Apartment in Paris

Contact Air BnB. They state very clearly that you should only communicate with the landlords through the AirBnB app as a PROTECTION for you.
Recently in an AirBnB rental the owners wanted us only to use What’sApp. We refused.

I've used What's App to let the apartment contact know that I've arrived and to confirm the meeting time. For anything else, I think that you are wise to be cautious.
Bookings.com is a reputable agency and they only list registered apartments within the Paris city limits. You might look at what they have to offer.
Please let us know what you finally decide on. The issue of Paris apartments is of great interest to a lot of us on the Forum.
And good luck!

Sounds simply like the landlord is trying to circumvent the Airbnb fees. This may be a window into things to come!!! Buyer beware.

1. Run
2. Let AirBnB know for the good of others.

Good luck finding a satisfactory lodging-btw does this apt have a City registration number displayed in their listing?

hi karen42
like dave says RUN and suki says inform airbnb.
my motto if something smells fishy it is.
back in august you have posts from different forum members of places to rent, have you tried any of them? when do you plan to go on this trip and your price range in euros? even though a super host and rave reviews, does she have a registration number? let us know what happens please
aloha

Thanks so much for your help, everyone!
It does have a registration number. Even though she is a Superhost and has 90 five star reviews, I felt uncomfortable and I did contact Airbnb. I told them how she was not following the rules, and they were able to get my money refunded. Even though it was technically non-refundable, so kudos to Airbnb for that!Scary, though! I have tried some of your suggestions but Airbnb had more to choose from. Now I start over. May 2-29, 2019. Budget = 4-5k, if you know of anything! Looking at Le Marais neighborhood.

I have a completely different take on this.

It is not all that unusual to communicate "outside the system" for certain purposes. It is true that you lose some protection, as Air BnB cannot read the messages, and there is no record of it should you need to resolve a dispute. But if you are requesting certain specific things to be provided, like extra sheets or so on, as well as arranging a time and place for key pick up, the owner would want to include the property manager in the message exchange so nothing gets lost. For the apartment I rented in Switzerland last summer, the owner gave me the phone number of the on-site property manager, and I was able to contact her directly about various things. Air BnB did not need to be part of these communications. It is not weird or concerning to do this.

With a Super Host with 90+ great reviews, I would not feel at all uneasy communicating directly.

As for the offer of a discount if you pay her directly, that is not necessarily a scam, or anything other than a sincere offer on her part to save you both some money. I personally would decline such an offer, as did the OP, but I am quite sure some people take her up on it, and it probably works out fine, or she would not have offered it.

If you are uncomfortable proceeding because if this, go ahead and cancel your booking. But please do not "tell on her" to Air BnB. She has done nothing fraudulent and does not deserve to be treated like that. Assuming it is a legal vacation rental under Parisian regulations ( and of course the OP would have vetted that), she has considerable time and effort invested in her business. Losing her Superhost status would be a serious blow. Do you really want to do that, when she has caused you no actual harm at all?

I agree with Lola.

As legal rentals are limited to 120 days a year and to the owner's personal residence only, how does one become a super host operating legally within the city of Paris? The registration number only suggests that an apartment is legal, it is no guarantee. Anyone operating more than one property or renting units in which they do no live is very likely doing so illegally and losing her Superhost status could possibly be the least of her problems if the city catches up with her.

I disagree with Lola because the host offered to go off-line and be paid directly. Red flag.
If you had any dispute, Airbnb wouldn’t get your money returned.

Note that I did not advise accepting the offer of a discount for booking outside the system. I just do not see it as necessarily a scam, with a host who has so many positive reviews. ( As for how she got so many, maybe they go back for several years, before the Paris regulations kicked in).

I do tend to be very cautious in booking apartments through Air BnB, but the factors mentioned here do not raise any alarm bells for me. Since the OP declined the suggestion to book outside the system, she is still fully protected by Air BnB.

The big red flag pops up when the owner says you MUST book directly with them, and send money into their bank account. Here it was a simple suggestion, one that probably has been accepted on occasion by renters. Had it gone awry with those others, it surely would have been reported, and she would have been kicked off Air BnB.

To the OP: RUN!

Although I have over the years successfully rented apartments in Paris through other agencies, I was scammed several years ago. I travel on a very tight budget so allowed myself to be lured off an AirBnB rental into a private agreement with the landlord at a much lower price. I ended up with no place to live for my final weeks, out thousands of dollars, and high stress. Glad you figured out the scam early!

If your visit is for a couple of weeks or less, I have used and totally trust Vacation in Paris.