Starting a thread on this topic again. I’m going to be staying in Paris and there’s a rental unit for one month and the owner is acquiring a mobility lease. I asked several times what eligibility was for this and he avoided the question. Then I looked it up and realize that you have to be a student, there for work, on an internship, doing civil service, etc. etc. All requirements that I do not fit. When I said that it didn’t sound like a good fit for me and I had looked into the mobility lease, I was told that the mobility lease could be turned into a civil lease instead. I’m finding this a little squirrelly. I’m not finding lot of information on Airbnb about it. I am really worried that I’ll get there and that my money will be taken and I’ll get locked out. Does anybody have any experience with this?
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2285 posts
I don't use AirBandB, but this sounds like a no go. Red flags with the owner's equivocating.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Agreed. It sounds very concerning.
Posted by
Duluth🌲
9953 posts
I was curious so did a little googling and found this on the Paris Reddit subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisTravelGuide/comments/12cng2z/how_do_mobility_leases_work/
Posted by
OP
4 posts
I saw this piece as well. It confirmed the requirements for the mobility lease. I think the non answer from the owner is the biggest red flag. Didn't respond to questions about qualifications, then when I said I didn't meet them, he offered the civil lease. Everything I have read says that there can be issues and there could be huge fines associated with it. Long story short, I could be left with no place to stay and to get my funds back, I would have to go to court. I have not desire to be on the French governments radar as a problematic person. :)
Posted by
Duluth🌲
9953 posts
I don't blame you and if it were me, I would find someplace else.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11060 posts
I am renting an Airbnb apartment in Paris for a month later this year and no mobility lease was required. If I arrive and find out the conditions are not what I was told I know that I can get my money back from Airbnb and will just figure something else out. The reviews are great so I’m not stressing out over it.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks so much, Andrea — I really appreciate your feedback!
It's definitely easier said than done to find a good alternative. I know Airbnb offers refunds if you switch to another place, but when it comes to mobility leases or civil leases (not covered by French Tenancy Laws and legal recourse is difficult), it gets a bit more complicated. The refund policies for those aren't as straightforward, which makes the whole situation less ideal, even if it starts with Airbnb.
Even with Airbnb, trying to find a last-minute place can be expensive and might not lead to the best option — not really something I'm eager to deal with. :)
Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts — it's helpful, even if this is a tricky one!
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2982 posts
The key issue is tourism, in any form, is a disqualifier for a mobility lease. You can enroll in an art class, cooking class, language course and theoretically qualify as a student.
Otherwise, your legal options for a 30 day stay in a short term rental would be: (1) a commercial apartment, of which there are only several hundred in Paris, or (2) finding someone willing to rent his own apartment while he is away.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11060 posts
Jennifer, after reading your post I decided to look at some potential options in case the apartment we rented turns out to be a problem. One thing I did was to potentially break up our month into 2 locations instead of just one place. This will be my 9th trip to Paris and I know the city fairly well, so although I like to be central I wouldn’t be opposed to staying a little further out as long as there are metro and bus stops nearby. You might consider two places to avoid the mobility lease issue.