850E for 18m² in the 9th arrond.

This Saturday, there will be another demonstration by young people (Jeudi Noir) who can't find proper accomodation in Paris. They are protesting on the humiliating process of trying to find an apartment to rent in Paris, particularly through the Particulier Particulier (PAP), a property magazine carrying listings for apartments for rent and for sale direct with the owner.

Because of protective tenant laws there is a shortage of housing in Paris; owners are simply scared to rent their apartments (even though we have a tax on un-rented empty property here) because of horror stories of sitting tenants. It is true that the general consensus is that if the owner slips up in any way the tenant can score a free apartment for a year, or a lot longer (if you stop paying rent in October, don't worry, you can't be thrown on the street until the Spring, it's illegal). It can take a year just to have a legal process started to eject a tenant and by that time, you're due a year's rent with no end in sight.

I know lawyers are often regarded with suspicion as tenants as they have been known to comb their contracts for loopholes and it surprised me that it's often bourgeois couples and even diplomats (they have that immunity gig dontcha know) that try and exploit the law. Having tried to rent an apartment myself through PAP, I had little or no chance as my because my job is in immobilier the owners thought I'd know the law better than them (true) and that I was out to screw them (false). Remember, here in Paris, you are often considered guilty before being proven innocent. I have a theory that this breeds dishonesty but that's a story for another day..........

This so-called protection has effectively back-fired on the tenants it's supposed to protect and made the rental process overly rigourous and extremely stressful, one could even say shamefully discriminatory. Young Parisians have to provide an immense dossier and prove they earn three times more than the monthly rent to even get a look in. Sometimes those with even decent jobs would be sniffed at by the snotty Agence Immobilier and therefore they have no choice except to try their luck with the PAP. The agency won't even propose them as tenants to their owners so the alternative is, start the calls at 7am on Thursday morning (the day the paper comes out), prepare an immense dossier and try to set up as many appointments as possible.

The dossier will contain the following documents (originals + copies):

- Passport and a french residents card
- Student card or proof of registration
- Income
3 previous wage slips
Pension
and/or other income
- Latest tax receipt (2 previous if no regular wage)
- French bank statement
and a letter of good banking conduct from same bank

Next step will be to provide the same information from your caution solidaire - this is somone who signs an "Acte de caution" alongside your documents to promise to be liable to pay your rent if you decide to stop. This could be your parents or a friend but it's kind of a big ask! If your parents don't have the means or live outside France, forget it, you are more than likely to be passed over.

So get ready for queuing in the street as the owner does open house. And make no mistake they will not try to hide their disdain if you have a somewhat shaky paperwork, are self-employed, non-French or of an ethnic minority. All these things will count against you. A vaguely arabic sounding name can often result in a curt "C'est DEJA loué" as the phone slams down.

And guess what, not only that but rents have gone up 120% in Paris since 1998!

More to come on this subject and hopefully a report from the manif, if they don't lynch me for aiding and abetting wealthy foreigners to invade their city and force real live Parisians out into the suburbs. Gulp.

I this post from a comment on the site where jeudi noir's video is posted; I couldn't resist the gallows humour. "Jeune maghrébin noir, unijambiste et homosexuel recherche chambre de bonne 6e étage sans ascenseur."