Paris Airbnb Apartment Legality Issues

Cancellation policies can, I believe, be set by the owners. You would think that in
this kind of situation, your money would be returned, but I suspect most tourists
do not know how to pursue legal action if the money is not returned.

The issue with cancellation is not, in my view, that it occurs, it is that you as the
renter have no idea it will happen and when it does (usually quite a while after
you made the rental), you're left scrambling to find new lodging. But, this is not
that much different than if the pipes burst and the unit is not fit to use all of a sudden.

You can get some idea of how scrupulous owners are from the reviews, but that
is not a guarantee of anything.

And airbnb, vrbo, etc have spent a lot of legal fees to try and distance themselves
from having legal responsibility for any abnormal events.

Thank you.
One additional question...does the 13 number that begins with 75 have any assurance that a booking will not be cancelled, since it is suppose to indicate it is a legal rental?

Meg,
75 is the postal code for Paris, 13 represents the 13th arrondissement. It has nothing to do with rental legality, just the location (as in our 5 digit zip codes).

Meg,
Others may disagree, but due to the clamp-down in recent years on illegal rentals (or those going over the 90 day limit), I wouldn't choose to rent with AirBandB or similar platform. I would choose an aparthotel company such as Citadines, or a hotel. If the owner is caught breaking the rules, you could be out of luck on your lodgings and have to find last minute digs. As far as getting any deposit back, I can't say. There are, I have heard, several legit companies that arrange for apartment rentals, but they fall under a different rule, or so I have been told, or maybe they operate like Citadine does. I am sure someone on the forum can suggest their names. I do not know if they have the same problems as some individuals rentals do.
By the way, the registration number on the rental units is longer than 5 digits. All Paris locations, business, home, etc. will have a postal code beginning with 75, and ending with the arrondisemente number.

hey hey Meg
being nervous about legality of airbnb/vrbo apartments i would go to plan B. many changes within the platforms that is not always guaranteed from owner after you have paid. responsibility of owner cancelling at last minute have been water pipes bursting, illegal rental when city did "surprise" inspections, no paperwork, found other renters willing to pay more than you. it's a different country with their own laws/rules. plus the clamping down of apartments within few years with no regard for residents, just owners being greedy. like many other european cities going this route.
rented an apartment near eiffel tower several years ago, nice 3 bedroom/2 bath, kitchen, living room, balcony with few. owner lived stateside with caregiver to let us in and ask questions. found out we the last guests to rent with her 90 days per year, she is no longer renting apartment. other owners/renters in the 5 story building were not happy seeing people going in & out, noise, etc. we talked with a few of them and got the scoop about lots of issues within paris
another place we reserved, sent email a month ahead they cancelled on us, for whatever reason there was no arguing. took us lots of hours looking for another which cost almost twice as much. the price we paid with losing more money with airfare/activities.
i could go on with couple upset friends that found out was an illegal place less then a month before trip.
read up about paris airbnb laws on lodgify.com when are you planning this trip?
citadines.com
booking.com
has apartments there to look at, look at amenities you want/hope for (if summer definitely A/C).
adagio-city.com
check what apartments are available
guestapartments.com
if you find something, email them for more questions & answers. you can always come back to get more info if needed.
aloha

The only rental platform in Paris that I'd recommend without exception is Guest Apartments (guestapartment.com).

Their apartments are all legal and, in years and years on the Paris boards, I've not ever seen even one complaint about them.

The only hitch is that they require a 7-day minimum.

So the 13 digit code that you’re looking at guarantees the apartment was registered. I believe you can now even check to see if the apartment is registered.

Unfortunately, what it doesn’t tell you how many days the apartment has been rented for, and they can only be rented for 90 days

So yes, right before your vacation it’s not unheard of for you to be told that due to our plumbing leak you will not have an apartment Airbnb will them say oh we will look and see if we can find you something (which I’ve never actually heard of anybody being successful with that) and you’ll get your money back, but of course it’s now right before your vacation and you don’t have a place to sleep too bad so sad Airbnb’s done what they could, ( which was absolutely nothing )

However, you, the renter will not get in trouble if the apartment is illegal because the penalties are all on the owner so you don’t have to worry about that

I rent a couple of different ways. One is reputable apartment rental companies. They’re at at least two or three that I know of guest apartment services, vacation in Paris and with some hesitation in Paris perfect. (They’re not perfect, but they’re not horrible.). I don’t worry about whether they have the 13 digit code or any of that nonsense. As I said if the code will ever tell me everything I need to know to rent the apartment I’ll worry about it, but it doesn’t.

I have had with at least one of these companies, vacation in Paris, a problem in the apartment and they resolved it quickly upgraded me to a better apartment, etc. I’ve also heard great things about guest apartment services recovery, but having rented from them three times their apartments were such a good shape it’s hard to imagine they need much recovery. My disclaimer on Paris is perfect is I have not rented from them and I have two friends that have one had a wonderful experience, one now calls them Paris imperfect because they did not respond well to the fact to issues.

Another option is apartment hotels Citadines and a couple other companies have them all around Paris. There’s even a residence Inn or two on the outskirts. Those are perfectly legit and well managed, have a front desk etc. those things you normally would expect.

I personally read way too many scam stories, and horror stories for booking.com apartments

Thank you all, for your comments.

Carol and anyone else,
Guest Apartments' website is not very user friendly when you want to actually book and see total price for your stay. It says to book on-line, but there is no option to do this. Unless I'm missing something, do you contact them directly?

Assuming you are on guestapartment.com. It does not do online booking. It is one of the things I don’t really like about them. But their apartments are nice

If you look at the apartment, you can see what the daily rates. The other disadvantage with them is they are fairly strict on their check-in and checkout days. Basically, it’s seven days checking in on a Saturday or Sunday

You basically give them apartments you’re interested in and they’ve sent you back apartments that actually are available. It’s a little weird but everything else is good. They’ve been helping us book dinner, reservations, etc. for our upcoming trip so I can’t complain.

hey hey Meg
i agree with Carol. some sites no online booking, you need to click contact and send message for more info
couple others to check out:
vacationinparis.com
they have a toll free US number
apartmentsdulouvre.com
cobblestoneparis.com
decide the area you want to be and go from there. good luck
aloha

Thanks, Carol!