Tag: Paris

When he accepted an offer to attend a graduate program in Sciences Po Paris, Nikos Biggs-Chiropolos, an American student, expected the apartment hunt to be easy. Two months and over 500 emails later, he is still virtually homeless, couch-surfing from friend to friend.

Biggs-Chiropolos is not alone. International students living in Paris encounter formidable challenges in their quest to find decent housing, often resorting to shady rent agreements, subjected to scams, and mistreated by landlords. Though most ultimately find a place to live, their journeys are perilous, costly, and time-consuming.

In 2016, France attracted about 325,000 foreign students, ranking fourth among host countries for international students, according to Campus France. Many of these students flock to Paris, whose cost of living ranks higher than that of London, Amsterdam, and Toronto. Numbeo reports that the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center is €1,194, while a one-bedroom on the outskirts of Paris averages €846 per month. Finding suitable accommodations is the first challenge international students encounter, and the hefty price tag often pales in comparison with endless paperwork.

Continue reading “Housing Horror Stories: International Students and the Catch-22 of French Apartment Hunting”