies, and some landlords, won't rent to you without this. I don't know exactly how it works, because I didn't do this, but I think you make an arrangement with your bank where the money stays in your account but you aren't able to access it for 6 months. The landlord can get this money if you don't pay the rent. I think that's how it works. I don't know. Strange system if you ask me. Good luck if you don't have that kind of money lying around.

e. The RIB. This is your bank account number. This can be a problem if you haven't rented in France before as you generally need proof of address before you can open a bank account and you need a bank account to rent an apartment. The only way to overcome this is to find a bank who can be a bit flexible (I opened an account with LCL without an address) or a landlord who can be.

4. Don't forget your income must be 3 times the monthly rent.

So in conclusion you'll need a lot of documents and a lot of luck if you are a foreigner looking to rent an apartment in France.