Paris: budget studios and apartments

[Deleted]

I'm sure there will be some new budget discoveries this year. Can't wait for people to find some!

[Jazz]

Here is a great site that I recently discovered, Sabbatical Homes. You can do a home exchange, a rental, or, house sit.

....“For Potential Sitters:

To begin your search for owners needing house sitters, just register with SabbaticalHomes.com. Feel free to then reply to any offers that meet your needs.
House sitting makes traveling on a budget all the more affordable. By looking after a home, garden, or even a pet, you can enjoy the comfort of someone’s home for very little. While a few owners don’t ask for rent, most request a small fee but not nearly as much as full rent. “....
Hmmm…


There are some lovely and inexpensive possibilities. You just need to look carefully. Some are only rentable for a minimum of one month, or three. Most, are by the week and often flexible on price and date. This link leads you to the Paris rentals for studios and apartments. If you want to check exchanges or home sitting, return to the home page.
www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedListings.aspx?from=search&&has_image=&home_rental=1&home_exchange=&house_sitting=&house_share=&state=&country=FR&keywords=&datefrom=&dateto=&bedrooms=&distance=&furnished=&internet=&walk_campus=&writing_retreat=&unfurnished=&kids_friendly=&pets_welcome=&short_term=&city=Paris%20&reverseCity=&reverseCountry=&university=


I couldn’t resist looking at what is offered for 200€/week in the 7th! Not bad for a student, or, if you like the 7th.
www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedDetails.aspx?id=54984&i=Home_Rent_House_Rental_Paris_France

Lagatta, I saw a couple of beauties in the 19th and 20th.

[lagatta]

They aren't all "budget" as in extremely low cost, but the larger, more expensive ones are also very good value for a family.

So far, I love the studio overlooking les Buttes Chaumont!
Sabbatical Home for Rent Offered in Paris 75019 France #52506

Edited to add: It is a 5th storey with no lift though! I could do it these days (after a lot of exercise for my joints) but it is not appropriate for people with mobility problems - or perhaps cardiac problems, unless the exercise is advisable. Such a dreamy place.

[tallyhotravel]

Jul 13, 2010 4:47:13 GMT Jazz said:

Some charge agency fees. This is not common and should be avoided unless you are in love with the place. It can add 30% to the cost.

Over the years, I've found just the opposite to be true. Unless it is a site like vrbo where one is renting directly from the owners, quite a few of the agencies charge fees. I see Lodgis mentioned here and in finding several flats that fit my needs, when renting for a month, there are fees upwards of 200 euros. Bummer.

[Jazz]

(These choices below are only from the Sabbatical Homes site, post #29)

Lagatta, I thought of you immediately when I saw #52506. It’s lovely! There is another in the 19th, but it is a 6 floor walkup, Beautiful! 500E/wk…it borders the 10th…
www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedDetails.aspx?id=46802&i=Home_Rent_House_Rental_Paris_France

Personally, I give the 4-6 floor walk-ups consideration. They are certainly great value. My last studio in Paris was a 6 floor walkup. (one month) I would prefer not to have this, but it was quite doable. Essentially, most days I would leave in the morning and not return throughout the day. (This is always what I do, walk-up or not.) Every now and then, I would go to the nearby Place Maubert market early morning, return home with food, flowers etc. and go out again for the day. My ritual was to be out for 8-12 hours, then enjoy a glass of wine, or coffee late afternoon, early evening in my local café, Café Metro, to ‘rest up’ before I climbed the 6 floors.

I agree with you that there are some good budget deals for families in this site. And, many of the possibilities are excellent if you are traveling with just one other person.

The next time I visit Paris, I would love to stay in the 10th arrondissement, especially in a studio/apartment overlooking the Canal Saint Martin. Then, my choices would be in the 11th or 12th, 18th, and 17th.
I like this very much, on a small street near the canal for 400E/week,
www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedDetails.aspx?id=55654&i=Home_Rent_House_Rental_Paris_France

This is lovely, but seems to only be available for a minimum of 3 months,
www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedDetails.aspx?id=47017&i=Home_Rent_House_Rental_Paris_France


Two good ones in the 11th arrondissement,

www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedDetails.aspx?id=53997&i=Home_Rent_House_Rental_Paris_France

www.sabbaticalhomes.com/OfferedDetails.aspx?id=49440&i=Home_Rent_House_Rental_Paris_France


Tallyhotravel, thanks for your input. You may have much more experience than I do and we welcome your ideas. It is critical for someone looking for an apartment to read the rental sites carefully. The addition of a fee can certainly change what appears to be a great ‘deal’.

[bjd]

You obviously have to read those ads like you do real estate ads -- learn the code words. I find interesting on the second link that the "neighbourhood key words" are Place de la République and Marais. The apartment is near neither of them and they don't appear on the linked map.

Those sets of stairs above 4 floors appear really tough the first few days, especially if you are carrying anything heavy. But once you get used to them, they aren't too bad. You have to tell yourself it's good for the heart.

[Jazz]

Yes, you may have to learn the code words. But, most of us who are looking for an apartment in Paris are unaware of so many things. Bjd, you are very knowledgeable about Paris and apartments, given that you have one for your daughter who is studying. Our searches are unique. I think that I am now becoming relatively aware of each arrondissement and its quartiers. With experience, I have found that Paris is an extremely walkable city and the metro system (subway and bus) is easy and inexpensive to use. Therefore, I barely glance at the exact location, but focus on the quartier, arrondissement, nearest Metro stop and the apartment itself.

Feb 14, 2011 15:45:44 GMT bjd said:

Those sets of stairs above 4 floors appear really tough the first few days, especially if you are carrying anything heavy. But once you get used to them, they aren't too bad. You have to tell yourself it's good for the heart.

Yes, the first few days are the worst , but it becomes easier and easier. Not only was it good for my heart, but I lost 15 pounds...despite my sensual and hedonistic ways! ;D.

[Deleted]

One of my biggest regrets when I bought my apartment was that my grandmother would never be able to see it. I had brought her to my previous place on the 11th floor plenty of times, but obviously there were elevators. When I told her that I had moved and that it was on the 3rd floor without an elevator, she was horrified that I had "not been able" to find a place with an elevator.

I bounce up my stairs as though on springs, but quite a few of my (much younger!) friends are out of breath after climbing three flights of stairs. I find it hilarious. Some of them need to stop smoking.

[mich64]

Kerouac, being that there are 57 stairs down to our house from the road, I can relate. It is when we watch our visitors leave and have to go up the 57 stairs that they wonder how can they do this everyday. It is what you get used to (and not being smokers).
Cheers,
Mich
P.S. Another 52 stairs down to the lake as our house is in the middle of the hillside. Only a negative when one needs to use the bathroom in a hurry!

[tallyhotravel]

Feb 14, 2011 15:34:56 GMT Jazz said:

Tallyhotravel, thanks for your input. You may have much more experience than I do and we welcome your ideas.

Thank you jazz! What a nice welcome response to my first posting here!

I come to Paris at least once a year, sometimes more. I was just there for the month of December, first few days of January. I stay almost exclusively now in apartments but I do still stay in a hotel when I have small tour groups with me for part of my trip.

I am a high school French teacher and in order for me to continue to be able to come every year, it is imperative that I find less expensive flats. For the past several years I have been staying in my favorite area, the 9th near rue Des Martyrs, but now that it is increasingly bobo and discovered by tourists, it is getting trop chèr.

kerouac, I would like to ask you about an area in the 20th around Avron métro. I've found two excellent apartments for excellent rents but when I do a Google street view, the area doesn't look so great. I am not familiar with the 20th at all except for right around Nation. Can you comment?

[lagatta]

I can tell you that area is just fine - and Avron is very close to Nation.

[bjd]

I agree -- no problem around there at all.

[Deleted]

The Avron area is just fine, but is not really a "Haussmannian" area in terms of architecture, just like a lot of the other working class districts in Paris. However, the city is freshening up rue d'Avron itself and talks about the project in this link.

[Jazz]

You’re very welcome Tallyhotravel. I know very little about the 19th and 20th, but bjd, Lagatta and Kerouac certainly do! There are some great threads about these arrondissements in the Paris board, ie: La Mouzaïa, ultra top secret Paris,
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=paris&action=display&thread=3608

Here are a few apartments that I found in the 19th and 20th… good prices and probably (hopefully) much better if rented for 3 weeks to a month. I’m totally unaware of the ambience of the individual quartiers, but worth a look.

I LOVE these two!

1. www.homelidays.co.uk/paris-20/apartment-flat-201403en1.htm

2. www.homelidays.co.uk/paris-19/apartment-flat-252280en1.htm

Very interested to know what these neighborhoods are like. (1,2)

and,

3. www.abritel.fr/location-vacances/p577484

4. www.all-paris-apartments.com/en/paris-apartments/ref_2460/

5. www.homelidays.co.uk/paris-19/apartment-flat-275015en1.htm

If you go, it would be fascinating to have your input about the area.

[tallyhotravel]

Thanks everybody. I'm in the locating/negotiating process now for my trip beginning 23 May and lasting thru the end of June. Wherever I end up, I will post about it.

[bjd]

Jazz, your first apartment is at Gambetta -- that's a nice area. There is some greenery, lots of little shops, and buses and subway to the centre.

I don't know Place des Fêtes though. Offhand, I would go for Gambetta.

[lagatta]

Gambetta is prettier than Place des Fêtes as the latter square is infested with brutalist tower blocks, however the market at Place des Fêtes is nice. But there are nice places not far from the Place. Gambetta is a slightly more "upscale" part of the general area.

[Jazz]

Thanks bjd and lagatta. Of the two, the first would be my preference now. ‘infested with brutalist tower blocks’ sounds ugly and I would hate it. But, I would still love to find a place on or near the canal. There is a remote possibility that I’ll be able to go to Paris this year, but it depends on the work situation.

[tallyhotravel]

OK, just this moment purchased airfare for a 40 day stay - now the real fun begins! I will be checking for availability on some of the great links posted in this thread. Also going to spend a few days in my second true love, jolly old England so got to get busy finding some budget sleeps there as well. I love this part!

[mich64]

40 day stay Wow, how nice for you!! I hope you share all your experiences here.
Cheers!
Mich

[tallyhotravel]

Whew, I have finally made a deal on an appartement for my upcoming May/June stay. I have never had as much difficulty as I had this time, sadly mostly due to the outrageous security deposits that most everyone is charging. Don't get me wrong, I expect a security deposit, but up to now, I have always given the owner an American check made out for $200-$500 which he gladly holds without cashing and returns to me upon check-out inspection.

This time all suitable places required cash deposits be wired to French bank accts and would be held up until as much as a month after my departure. For the flats I was considering, the cheapest deposit required was €800 up to €1600. Factoring in the exchange rate and currency conversion fees, I just could not afford to tie up that much cash for such a long period of time. I tried negotiating down a bit and offering to provide several Parisian friends and apartment owners as references but no go.

Thanks to this thread and the reference to Sabbatical Homes (which I had not heard of previously) I found a flat near Nation for a very reasonable cash deposit payable by Paypal. I hope it works out well - it is the personal flat of someone who will be on their own holiday for one month and not someone in the apartment rental business, so I'm a wee bit apprehensive. (Fingers crossed!)

*I will add that my choices are somewhat limited by the fact that I require two beds since one of my sons travels with me and this knocks out many flats that would be wonderful and very affordable if I were traveling alone. But alas, he will finish university in December and go out into the real world so I will have more options then.

[bjd]

tallyho, if you liked Rue des Martyrs for the food shops, near Nation is Rue du Rendezvous, which is rather similar. Lots of food shops open on Sunday mornings, though closed on Mondays.

Also a big food market on Thursday and Sunday mornings in Vincennes/Saint Mandé, just across the peripherique after you go up Cours de Vincennes. And a colourful market selling all kinds of stuff at Porte de Montreuil on Sunday mornings.

[tallyhotravel]

Thanks bjd. It will be fun to learn a new quartier. Anyone with any other tips for this area, please let me know!

[Jazz]

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. Tallyho, wonderful that you have found an apartment that you like! (with a reasonable deposit). May, June is a beautiful time to visit Paris. I’m not sure where your apartment is, the 11th or 20th? . Don’t worry that it is a personal home, I would consider that an enhancement. The market at Porte de Montreuil that bjd mentioned is definitely worth a vist. Colorful indeed…cheap, vital, crowded, alive. My three favorite flea markets are Clignancourt (see Kerouac’s thread), Vanves and Montreuil). Each has a totally different character.

Excitement! Yesterday I booked my apartment in Paris, 12th arrondissement, for 2 weeks, October 8-22. This is a beautiful place that I have been fantasizing about for 3 years. It is also a personal home and I love that. Perhaps I will add 4 days to a week before or after, but this depends on many factors. She only rents it 2 weeks maximum, so I need to find another apartment. There is the remote possibility that I will be disciplined and only go for 2 weeks.

My life is complicated. I decided to sell my house of 27 years and buy a loft/condo. So, I am busy with the ‘big declutter and downsize’, contractor, painters…sell end of May, look for new home, design and furnish new home, move August 1st. My beautiful reward will be 2-3 weeks in Paris in October. But, it will depend on selling price, buying price etc. Wish me luck. I am already imagining walking along the Canal Saint Martin in October.

Although I am not that familiar with your areas, I’ll look at my folders and post anything intriguing. I would love to hear about your trip and your apartment if you have time to post.

[Deleted]

Wow, big changes, Jazz! Good luck!

[mich64]

Jazz sounds like a busy and exciting time for the next 6 months, you will need a vacation after all of that activity. You should do a thread on your process. It would be interesting for others to see how we list, sell, look, buy real estate here in Canada. I envy your 2-3 weeks in Paris in October, but am sure your will deserve it by then.
Cheers!
Mich

[tallyhotravel]

Oh Jazz, I don't envy you the decluttering and downsizing! If I would only do that in my daily life but alas, I operate on the premise that there's always tomorrow. I guess your tomorrow has arrived!

Bon courage et bonne continuation!

[lagatta]

Oh Jazz, I'm so hoping the house sale and condo purchase goes well for you!

That place in the 12th sounds great. What part of the 12th is it in?

[Jazz]

Thanks all for your support! It’s a huge shift, but exciting and creative. Also exhausting, mind and movement never, ever stop. Lagatta, my apartment is on a small street, just off rue Saint Antoine, about a 10 minute walk from the Bastille metro. oh my god....I hope it all works out.

[koloagirl]

;D

Aloha from Kaua'i!

I'm anything but an "authority" on budget accomodations in Paris, but I can say that we were amazingly happy with our "budget" flat that we rented last year at Maison Zen in the 12th arrondissement - set back 2 courtyards from busy rue de Lyon and very quiet - bathtub and shower, dining area, bed, TV, kitchen area with small icebox and stove/microwave and coffee press with electric kettle.

Here is the link to their flats:
maisonzen.com/

We loved #4 so much we are going back there this September!

Just my limited experience with a place we loved!

Malama Pono,
Janet