ethics of vacation apartment renting?

Well, Amy, I'm not so sure owners make more on vacation homes then they would if they rented their places out to regular renters. If available space is so tight, according to the law of supply and demand, they could still ask for and receive a high price. It would take a real ground swell of tourists to turn this tide and free up space for people who live in Paris year-round. Frankly, I wish it were cheaper and life were easier for everybody but the ethics of vacation apartment renting is not something I lose sleep over. However, I must say, checking out quite a number of them on the internet, I'm often surprised that the owners don't take some of their hefty rental income and upgrade some of the furniture - like have a couple of comfortable easy chairs, some extra pillows, etc. Maybe they're just scraping by and taking camp showers and using squat toilets in their little chambres de bonne. Or maybe they're just cheap.

My guess is that it's the same in any city anywhere, including in the US. Even in my town landlords rent apartments at exorbitant rates because they are meant as multi-tenant student apartments. Finding a decent, inexpensive place for a young couple can be a real challenge.

Nancy, you are so right! A friend of mine pays more per year to rent an apartment in NY City than we paid for our first house when we were a young couple. I'm now an old single and it's actually more advantageous for me to own my house than it would be to rent a comparable apartment in the Atlanta area, which is where I live.

Well, Anna, it's crazy in Atlanta, too. I once went house-looking with a friend who lives there and was shocked at what houses comparable to mine (very small) were listing for there. And here, two-bedroom apartments in my neighborhood rent for twice what my house payment is.

Nancy, what amazes me is that they're still building (and selling) McMansions in the metro area. However, Atlanta is definitely in a huge real estate slump, so now it's a buyer's market here.

There's all kind of rentals out there. Some people buy up just for the purpose of renting them, others live in part of them and rent out the rest.

It's different for big cities like Paris and New York than it is for, say, beach condos in Florida, farmhouse apartments in Bavaria (where the family lives, too), or gites in rural France. Especially in the case of farmhouses, the houses may have been in the family for generations, and this is the way they can afford to keep them.

Sometimes apartments are the only reasonable option. With my family of 4, I like having the room to spread out a bit, do laundry, make our own meals. With an apartment, we can do that for less than the cost of a hotel per night. With larger families, staying in a hotel is a much bigger challenge, if possible at all.

This is a good question...hadn't thought about it from this angle before. I could argue it both ways...

I read an article in the International Herald Tribune about this when we were in Paris in July. The article said it's actually illegal for owners to rent apts for less than one year, and the mayor of Paris has created a new office to seek out and find owners renting short term. They've already starting prosecuting some. The article also talked about neighbors turning in owners because they don't like living next to vacation apts with tourists constantly coming and going.

After reading the article I was a bit concerned because we just rented an apt in Paris for the first time and really enjoyed it - now we're hooked and can't wait to rent again.

Your question is definitely a good one and I'm curious what others will say.

I don't have a good answer but have heard of this crackdown. We're renting an apartment at the end of this month (rented before we heard of the crackdown). The information sent by the rental agency repeatedly says to be quiet in the hallways of the apartment building. I thought it was a courtesy issue but now wonder if part of the reason is so the neighbors won't turn in the apartment owner.

I would also point out that the French government supports the vacation rental industry. The gites program was established to encourage people to buy older properties, especially outside of Paris, and fix them up. They get tax breaks on taxes for doing this. There are true gutes in Paris, too.

I have been renting vacation places in France for years. In all but three vacations, the rentals are owned by Brits. One French owner had updated an old cider press building, no longer used. One had a house on his Farm that he had updated for rental. This year, I do not know the circumstances yet, but the owner is French. They get the same tax incentives for doing this.

As far as the price, you just have to look around. There are inexpensive rentals (I am paying $988 for fourteen days this year in Isle sur la Sorge.) Those prices, in the long run, can be much less than a hotel, which makes it a more affordable trip in the present economy.

Also, it makes general travel less expensive when you can cook at home. We generally eat breakfast and dinner at the house, and eat out at lunch wihile sight seeing. Lunch is much cheaper, so we really save quite a bit.

So, relax and enjoy your rental! We love to do this, as we often get to know people from around the world.

According to the article I read in the International Herald Tribune (July 7) it's only a concern in Paris.

If you notice when looking for an apt in Paris, it usually won't give you the exact address. And with the recent crackdown, more owners are taking that specific info out.

Gites (B&B's) are completely different from apt rentals. Different laws apply to gites.