FAQ
Online or Viewing, Pictures vs reality
Over time we have specialised and now we most accommodate only students and offer rooms in flat shares to students who are here in Paris for their year abroad or are in universities in France who have an exchange programme.
Most of our bookings are done in advance and without any apartment viewing or visits as most of the students live and come from abroad. We were very happy to accommodate students from almost all the British university who send their students to France on their year abroad. Last year we had students from Bath Uni, Oxford, Warwick, Exeter, Nottingham, Cambridge...If you would like me to mention your university please send me an email. We also give special priority to any students who are from ULIP or on the British Council, sciences etc programmes (given as example but cannot mention every university who have mentioned us). Any school accommodation service of any school that mentions us favourably on their website. If your school or university or language department has mentioned us If that is the case please always mention your university when you email or send me also a cut and paste link where your university has recommended us in which case I will favour you in terms of dates and availabilities and give your preference over allocation of rooms and apartments. Apart from a few studios the bulk of our apartments are offered as flat shares; If you have NEVER lived in a student flat share you might find this cautionary note useful. Kindly note the pictures on the website are taken when the apartment has NO TENANTS living in there. However if you move in with other flatmates you have to imagine what it will look like once the lived-in factor comes in; how neat or clean the apartment is or how cluttered or not depends on the current set in place. If you suffer from any phobias or have manic cleanliness requirements perhaps you should reconsider being in a flat share with students.
The students organise the cleaning amongst themselves and in general we do not interfere. The pictures are put in good faith and are definitely REAL. Viewing of rooms or apartments when necessary is organized by putting you in touch with the current tenant; WE have NO EMPLOYEES - We are the direct owners and do not have any agency . We accommodate 300 students per year and have been renting for the past 15 years; the website www.centralparisrentals.com is over SEVENTEEN years ago. We do not spend on marketing our apartments - we are recommended by our current tenants, several schools and generally have a lot of ear-to mouth repeat business. We personally meet all our tenants and all our tenants come to our
home when they need signatures; attestations etc; we are a husband and wife team and basically a small family business we started from scratch 15 years ago.
BOOKING PROCEDURE
There is a one-off booking charge of 50 euros to process any contract, this covers the arrival costs and setting up of the contract and billing and accounting. One third of the monthly rent is required to be wired to our account in France in order to seal the booking from both sides. If the arrival is during the summer or within 2 weeks the full deposit and rent will also be required. Deposit is maximum one month We will send the bank coordinates and information to you by email. The bank-to-bank transfer is the safest method of transfer as your banker can check the credentials of the account you are wiring to. This is an advance on rent - it is not lost nor is it a booking fee - it is credited to you as deposit received
for the first month. The rest of the deposit and rent is expected on the first day or your arrival at the apartment.
In case you want to book an apartment or room, please send the following information as a first step: name, address your phone number, your parents phone number, your date of birth, nationality, email, name of institution and address of where you will be studying or working There is a surcharge of 50 euros if there is any departure or arrival on a Sunday or a public holiday (ex: May 31st, Jan 1st). If there is any change of room, even within the flat or within the building, there will be a charge of 30 euros.
French/English model of contract. There will be a one off charge of 30 euros for every new contract, including contracts where tenants change rooms in the same flat; these fees cover contract, provision of documents to open a bank account or other purposes, administrative costs, billing and arrival procedure. Due to recent changes in legislation the contract I will offer is a standard student contract of 9 months. If you wish to leave earlier you may inform me of
that date and I will acknowledge the departure date and notice received. There are two kinds of contracts if you choose to be in a shared apartment. Either a joint contract with other flatmates where each of you have a room and you have the same departure date and arrival date - Any departure notice given by one student applies to every occupant and the contract becomes nul and void; Any member of your group leaving means you are responsible to find the replacement; All members are responsible for each other's rent ie in case one person does not pay the others have to pool in. In this set up I have to give you notice before entering your apartment and we generally do unless there is a repair required or some plumbing or crucial electricity or emergency in which case where possible an email will be sent as soon as we
know. The other kind is an individual contract where there is only ONE name on the contract. In this set up you will be sharing the kitchen or bathroom with another person or persons depending on how big the apartment is and you may give individual notice and are only responsible for your rent. If the other room becomes vacant you need not bother finding a replacement; On the other hand you have no say in who the other occupant will be. There is no guarantee that it will be a male or female or what nationality. However 90% of our tenants tend to be British students aged between 18 to 24 years from British and Irish Unis or students on their year abroad. In this set up if and when a room is empty we may conduct visits and put anyone without informing you. In general once the contract is signed with the new person and sometimes even prior I inform you; Where possible and in case of rare viewings I ask you for feedback on the new comer.
In both cases CAF or APL is accepted is not impacted in any way. The Caisse des allocations accepts both contracts. Each and every room and apartment is eligible for CAF. Then it is upto your own earnings and individual case. On average students get 120 euros per month but we have known cases where they have obtained 80 or 240. You should however be able to finance your rent without relying on CAF. We prefer CAF to go to your account rather than ours.
Over and above what is mentioned in the contract please note that we provide COMPLEMENTARY use of internet - cable TV - electrical - appliances - telephone subscriptions in GOOD FAITH. There will be no refund if your internet does not work. There is no reason why it should not work in general and most of our internet is fibre enabled and definitely all of it the best available broadband offers on the market. We provide a valid subscription and connection for internet - cable tv and Phone - this is provided in good faith and is complementary. But that is all that we can offer you. We can give you some tips in English and provide some help over the phone but that is all. We do not however guarantee anything in terms of internet - cable tv and phone services - except a valid subscription to France telecom/Orange or Darty or Free who are our service providers. We think they are the best on the market and have chosen them.
However ANY malfunctioning Internet, cable TV or Phone will not result in any decrease in rent nor refund nor any impact on rent. Also note that we do not provide any technical assistance and are not qualified specialists. Our operators have a paid service that you can call on for help.
see Internet help below.
PAYMENTS and deposits
When is Rent Due - On the 1st of every month - You must be willing to pay by BANK TRANSFER - You have to bring a cheque to our residence or do a bank transfer. Under exceptional circumstances and only if we judge that there is no other way we may accept cash. There will be a surcharge of 50 euros for every payment of cash; You get it we don't like or want cash. Note that in Paris there are often thefts in metros and in your interest we would advise you to not move around with cash in your pocket. When is Deposit Returned - upon departure - in general a few days after your departure by bank transfer, but it can take up to 2 weeks, especially in summer or during Christmas holidays. In France the landlord may take upto one month. THE DEPOSIT CAN NOT BE USED TO PAY THE LAST MONTH'S RENT It will only be returned once you have vacated the apartment, returned it in a reasonable state (see sections on cleaning and bulbs below) as well as your keyset
Tenant INSURANCE
It is a legal obligation in France for every tenant to get housing insurance: assurance habitation which will insure their personal belongings as well as the apartment itself. You can purchase it at any insurance company or bank and maybe through your university if you are a student. These packages are quite cheap for students under 25 euros. Please be aware that the assurance habitation must be obtained from a company based in France, and that UK student insurance only cover your belongings but not the apartment and are therefore not considered as a valid 'assurance habitation'. Our accountant will ask you to send him the proof of your insurance. If you are not ensured, you will be held liable for all damages caused in your apartment (for example replacing the apartment door and lock if it has been broken, or redoing the painting or floor if there has been a leak) or in your neighbours' apartment (if the cause of the damages lies in your apartment). PLEASE TAKE THIS MATTER VERY SERIOUSLY. Ideally you should have it on the day you move in, in the worse case you should have it one or two weeks at the latest after moving in and send the proof to our accountant
OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS
Internet + TV + phone :
- we guarantee that there is a subscription for Internet connection, telephone, TV for the apartment, with a well known operator (with a hot line), and that we pay for the subscription
- we are not responsible for disruption of service for whatever reason, and we do not guarantee the tenant against it
- in case of disruption of service, the tenant should call the hotline (with the information on contract that are provided by us)
- in case the hotline is only in French and the tenant does not speak French we can assist them
Washing machine and other appliances : We put new machines in the apartment with a 5 year warranty; in case of a problem the tenant must call the technician and organize an appointment (usually between Monday and Saturday, on a morning slot : 8 am to 1 pm or afternoon slot : noon to 7 pm); if you do not speak French well enough to make such a call in French, we can make it for you, but in order to do so we need time slots from you for the next 2 weeks before we can make a call and set up an appointment with a technician. In no way can we be held responsible for the problems encountered or the time wasted.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT PROVIDE SERVICED APARTMENTS OR HOTEL TYPE SERVICES. TENANTS RENTING OUR APPTS SHOULD
BE CAPABLE OF MAKING CALLS TO DARTY ETC IN CASE OF REPAIR REQUIRED FOR ANY APPLIANCE UNDER GUARANTEE, CHANGE
BULBS, LOOK UP INSTRUCTION MANUALS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ON HOW TO USE THE WASHING MACHINE ETC, CLEAN THE APARTMENT
REGULARLY AND GENERALLY BE DEBROUILLARDE ie BE RESOURCEFUL AND MATURE.
Bulbs : Tenants should change bulbs in the apartment themselves - Tenants have to pay for these.
Other problems (electricity, plumbing) : we guarantee to quickly react to problems mentioned by tenants, with the help of our electricians / plumbers / other specialists; the tenant will let these specialists come to their apartment; we do have a spare key of the apartment in order to be able to let specialists go in and fix problems in case of emergency
Insects including bedbugs / mice / other animals : we guarantee that we subscribe to contracts with pest control companies against mice ..., but are not responsible in case some of these animals are found in the apartments. We will react to problems by providing products to keep them away or to catch them and by asking our contractors to come again to the building. In Paris it is possible that there are mosquitoes, mice (in basically all old builds), fireflies... In particular, there are apparently more bedbugs in Paris now, they can hide in your pocket or on your collar when you are at a movie theatre, and then when you are back in your room, and they will infest your mattress and bite you at night, and infest the whole apartment and your roommates' bedrooms as well; it is important to quickly react, we can help you get the right products, but it must be clear it will be your responsibility to get rid of them, and this implies a thorough process of spraying and fumigating the whole apartment; the mattresses will not have to be changed, but thoroughly sprayed CLEANING in flat shares with no joint contract: we aim at ensuring the apartment will be clean when you arrive, that is why there is an initial cleaning charge which will allow to clean up your bedroom as well as all the common areas in the apartment (kitchen, living room, bathrooms), based on the assumption the bedroom and the common areas are in a reasonable state; if the common areas are in a very dirty state before a tenant arrives, the extra cleaning cost (as an addition to the standard cost corresponding to the initial cleaning charge) will be split between the tenant who just left and the tenants staying in the other bedrooms; if the bedroom is left in a very dirty state, the tenant who has left will be charged with the extra cost; when performing the cleaning, our team will also replace all faulty bulbs, the cost of which will be charged to the tenant who just left and the tenants staying in the other bedrooms, see below the BULBS section CLEANING in flats with a joint contract: the same principles as above apply, except the initial cleaning charge will be applied to the joint contract and its amount will therefore be different; in the exceptional case where there is an individual change during the contract, then an individual cleaning charge will be applied to the new tenant in order to ensure the return of the deposit of the departing tenant BULBS: it is our tenants' responsibility to change the bulbs (this is also an incentive not to leave the lights on all day long), in case they can not do it they can ask us by email, we'll send someone and will charge our tenant at cost; when a tenant leaves an apartment, he must make sure all the bulbs
are working (and share the cost with his/her flatmates for the lights in the common areas in a flat share), otherwise the cost will be charged to him (for the lights in his/her bedroom) or to all flatmates for lights in common areas
duration
as per the contract
Other Questions
Visas - we cannot help with that sorry
Pets - Sorry no pets
Can I prolong my stay - If i do not have a booking already - then yes -prorata rent
Can I shorten my stay once booked - No - as a rule No but depends on the circumstances. If your contract's duration is 4 months or more, one month's notice is required. If your contract's duration is less than 4 months, we can not shorten the duration of the contract, and you must pay the rent till the end of the original contract, unless you or we find a replacement till the end of your original contract.
We provide home washed ikea linen (every apartment has linen and a washing machine home washed Ikea linen and some
towels), as well as cutlery, pots and pans
- Do I have to bring along my own computer? yes, we do not provide computers
- What do I need to connect to the Internet? use the connection name and code displayed on the internet box
- Usage instructions Mostly combination machines hence NOT professional dryers; in case of problem we'll help you arrange a visit by a technician:
TELEPHONE & ANSWERING MACHINE
- Calls to landlines in many countries (Western Europe, Northern America, ...) are included in the subscription - Any special
commercial number is chargeable.
- Calls to some mobiles (USA, Canada only) are also included
- Depending on the operator, a specific number will allow you to access to the apartment landline's voicemail
- Receiving calls from anywhere in this world is free CABLE TV/TELEVISION Basic channels are available; as a general rule, we only provide a TV in the living room, not in individual bedrooms
GARBAGE & RECYCLING
Where it is deposited : in the hallway of your building, on the ground floor, there is/are a/some bin(s), at least one for general waste, depending on the building, maybe other bins for recycling as well.
CLEANING & MAID SERVICES
- Not available
- we can suggest cleaning companies if you want them to regularly clean up your apartment at your cost
TOILETRIES
Sorry - No toiletries are available - Please bring along toothpaste/shampoo/toilet paper etc - Towels are no longer provided because they come back damaged with hair colour and nail varnish and we need to throw them out. we do not provide hairdryers either
DEPARTURE
Return of the Deposit
The deposit is wired to you usually 2 weeks later (give us slightly more days if it is at Christmas time or New Year's Eve please or over summer holidays, when it can take up to 2 weeks). Please ensure we have complete banking coordinates (and send us an email with your name followed by banking details" in the subject line, so it is easy to trace) : bank account holder's name, IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and BIC (also known as your bank's SWIFT code); if acct in France, a full RIB will do Please understand it is not easy for us to give your deposit back to you in cash at the time of your departure, so we almost never do it
Handing over the Key
All the keys have to be handed over - If any key is missing, we will have to change the lock and withhold your deposit. I
Time of Departure You have to leave by 11am latest unless prior permission has been obtained - please inform us way in advance (like one week, so we can plan it) of the exact time when you will be ready to leave and hand over the keys...bags packed and out of the apartment If you are planning to leave before 7.30 am please arrange to have keys dropped. We can only send someone from 7.30 am to 7:30 pm; for any odd hours If you want someone to come by, it will have to be organized and you may have to pay for it if it can not be organized without the intervention of someone at odd hours
You have to leave the apartment clean. In particular all your personal belongings, food and garbage must be out of the flat. All the remote controls must be next to the devices. The Internet box, phone, TV and TV decoders must be in place, plugged and working. The lights must also be working. The mailbox keys must be handed over with all your key sets.
Please understand that if it takes a lot of time to put the apartment back to normal after your departure, you will be charged for that. Please read the cleaning section in the OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS chapter above
useful contacts
Shoot an email please TO centralparisrentals@yahoo.com
Even if you feel you need to call please also send an email because we are organised via the email to provide services and someone will always access your emails.
If you have some sort of EMERGENCY ...like you are locked out, plumbing problem or electricity problem, Please send us an email and please call on and/or 0662490904 and leave a message If you can not reach us, call 0646008018 Hicham speaks French otherwise 0617375016 SEBASTIEN general assistance speaks French and English UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES call any one else. Please always leave some indication of your unit name or address or name. Do not just say I am your tenant because I have several and this will not help. Also state the problem (do not just say it is urgent), state your urgency. In particular if there is water leaking, evaluate if it is a really serious problem that must be solved immediately or if it can wait till the following morning (in case you can put something for example to collect the water and preventing real damages). IF IT CAN WAIT TILL THE FOLLOWING MORNING PLEASE DO NOT CALL US BETWEEN 9 PM AND 9 AM.