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Paris at a Glance

Administration and Rentals in Paris

Housing in Paris can be rather costly, especially for expats.

Renting an Apartment

Apartments in Paris can be rented furnished or unfurnished, the latter being more common. Contract periods for furnished flats vary, but unfurnished apartments are usually let for a minimum of 3 years. Please note that if you fail to give written notice 3 months before your intended date of departure, the lease will automatically be renewed.

Prospective tenants are required to pay a deposit of usually 2 to 3 months’ rent. The money will be returned to them at the end of the contract period, provided no major damages occurred to the property during their tenancy. An état des lieux detailing the apartment’s state of repair at the beginning of the lease should be signed by both parties.

A Word of Caution

Due to the high demand for rental property in Paris, every suitable space has been converted into studios or apartments, including former servants’ quarters. These chambres de bonnes are usually situated right under the roof of town houses and are smaller and cheaper than normal flats. If you are on a budget and prepared to tolerate certain inconveniences, they could be the ideal solution. However, apart from the lower rent, these places don´t have much going for them.

Additional Costs

In addition to the monthly rent for the property, tenants face a number of other expenses. Apart from utility charges, there are charges for the premises which include the concierge (if there is one), elevator maintenance, garbage collection, etc.

Tenants are also expected to pay the annual taxe d’habitation, a local tax roughly equivalent to council tax in the UK. Home insurance, including personal liability insurance, is compulsory and often a prerequisite of any contract.

Residence Permits

Residence permits can seem like a complicated issue, but there is nothing to worry about prior to arrival. Once, everyone in possession of a long-stay visa had to report at their prefecture soon after arrival in order to obtain a carte de séjour. In recent years, however, new visa categories were introduced, automatically serving as a residence permit during the first year of residency. Most visas which are valid for one year only belong to one of these categories, plus student visas and those issued in conjunction with the “Skills and Talents” work permit. However, as a long-stay visa holder, you need to register at the Office Français de l’Immigration et d’Integration within the first three months of your stay in Paris.

Everyone whose visa carries the remark carte de séjour à solliciter must get a formal residence permit within 2 months of arrival. The carte de séjour serves as a sort of ID card during their period of stay and must be renewed every year. In Paris, cartes de séjour are obtained at the préfecture de police, which also has a website with information in Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Once you have been legally living in France for at least 5 consecutive years, you can apply for a carte de résident, which is valid for 10 years. EU nationals do not need any form of residence permit.

CAI

Everyone who is required to obtain a carte de séjour also has to sign a Contrat d’Accueil et d’Intégration if they come to live in France for the first time. This mutual “contract” between the foreign individual and the French state is meant to ensure that both sides make their best efforts at integration.

For foreigners and expats, this means attending a couple of information sessions and proving their French language skills. If the latter are judged to be insufficient, the Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration offers compulsory French lessons. Failure to attend may result in the residence permit being revoked.