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How Much Does it Cost to Rent an Apartment in Paris?

Volume XX, Issue 38

Plants decorating that courtyard of Adrian Leeds' apartment building

If you’re up-to-date on our Nouvellettres®, then you know that I will have to move out of my apartment for six months as of next September for massive restructuring work and renovation. (See this past issue for the entire story!) As part of the move, by the end of this November, I have to estimate the cost of a rental property—for which the “copropriété” (homeowner association) will be willing to pay—and find an apartment to rent for six months, plus the cost of the entire move out and the move back in.

A furniture truck with a lift for moving in or out of a Paris apartment through the windows

Moving in or out of a Paris apartment

A six-month rental is considered a “short-term” rental or could fall under the regulations of a “mobility lease,” except that by Paris laws, this type of lease is intended for students and people who move around: professional transfer/temporary assignment/vocational training/work experience/apprenticeship/voluntary work (as part of civic service)…not people like me who simply need a place to live while the renovation is taking place. This is one of (many) complaints I have about the city regulations which don’t address the needs of everyone. Nonetheless, this is with what I am faced.

Meme promoting the French Mobility Lease

To find a rental apartment, I made a list of the clients we have in my immediate vicinity to inquire about the availability of their apartments. A few were open to the idea, but the immediate question was how much the rent would be. Rents vary based on location, amenities and length of stay. Our clients’ apartments are all of “haut de gamme” (top quality) and were originally short-term rentals before the city’s regulations made that illegal. If they rent their apartments now, then it must be based on the mobility lease, but which still gets a premium rental rate, if not quite as much as they did when they were vacation rentals.

The question remains: how much is the copropriéte willing to spend on my behalf to have an equivalent home in the same neighborhood? I’ve asked this question, but no one actually has the answer since it depends on the vote that must take place by the co-owners. In my mind, they cannot deny me the minimum of Paris’ rent control rates for long-term rentals (one year, furnished), nor of mobility lease properties within the normal range.

Properties under the rent control laws, in the Quartier Enfants-Rouges (where I live now) for a furnished 3-room apartment built before 1946, the average rent is 28.70€ per m². The lowest is 20.09€ per m² and the highest is 34.44€ per m². These figures do not include the building homeowner association dues/charges nor utilities and were calculated based on a rental from mid-year 2022 to 2023. (The website doesn’t allow for much flexibility on timing!) For a property of equal size, this calculates to 1,406€ a month at the low, to 2,410€ a month at the high. But, these are the rent control figures for long-term rentals and don’t really apply here.

A chart showing the estimated rental rates for an apartment in Adrian Leeds' neighborhood

Meilleurs Agents offers an estimate of rental rates based on specific addresses. For my exact address, the rent excluding building charges averages 2,310€ a month—1,827€ a month at the low and 3,164€ a month at the high. Now, we’re getting closer to what these owners might accept, although normally they can get much higher rates.

Today’s market is very limited. Only six properties are advertised on Seloger that fit my location and apartment size. Only three of those are furnished. Their range is from 2,100€ to 2,590€ a month.

Three apartment listings on Seloger

Statista reports that the average monthly square meter rent of apartments in my district as of September 2021 was 37€, or 2,590€ a month. So, all of this is basically good news—the rates are relatively consistent. And the figures are readily available so that you can determine what you’re willing to pay for rent in the City of Light.

For those renting long-term, rent control has been established in areas where the housing shortage is most acute: Paris, Lille, Hellemmes, Lomme, Plaine commune: Aubervilliers, La Courneuve, Épinay-sur-Seine, L’Île-Saint-Denis, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, Stains, Villetaneuse, Lyon and Villeurbanne, Est Ensemble: Bagnolet, Bobigny, Bondy, Le Pré Saint-Gervais, Les Lilas, Montreuil, Noisy-le-Sec, Pantin, Romainville, Montpellier (since July 1, 2022) and Bordeaux (since July 15, 2022).

The rent control system sets a limit on the rent that the owner of a property rented under a residential lease (including a mobility lease) can charge. It only applies in municipalities located in a “tense” area—municipalities where the number of housing units offered for rent is much lower than the number of people who want to become tenants of a housing unit, to make it their main residence.

There are 2 types of rent control:

1) the rules that apply in most of the communes in the tense zone
2) specific rules (in particular the rent supplement: in some cities where rents are regulated, the rent is added to the basic rent for housing with specific characteristics of location or comfort (view of a historical monument, etc.) compared to housing of a comparable level.

Some housing units are not concerned by rent control, as they are subject to other rules. These are housing units subject to the 1948 law, or those under agreement with the Anah, (except for intermediate rent agreements), social housing (HLM), furnished tourist accommodation and subletting are excluded.

Confused? Easy to be! French law is not simple or straightforward and even the lawyers are guessing how to follow the rules. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to determine where I’ll be living and who will be paying for it!

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds' suitcase decorated with stickers from around the worldAdrian Leeds
The Adrian Leeds Group

P.S. Why does it pay to hire us to find your long-term rental? Should you decide to book an apartment online sight unseen, without someone verifying the quality of the property, you risk a variety of problems with both the apartment and the landlord. When you hire us to find you a property for rent, we act as an advocate on your behalf. Not only do we have the know-how and experience to ferret out the best properties, but you can trust us to make the right choice for you, so you can move right in, leaving the legwork to us. Plus, the clout we lend to your status, due to our relationships with agents and owners will put you ahead of the others vying for the same property.

P.P.S. I will be taking a week off. From October 17 to 21 there will be no freshly-written Nouvellettres®. We may rerun some past issues…if you prefer not to miss a single issue!

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11 Comments

  1. Sharon Zeidman on October 6, 2022 at 8:35 am

    Happy Birthday Adrian! I love you and your energy. I am
    Planning a trip to Paris next June for my 75th Bday! I will definitely connect with you, if possible. I am also strongly considering moving there long- term.
    One issue, could you state the money in US dollars? Just sayin… 🥴😂❤️

    • Adrian Leeds Group on October 31, 2022 at 6:23 am

      Thank you! France uses euros! To find the current exchange rate you can check xe.com Because the exchange fluctuates we can’t list amounts in USD.

  2. Cheryl Kennedy on October 6, 2022 at 8:47 am

    Hi Adrian,
    A comment from someone who doesn’t know how your business works but why don’t you put your things in storage for 6 months and work from your place in Nice? Wouldn’t that be a less complicated solution?
    And Happy 70th! I just celebrated mine 😊. Really 70 years ??? I’m still getting used to it. It went by super fast😂😂😂
    Best,
    Cheryl

    • Adrian Leeds Group on October 31, 2022 at 6:21 am

      Thank you for your comments. If only the solution were this easy!!

  3. Melanie Curtis on October 6, 2022 at 8:59 am

    Happy Birthday Adrian!
    My birthday is today October 6! My daughter and I had the pleasure of attending your Escape to France conference last year. We adore Nice & my daughter is applying to graduate school for neuroscience at the Universite Cote D’Azur in January for the 2023 term beginning in September. I will be accompanying her! We may need your help! Last year we enjoyed my birthday in Paris after driving from Nice through the Loire Valley & visiting Chenonceau!

  4. Diane Bilardello on October 6, 2022 at 9:18 am

    I’m almost positive that I know the answer to my question, but I will ask anyway. Does your company help with short term rentals, say 3 -4 weeks?
    If not, then “c’est la vie”! 😉
    Thank you,
    Diane (who is a huge fan of Adrian when I see her on HGTV International…😊)

    • Adrian Leeds Group on October 31, 2022 at 6:20 am

      Thank you for your question. Due to the unfavorable changes in the short-term rental laws in Paris we are no longer offering vacation rental apartments. These laws make it nearly impossible to legally rent an apartment when visiting Paris as tourist. Your options are limited to staying in a rental that is considered to be someone’s primary residence or finding one of the very few apartments with a commercial usage designation – or staying in an Aparthotel.

  5. Glenda Stafford on October 6, 2022 at 9:48 am

    Great article! Same thing happened to us a few years back, had to completely move out for a 6 month period for reconstruction. Could you put everything in storage and find a hotel (in the US, a Marriott Residence Inn was our choice) until your place is ready? Sometimes construction doesn’t go as planned and you might not be able to move back in before a 6 month lease is up. Then what will you do?🤦🏼‍♀️

    • Adrian Leeds Group on October 31, 2022 at 6:18 am

      Thank you for your comments. A hotel room is really not feasible as a replacement for a 2-bedroom apartment including a home-office. Adrian will be sure that she has flexibility with wherever she chooses to spend this time.

  6. L. Beck on October 6, 2022 at 10:49 am

    Reading between your lines, are we to learn that all AirBnB rentals in Paris are illegal? Merci pour votre response.

    • Adrian Leeds Group on October 31, 2022 at 6:16 am

      No, this is not true. Most listing websites require a registration number with the City of Paris. But your options are limited to staying in a rental that is considered to be someone’s primary residence or finding one of the very few apartments with a commercial usage designation.

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