Paying cash for Paris Apt??

If you want another option, check out vacationinparis.com. They are based in the U.S and you can pay via paypal. Be sure to take a look at their Promos-Specials tab - you can get some great deals here. Good luck!

I'd be more concerned about the lack of reviews than paying the balance in cash on arrival. I would ask for some email addresses of former renters or other references. I've paid the balance in cash upon arrival many times in Europe even when using an agency. It's not great having to carry so much cash, but I at least know I won't be paying anything if the apartment is a dud or there are issues upon arrival. Are you travelling with someone? Each of you could carry half of the cash. Definitely use a moneybelt.

For a recent family event, we rented two houses in Hawaii through vrbo, one of which took cash or checks only. Since eight people were involved, including a 4 yeear old, it was pretty important to me that everything go smoothly. I purchased the insurance offered through a link on the vrbo website for around $40. Check it out. Small potatoes for peace of mind and to avoid nasty surprises. I don't think you're paranoid. Scams abound in the vacation rental segment of the travel business. Btw, no reviews is considered to be a red flag.

I've rented two apartments in Paris. Apartment #1 I had to pay a cash deposit and pay the balance in cash 30 days prior to my arrival date. The apartment had no reviews. I was a little nervous about it. One thing that made me decide to proceed was that the owner lives in San Francisco. I sent a check for the deposit, but asked her if I could pay the balance in person. I was able to go to where she lives and meet her, which made me feel more comfortable. Of course most people wouldn't have that option. The apartment was fantastic and starting with mine she now has many good reviews. At the time she used a management company and by bypassing them I got a great discount. Now she takes care of the rentals herself and accepts credit cards. It is also much more expensive than what I paid. Apartment #2 required a bank wire transfer as a deposit. I think the transfer alone was about $70. I had to pay the balance upon arrival. No credit cards were accepted. They also wanted a 400€ cashiers check as a deposit. I got them to agree to accept my credit card as a deposit. That apartment had many good reviews. It sucked. I would never recommend it to anyone. Shortly after I stayed there and wrote a bad review (there was another one just prior to my arrival that stated similar conditions) the apartment disappeared from all the rental websites it had been listed on. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe not. My point is that reviews are nice, but not always accurate. And no review doesn't have to be a bad thing either. And payment on arrival is not that unusual. I have had to pay in full upon arrival in other European cities too.

I rented my Paris apartment through VRBO and the owner accepted paypal for the small deposit but wanted the remainder paid in cash on arrival. It was a little nervewracking to carry 1400 euro in cash but most of it I got from ATMs the day before and the morning of so I didn't have to carry it long. Also, the apt only had a couple of reviews and they were mixed (mostly because it had no A/C or elevator) but I thought it would work ok for me and it did, actually it was great. By the way, I did pay the $39 for the VRBO insurance so I felt ok - at least I knew if there were major issues and I couldn't stay at the apt I would get most of my $$ back. I'm a big believer in insurance, if only for the peace of mind it brings (as long as the cost is reasonable).

Cash up front, with no alternative like wire transfer or paypal or credit card, is pretty inconvenient but not necessarily cause for suspicion. Payment in full on or before arrival is the norm, in my experience with apartments. Owners who will take only cash are prorably losing good renters and the smart ones figure out how to work with other payment forms. But remember they're trusting you at least as much as you're trusting them. Homeaway.com offers a $39 insurance policy, I expect VRBO does too, same ownership. The bank wire transfers are the worst. Chase charged me a flat $45, then gave me an exchange rate of about $1.36 to the euro (c. 5% over the official rate). Then the owner's bank, BNP Paribas, charged him 18 euros on his end. He and I gave our banks about 20% on top of what we actually transferred between us. (Chase reversed the $45 when I complained afterwards.) The owner set up a paypal account and we'll complete the payment using that before we arrive. But I'd rather carry cash than pay two giant banks such extortionate charges.

Thank you to all of you for the information. I think I will pass on the apartment that doesn't have any reviews unless I can contact previous renters as suggested. Good to know that I'm not paranoid!!

You might check onnAir BnB. Lots of apartment owners list on there now. The website offers more protection than VRBO, as everything goes through the website. You pay with credit card but the owner does not get the payment until after you arrive and accept the apartment. I am giving it a try after receiving assurances from people here and from my tech-savvy younger relatives that it is a good system.