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FAQs

 
Feels Like Home in Paris Holiday Rentals

 


Are the rental prices all-inclusive?
Your rental fee includes all taxes and fees except the cleaning fee which is collected in cash. The fee is already included in the weekly rates quoted on the site. We also require a pre-authorization from a credit card for the security deposit. Your card is not charged. For longer rentals (exceeding 3 months), other arrangements will be made to cover utility costs.

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How do we reserve an apartment?
In order to block and reserve the dates, you will need to make at least a 50% deposit payment of the rental fee. The remainder will be due 30 days before your arrival. We will provide you with detailed instructions on how to submit the payments to us.

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What are the accepted methods of payment?
We accept various forms of payment including, wire transfers, cash and credit card (to the owners' PayPal accounts). Our preferred and the most secure method of payment is by credit card through PayPal. Payments are made directly to the individual owners.

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What if I don't want to use PayPal?
If you do not wish to use PayPal for your rental fee, you can use one of the other forms of payment.

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When is the balance of my payment due?
The balance of your rental is due 30 days before your arrival. If paying by credit card, please use the PayPal link on the page of the apartment you booked. If you are sending a wire transfer, please ensure that you make the transfer so it arrives 30 days before your arrival in Paris.

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Can I pay the rental in full?
If you wish to pay your rental in full, you may do so.

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How do I know that the rental is as described & as photographed?
99.9% of the photos on the site were taken by us. We have tried to represent the apartment as accurately as possible. Some rooms, like the bathroom in certain apartments have not been photographed do to the angles from which we are limited to taking the photos. So rather than giving you a photo of a sink or of a shower head, we have not included such photos. We regularly renew the photos particularly if we have changed something in the interior of the apartment. Please read our previous guest comments for any of the properties by clicking on the guest comments links on the individual apartments page or visit the Paris travel forums on Tripadvisors, Lonely Planet or the review of Slowtrav where some of our previous guests have shared their experiences with renting through us.

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Are the apartments well maintained?
We regularly inspect the apartments to ensure that they are both attractive and up to standard. We would not rent an apartment that we would not have our own mother stay in. Some repairs require a bit more time than others but we will always let you know if there is a problem ahead of time - assuming that we are aware of the problem prior to your arrival. There will of course be cases when we have missed something. We ask our guests to please let us know as soon as possible should something break or be damaged so that we can take the necessary steps to ensure its repair.

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Why don't you have more apartments available?
We preferred to keep the number of apartments we offer to a minimum so as to ensure that we always have a personal touch. It makes it easier for us to go to each apartment and fix small problems or add new special touches and to also (most of the time), have the person you have been corresponding with be the same person you meet when you arrive. Our intention is not to grow into a large agency with anonymous employees but to maintain a somewhat one-on-one relationship with our guests. We have selected apartments that we ourselves would happily stay in. If the apartment you inquired about is not available we will provide you with a full list of the properties we do have available. The number of apartments we have will always be proportionate to the numbers of staff members at FLHP so it all remains manageable.

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How are the apartments selected?
When potential owners have contacted us, we personally visit each apartment to assess whether or not this property would be suitable for our guests. We have a lot of input into what goes into the apartment. Each owner is provided with a list of standard amenities. The decoration is generally based on the owner's taste - we think this adds to the homey feel of the apartments. From time to time we make additions or changes to the decor to better please the guests. We also restrict the geographic areas in which our apartments are found. This helps us become specialists of the area rather than stretching ourselves so thin by being all over Paris. From time to time we too spend a night in the apartment so that we can view the apartment from the guest's point of view. Your suggestions are always taking into consideration and we welcome guests to leave us their comments in the guest book.

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I like a few apartments. Which one do you recommend?
This is a tough question that we get from time to time. Really the selection of the apartment is a personal thing. Some people are looking for something basic others something a little for glamarous. All our properties are located in great neighborhoods with lots to do and see from local markets and shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance and easy access to public transportation. These are among the many reasons the properties were selected, so in the end it sometimes comes down to price, size and decor. If you are a group of 4 adults we might recommend a 2 bedroom apartment as opposed to one of the smaller one bedrooms for example just to be sure that you will have the most comfortable option but in the end the choice is yours. Keep in mind that most of the properties are within walking distance from one another.

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How do we get the keys?
Assuming your arrival is not too late, you will be met at the apartment and given an orientation to help you feel more at home in the neighborhood and the apartment itself. You will receive the keys at this time. If you are driving other arrangements may be made concerning the keys and check-in. Please ask.

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Why do you need our travel details?
As someone will have to go to the apartment to meet you there, we will need to have full travel details for you. Please be sure to include your flight numbers and the exact arrival time in Paris as well as the airport. This way, we can track the flight and see if you are late. It is still considerate, if late, that you call us to let us know as soon as possible. Since we may have multiply arrivals on any given day providing us with as much information as possible will ensure that you have a pleasant and smooth check-in to the apartment.

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What if I need to check-in after 3 PM?
If your arrival in Paris will be after 6 PM, please bring this to our attention as early as possible as we may need to make other arrangements for the keys or a late check-in (depending on how you are arriving to Paris). We may also propose that you make use of the car service we are working with. A late check-in may be possible for an additional fee (example 25 € for check-in after 9 PM but before 11 PM paid directly to the greeter). Additional fees may also be assessed for arrivals on major holidays (Christmas Day for example).

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I arrived at the apartment and no one was there?
We generally wait for the guests inside the apartment. Please refer to your confirmation sheet to be sure of the check-in time you were given and the instructions you were given with the entrance code etc. If you have gone up to the apartment and there is no answer (or you buzzed the apartment), please call us as we may be running late from a previous check-in. If you have provided us with a mobile phone number, we will be able to let you know that we are running late. If you have arrived before your check-in time, you can either call us to let us know you are already there or wait for us to arrive for the check-in. Please do not leave bags in the building hallways and walk away. We are not responsible for any bags left unattended. If YOU are late, please call us right away for further instructions.

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What is the security deposit for?
The security deposit is a cautionary deposit to cover any damages caused during your stay. The deposit may also cover the cost of replacing any items that might have been accidently removed from the apartment. Your credit card will be required in order for us to process a pre-authorization for the amount of the security deposit. Your card is not immediately debited. A charge would only be assessed should there be damages in the apartment that were caused during your stay. By accepting one of our rentals, the renter agrees that should any damage exceed the amount of the security deposit, they will pay the difference. We will of course provide you with receipts or estimates and let you know as soon as possible of any damage we may have found. We will try our best to ascertain the causes of said damage. Should the apartment require more than the normal amount of cleaning after your stay, we also reserve the right to charge you in order to assist the owner in the additional cost of cleaning.

We would like to keep the amount of this deposit low so we ask all our guests to please respect the apartments as they would want a guest in their home to do and to let us know as soon as possible, about any breakage or damage.

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How and when do we get the security deposit back?
We do not debit you for the damage deposit. Since we are requestiong an authorization from your bank, it is your bank that will release the funds if they in fact put any hold on your available balance. Check with your bank for individual policies.

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How far in advance can we reserve?
You can reserve the apartments up to a year in advance. Well there really isn't a restriction or a hard and fast rule so you can always ask. A few of our apartments we would not be able to rent out more than a few months ahead of time in the current year. But the majority have their calendars for the year to come as well. Certain seasons book up fast so planning ahead is helpful. It is also good to remain aware of major international events, festivals or ceremonies that might affect availability in Paris. Just let us know what dates you are interested in and we'll see what we can do. As they say the early bird catches the worm.

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What is the minimum length of stay?
Most of our apartments have a minimum of 3 nights but some may require a minimum stay of a week (6 or 7 nights). Please refer to the apartment page to be sure. We can not take bookings less than 3 nights. If you inquire for dates less than 3 nights, you will be assessed the 3-night rate. During the holiday season, the minimum stay for all apartments is 6 nights.

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Are the rentals Saturday to Saturday only?
Arrival can be any day of the week.

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How do we get to the apartment from the airport?
After a long flight and suitcase in tow, many people still like to deal with the long halls and flights of stairs of the metro stations when in fact taking either a taxi or using a car service will save you a great deal of hassle. Last I checked the machines for tickets for the RER from airports only take coins and French credit cards so you will have to queue at the "guichet" (check-out counter) for a ticket. Don't by a ticket from a random person standing around. We recommend using one of the car services or a taxi for your airport to apartment transfer. We have negotiated a rate with them especially for our guests. The information for booking with them is on our confirmation document.

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What are your cancellation terms?
We hope that you don't cancel, but if you do, our policy is as follows:
- 60 days or more prior to arrival: 50% of the initial payment will be refunded, as these dates have been blocked and we have most likely had to turn away other potential guests. If we can successfully re-book your canceled dates, we will refund this amount to you less the €50 fee.
If you give less than 60 days notice a refund is not possible, we will try to rent the dates we blocked for you. If we are successful, we will send you a 100% refund, less €50 fee.

If you wish to POSTPONE your booking, please note that you will need to give us 60 days notice to be able to do so without penalty. Your new booking will be subject to availability and current rates for that period. Should your new dates not be available we will propose an alternative. Should you not accept this alternative, and prefer to cancel the cancelation policy would apply.

We recommend that everyone take travel insurance as anything can happen prior or during your stay. See below for sites you can try or ask your insurance provider.

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Is the neighborhood safe?
YES! We have selected apartments in locations in Paris that we know and love. These are areas where local families live and we would have no problem whatsoever walking around at night. The last thing we want is for you to feel insecure about your surroundings. That said, this is a city and bad things happen in the best of places. It is better to always use caution and common sense when traveling around and major city.

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Is the building quiet?
We certainly like to think so. All our street facing apartments have double glazed windows to eliminate most street noise. These are however apartment buildings so as much as we wish we could control our neighbors, we can not. For the most part the neighbors are generally nice enough to put up a little note letting the other tenants know if they are going to be doing construction in their apartments or having a party. This takes the edge off a bit. Sadly not everybody is that considerate but usually a knock on the door usually suffices to have them turn down the music if it were to come to that. Most of our guests have remarked about just how quiet the apartments are. There have of course been some exceptional occasions but we do not get many complaints about noise from our guests. Equally we expect our guests to be respectful of our neighbors.

Remember also that many of the properties are in buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th century so they may not have as much soundproofing as a modern building would.

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Do you have air conditioning in all the apartments?
This is a question that I get often after the heat wave that hit Paris a few years ago. Most of our apartments do not in fact have A/Cs simply because they are unnecessary. On the whole, French buildings tend to remain cooler relative to the outside temperature. Many have windows on both sides of the apartment to allow for a nice cross-breeze and frankly the 5 days in the Summer that it is hot enough where someone might want an A/C don't make it worthwhile to have one. We do however provide fans if they are necessary. If you were to take the Summer of 2007 as another example, I don't even think I ever turned on my fan - the weather was just that unpredictably off-season. The apartments with A/Cs on our site, are those that get a lot of direct sunlight during the peak part of the day and it is listed in the amenities.

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How close are the apartments to the tourist sights?
Depending on which sights you wish to visit, you are within walking distance (from 20-30 minutes), from the apartments. Most of our properties are in or close to Montmartre so visiting Sacre Coeur or Place du Tertre is easy. The Grande Dame apartment is located 4 minutes from Notre Dame and is very central. Paris also has an amazingly easy public transportation system. From many of the properties you are just one metro ride or bus ride from the sights. For example the 95 bus from Place Jacques Froment will get you in front of the Louvre is about 20 minutes or so. You can walk to Opera and the Gallery Lafayette from Montmartre. Take line 13 straight to the Champs Elysee or to the Musee d'Orsay. So you are never very far at all. If, however, you are really looking for a place where you can walk to Notre Dame in less than 10 minutes, then this is not the area for you, but I do hope you will reconsider as I do not think you will be disappointed.

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What happens if something breaks in the apartment or stops working?
We have left in the apartment a welcome book that can be a useful resource when trying to figure out why the washer is not washing or the TV won't turn on. However, if after looking through the book you do not find a solution, please CALL US! We are never too far away and we of course want to know. Sometimes these are things that we can rectify quickly. We are in Paris if there is ever a problem we are here to resolve it. There are certain days of the week where getting someone to handle a repair is a little more difficult but you should still give us a call. Normal working hours are between 9:30 am and 6:30 PM. Between the hours of 10 pm and 9 am- please call ONLY if it an emergency.

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Can we call you with questions during our stay?
Yes, please do. We may not always be able to get to your request immediately, but we will do our utmost to ensure that you receive a response quickly. Normal working hours are between 9:30 am and 6:30 PM. Please note however that between the hours of 10pm and 9 am we will only take emergency calls.

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Are there cleaning supplies and other household products in the apartments?
A few basic starter supplies are provided in the apartment for guest use, Toilet paper, paper towel, tea, coffee, soap etc. As all our apartments are close to grocery stores (listed in the welcome book), if you should need any additional supplies.

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Are linens and towels provided?
Yes, all linen and towels that you will need for your stay, for the number of people you have reserved the apartment for, are provided. Should you need additional supplies, please let us know.

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Do you allow smoking?
No. Our apartments are strictly non-smoking.

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Are pets allowed?
Though we too are pet lovers, sadly we can not allow pets in the apartments.

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What happens if we have a very early or very late arrival or departure?
Normal check-in is 3 PM though we try our best to accommodate our guests with different arrival times, and normal check-out is 10 am. If you are arriving on a very early flight, the only way you can ensure the apartment is ready for you before 3 PM is to reserve the night before. Likewise, if you wish to have a late departure, you would need to reserve the extra night as well.

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Is there an elevator?
The majority of our apartments are no more than 3 flights up and many are on the 1st or 2nd floor (2nd or 3rd to North Americans). Not all the buildings have elevators so if you require an elevator let us know.

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Do you have comments from previous guests that we can read?
Yes. In every apartment we leave a guest book that our guests are free to leave any of their comments and suggestions in. We put these comments online and you can access them from each of the apartments' page on our site. We also have had guests write reviews in Tripadvisor, Lonely Planet and on Slowtrav that you can also read.

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Do you know any good restaurants in the area?
In all of our apartments, we have 1 -3 pages of some of our favorite restaurants in our welcome book. You can also visit chef Eric's site www.cooknwithclass.com where he makes some good suggestions as well, restaurant suggestion.

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We are driving, how do we get to the apartment?
We recommend planning your route using Michelin or Mappy

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How does getting the keys work if we are driving?
Driving to Paris can be quite unpredictable. You could have been making such good time along your whole route till suddenly you hit the peripherique of Paris (the outer ring), or you decide to cross all of Paris to get to the apartment. For this reason, we may not be able assure you a regular check-in. We ask that you give us your estimated time of arrival and you plan on calling us once you are one hour from Paris and once again when you have actually hit the peripherique so that we can make arrangements either to then go to the apartment to meet you or to have you pick up keys if we can not check you in. If you find along the route that you are running late, please call us and let us know.

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Is there parking nearby?
We do not have parking directly associated with the apartments, however you can visit the following sites for information about various parking garages: Parking des Paris or Vinci Parking

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Are small children allowed?
Yes, children are welcome. In some of our apartments however, the owner has decided on an age limit for the children who will stay there. Please refer to the apartment page for such details.

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Do you provide baby beds?
It is possible to rent a baby bed from us for 30 euros. Please let us know in advance so that we can have it for you in the apartment. We would ask you to provide your own baby bed sheets.

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I would like to have a special gift for someone. Can you make any suggestions?
If you wish, we can put together a special gift basket of local and regional goodies for your loved ones. We can also provide gift certificates for massage or cooking lessons from www.cooknwithclass.com. If you are looking for something else, please let us know and we will try to direct you as best as we can.

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We are interested in buying an apartment in Paris, can you help?
If you visit our links page you will find information for Paris Real Estate agencies who would be happy to direct you on your search for a home in Paris.

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Haven't answered your question?
We hope we have covered most of the questions but if your questions have still not been answered, please feel free to send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

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