Paris Apartment 1 Bedroom Rental in Grenelle (PA-1521)

Overall Apartment Rating (2)

3.4 stars

Apartment Experience (2) 3.5 Location (1) 4.0 Cleanliness (1) 4.0

Condition, Comfort, Amenities (1) 3.0 Building (1) 4.0 Quiet/Loud (1) 2.0

• Review by: A Renter From: Apartment Rental: 8 months

  Three stars for the apartment, two stars for the experience. The apartment is well-equipped, and the neighborhood is very calm. As a previous reviewer said, the owner is flexible about the rent payment dates. The owner is good with paperwork. With that said, the owner doesn't live in Paris for most of the year. The person she entrusts ("caretaker") isn't well-instructed in the paperwork - doesn't know what documents like état de lieu d'entrée, état de lieu de sortie and quittance de loyer (rent receipt) are. When I selected this apartment, I was told it was a share and that the other room would be occupied by the owner's son during his visits to Paris. I also asked if the owner accepted the CAF (housing assistance), as my employer encouraged me to apply for it, and the agent told me to discuss this with the landlord. The landlord first told me I couldn't get it because I was a foreigner, and then because it was a "seasonal rental." That sounded weird because I had a titre de séjour, and anyone with one who rents for a month or more and has low income is eligible to apply. I was able to get it. I don't understand why the landlord lied about it - if she didn't accept it, she should have just said so. Through a chain of circumstances, I actually ended up living with the landlord for two months. Then, without any warning from her, her female friend - the caretaker's sister - moved into the other room, first for a few nights a week, and then permanently. We had a problem when this friend broke the showerhead and pretended not to know anything about how it broke. She then asked me for money to split the costs of bringing one of her acquaintances to change the broken parts. At that point, she told me that the caretaker was going abroad for several weeks, which he hadn't warned me about. The next day, I had to check into a clinic for a short stay, and had three weeks of recovery. Then, I finally wrote the landlord about the shower situation. The caretaker didn't seem too happy that I told her, but I don't see why they wanted to keep this hidden from her. I should also mention that the kitchen corner is in a windowless area, and when I left, the light above it hadn't been working for several months (but the other light in the entrance area was). The landlord had electricians come in in the fall, and the caretaker came in to change the lighbulb when it went out in the winter, but the the light stopped working again after a few days. When I brought it up at my departure, the caretaker said it wasn't an urgent problem. I hope this will be fixed for the next tenant. Other comments: the room for rent doesn't have central heating, but the landlord provides an electric heater. If you're taking a shower, the hot water in the building only lasts for 10 15 minutes (common in France). The wireless internet works well. There is a TV with antenna on the desk, but it only catches a few channels, and putting a laptop or anything heavy on the desk throws off the reception. Since it is a small apartment, the audibility is quite high - you can hear everything that goes on in the adjacent room and the courtyard. The building is very quiet, but there are often weekend parties in the courtyard area. May 23 2012

  • Answer by: Paris Customer Service

    The roommate share situation was agreed upon at the time of booking by the owner and the renter, but there was indeed a change in roommates that they did not inform us about during the stay. Further to this review, the owner explained that this apartment is shared with one person only. She also confirmed the following: - the cost for fixing the shower head was split between the two renters (¤10 each) - an electrician came to check the kitchen light but the owner will double-check to make sure there is no longer an issue with it. - the TV is equipped with DTT which offers the main French channels. Jun 06 2012

• Review by: Rebecca B. From: Apartment Rental: 3 months

  [My daughter] was happy with the apartment; however, I had some concerns. First, there is no fire escape. The apartment was on the first floor; however, the windows did not open. If there had been a fire in the hall outside her apartment, my daughter would have had no way to get out. Second, she was required to leave the apartment in move-in shape. She washed the sheets and made the bed. She cleaned as best she could. She could not vacuum since there was no vacuum in the apartment. Her landlady lives in Morocco and sent a friend to see the apartment. The friend said that the apartment was a mess and that it would take 4 hours to clean it. He made her pay him 40 euros. The apartment was tiny -- not much more than a dorm room with a kitchen and bathroom. There is no way it could have taken anyone as long as 4 hours to clean the apartment. My daughter paid the money in order to avoid a conflict, but I think that was completely unwarranted. I have moved out of apartments lots of times, and was never required to leave the apartment in "move-in condition". It is the landlord's job to have the apartment cleaned between tenants. Other than that, my daughter was very happy with the apartment. It truly met her needs. Her landlady was very flexible, even when she had to be late in paying one month's rent. Sep 08 2010

  • Answer by: Paris Customer Service

    Further to this review, we contacted the owner of this apartment who confirmed that the window does open. Owner feels justified in charging the cleaning fee because the guest did not leave the apartment in broom clean condition as is standard procedure. Sep 22 2010