Experiencing sticker shock with apartment prices in Paris, due to the Olympics. I have been looking at booking.com and several other websites mentioned here over the last year.
Our criteria: four adults, two bedrooms, maximum 250 Euros per night for 14 nights, in May 2025.
Looking for any leads that I may have not found yet.
I hate to break it to you, but you are probably not going to get a two bedroom apartment for that price anywhere near the city center. We had a 1BR for about that price in May of this year at Residence Palais Etoile in the NW part of the city near the Arc du Triomphe.
The high prices are not just because of the Olympics. There are fewer apartments available now than there used to be. Have you looked at AirBnb?
Your price point is what I’m seeing for one bedroom not 2. I don’t think what you’re seeing is due to the Olympics, I think it’s due to the popularity of Paris and the fact that the government has cracked down on apartment rentals so there’s less availability on the market.
I think you’re either going to have to raise your price or go to the more outlying arrondismonts
I personally do not recommend AirBnB in Paris due to the restrictions on renting. I know people who have cancellations on Airbnb and their customer service consists of “we looked, We couldn’t find anything here’s your money back”
I use reputable agencies that I have used for years that I know if something happens, will do their best to get me in another unit. I’ve actually had to have it happen. They called me the day before I was going saying the unit I was supposed to be had a significant issue and I have been upgraded to a nicer unit
And no, I don’t worry about the 13 digit registration code that starts with the 75. Because all that means is the person who listed the apartment knew how to make up a number that has 13 digits and starts with 75. Until you or I can verify the accuracy of the registration it’s just useless imho.
A couple of agents I’ve used more than once with no issues are Guest Apartment Services and Vacation In Paris. The 2nd is more likely to be closer to your price point
As others have said, your maximum amount may not be enough. I would suggest looking at the 11th arrondisement for any possibilities. It is a less expensive area, filled with locals and lots of good food and it isn’t too far from high profile sights. The 15th arrondisement is another option.
I like the 13th and 14th but anything is a double digit is going to be cheaper than the center and you might find what you’re looking for
I really like Guest Apartment Services and think that they have great apartments but there is no way they have a two bedroom for 250€ in May. Vacation In Paris is an excellent suggestion but even they will be hard pressed to find two bedrooms for the budget in the center of Paris. I love the 11th and a couple of I have stayed in the 15th a few times and found it to be fine. I suggested AirBnb because there are some better priced apartments to be found there but I have recently (not in France) seen first hand what happens when an apartment is canceled at the last minute and it was definitely "“we looked, We couldn’t find anything here’s your money back” but with a "you'll get your money back in a few days" addition type of customer service. But sometimes the budget may have to override other considerations.
I don’t worry about the 13 digit registration code
While I agree that the registration number is primarily for inspectors and does not offer great assurances to a renter, any apartment owner inventing a code, just for the appearance of regulatory compliance, risks more than just penalties associated with illegal renting. These registration numbers are all eventually check by inspectors, that is why they are there.
Properties without registration numbers are likely illegal from the onset, adding risk to the renter. I would always advise, at a minimum, to verify that a number is present. Unfortunately, there is little more that a potential renter can do to protect himself.
There are probably thousands of apartments no longer on the market after the government really started cracking down little more than a year ago.
What risk to the renter is there because it’s not a legal apartment. The renter is not fined, threatened , etc.
Oh wait the night before you go. You can get canceled. Yeah that happens on Airbnb, but those are legal. Hmmmmmm
And even if it has a registration number, you don’t know how many days it has been rented and there’s a limit on days. So when you check in, it could no longer be legal they could be over the day limit. But you got that number, so you think it’s legal. Nope, you are in an illegal rental. And no, Airbnb is not tracking this
. Just go look at some of the Paris super hosts. They have five or six apartments. There’s no way they can make the math financially work unless those apartments are rented a good portion of the year.
The reason I go with the agencies I use is so I don’t have to worry about this. They will as I’ve seen with both myself and some other people I know deal with a problem when it comes up,
But if that’s a concern, then what I would suggest is using one of the apartment hotels. There’s several of them and if you stay in double digits once again, you might be able to get it for the original budget. I’ve stayed at the Citadines place d’ Italia. It’s not luxurious, but it’s clean. It’s close to a metro stations that has several Lines and it’s very reasonably priced. I think I was paying about $105 a night last March. I’m not sure that one has two bedrooms, but I know that some of the various other apartment hotels do have two bedroom units and you don’t have to worry about any of this and you also have some of the advantages of a hotel. There’s a front desk if something goes wrong, in someways that may be better, security, etc..
The greatest risk to the renter will always be a cancellation, which can occur at any time, no matter who lists the apartment. Using an agency does not limit this risk. Agencies have also been know to list of number of secondary homes, which are strictly illegal to rent short term. Agencies do this because the owner assumes all the enforcement risk. Agencies just collect their fees.
The annual rental limit is next to impossible to enforce. Do not assume that all short term rentals are limited to Airbnb. They´re also on le Bon Coin, VRBO, Arbitel, and many others. If an apartment owner wanted to push past the max annual rental of 120 days, it would be almost impossible to detect.
The safest short term rental for a visitor would be one from an owner/occupant. These are the people the current laws were setup to help; Parisians supplementing their annual income by renting out their homes when they are away. The bulk of these are found on the well-known online platforms.
Sorry IMHO the safest short term rental is one of the apartment hotels. They were built and comply with hotel regulations and are not subject to the limits or registration requirements. Anything else has the risk that some of you are trying to avoid.
Thanks for the advice and opinions so far. Guest Apartment Services and Vacation In Paris are a no go.
Is it better to book from Saturday to Saturday, or Friday to Friday, or Monday to Monday, etc? or does the day really make no difference to a landlord?
I'd try VRBO myself. I did a random check for 2 weeks in May (Sunday-Saturday) and found 21 available properties with 2 bedrooms under $250/night. Be sure to note carefully any add'l fees such as cleaning fee that will be added to the total rental. I did not look at all the exact locations but I selected 'central Paris' in my criteria. Worth checking anyway. I rented an apartment in Paris from VRBO but it was back in 2012 so I don't have any current info.
