It’s not an exaggeration to say that getting an accommodation in Paris is not an easy task most especially for foreigners that are planning to come to the city either on vacation or to live here permanently.
Finding accommodation in Paris is one of the main concern a lot of expats-to-be usually worry about as they plan their move. While hotels are easy to find, this isn’t alway the case for people that want to rent, let’s say, a studio or one-bedroom apartment or even an entire home for a family.
Finding an apartment in Paris can be pretty much of a daunting task. This can be the case even if you have a good budget and know exactly in which neighborhood you want to live. Despite all these worrisome realities, there’s no need to worry about finding a home especially when you’re working on your expatriation adventure.
Instead of settling for a time-consuming apartment search geared towards locals, here’s the killer trick that can help you out on this; Get a real estate agency to work on your behalf.
Here’s why:
When searching for an apartment in Paris, you’d first go visit it and most of the time you’re not the only person and for this. For a visit, you have to arrive pretty early. Basically if a scheduled visit has been announced, remember that you’re not the only person interested in the apartment.
This means that you’re supposed to be there a bit early. If you’ve not yet taken a closer look at the neighborhood, some people do advise that you do it as you’re walking to the apartment.
When visiting a Parisian apartment for rent, you have to bring all of your documents. They all have to be ready. The landlord will take your “dossier” only if it’s complete.
After visiting the apartment and leaving your dossier in the hands of a landlord, people usually do a follow up to know if their dossier has been accepted. Well, actually until you’ve signed a lease and received the keys to an apartment, this matter won’t stop haunting you.
When you’re working on moving abroad, you don’t necessarily have time to look for an apartment. This doesn’t mean that you don’t care. It’s just that you don’t have all it takes to rent one yet. And that’s completely fine.
There are many other resources to help you get an apartment and, like I mentioned up, a real estate agency is one of the best for the following reasons:
1. An updated listing of apartments
Thank the heavens for the online competition in the housing market nowadays. It’s now possible to follow, in real time, housing availabilities in Paris.
This is one of the reasons why I tend to think that going through an online real estate agency for an apartment rental in Paris is probably the best choice ever because most of their apartments are updated and their availabilities are shown in realtime.
On top of this, you can now rent many of them for middle and long-term stay. Real estate agencies usually aim at finding the perfect apartment for their clients.
After you’ve identified an apartment of your choice, they’ll put you in touch with the apartment owner, who will give you a warm welcome and make sure your expatriation adventure in Paris is the most agreeable one.
2. A Better understanding of the city’s social Anatomy
As you might already know, each Paris district - also known as arrondissement- comprises of several neighborhoods, is made of its own distinct flavor but also cultural attractions.
Theses features are what you can’t really know, most especially if you’re just about to move to Paris. The only people that know Paris well are the Police and real estate agencies.
So if you're looking to figure out where you want to live, the starting point is to talk and leave it all into the hands of a real estate agent (with a strong online reputation).
3. The paperwork itself
Renting an apartment in Paris isn’t an easy task. This can as well be a nightmare for anyone. Most of the time, when you need to rent an apartment in Paris you’ll be asked to submit the following paperwork: ID or passport, Proof of income (3x higher than the rent and charges), last tax declaration, residence permit (a provisional letter from your landlord or your university should work), bank reference form (tough as you, most of the time, will be asked to provide a French bank account).
If you’re a student, this can even get way too complicated as you’ll need to provide A letter from your guarantor in French (parents etc.), Guarantor information - ID photocopy, School contract photocopy, payslips, ID or passport, Bank reference form (French bank account)
When you want to move to Paris, these are documents you don’t necessarily have and only a real estate agency can advise you on this.
4. Time management
When you’re planning on moving, you don’t really have time to focus on so many other things because you’re spending too much time looking for accommodation. What if you left it in the hands of a professional who can find you a suitable home in a matter of time!
Conclusion.
While apartment rental in Paris seems to be pretty expensive (not as expensive as London or New York, though), the time you spend searching and meeting potential landlords who, most of the time, won’t let you in because of your lack of sufficient paperwork can make price even higher.
Since it’s now possible to delegate all this to real estate agency, getting an accommodation in Paris shouldn’t worry you anymore most especially when you’re planning your Expatriation adventure to Paris.
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