How to get an apartment

It's not new - it's hard to get an apartment in Paris. Here will be some help so you can start searching.

There are several types of apartments and how to search. There are three main possibilities;

Apartment Agencies

You can go to one of the big compagnies like Century 21, Orpi, Laforet etc.

Advantages

It's safe - you don't pay before you signed anything. And since you pay a fee to get the apartment you often have less concurrents than in the private sector, because there might be 40 other persons looking at the same apartment as you. 

Inconvénients 

You need to have "un garant", which means that you need a person who lives in France to sign that he/she will pay the rent if you can't. This person has to earn at least three times as much as the apartment costs per month. It's hard to find a person who will pay this for you, since it's a big risk, unless you have family or very close friends living in France.

Waiting lists

There are somes residences for people who don't earn that much. They are called ALJT, Residetap etc. It's residences with around 100-200 rooms. And that's what you get - a room, bath room and kitchen fully equipped with furniture.


Advantages
You don't need a person to sign that they will pay your rent! And the room is ready, so you don't need to bring or buy a lot of things.
Inconvénients
You can't stay more than two year in a residence like this, then you have to move. There can be a lot of rules to respect, like not having sleep overs etc.

Privat sites
There are a lot of private sites where you can get an apartment. You just have to search on the internet, it can be pap.fr or seloger.fr or another site.

Advantages
You can be lucky and find a great apartment quickly on a website. You don't pay any fees since the service is private. You can get a really good offer this way.
Inconvénients
You have to be very prudent, never give money or bank information to anyone. Even though you visited the apartment and the person who showed it to you had the keys, you still have to pay attention. Be also very prudent towards very cheap offers. In Paris a studio (one room) around 10-15 m3 will be around 450-650€. If the offer is cheaper - be careful.