Well that’s depressing. All those empty apartments are a crime. That’s why so many cities are banning Airbnb. It’s completely upsetting the housing market so locals can’t find places to live.
Agree. I was thinking about buying a property to rent in Ibiza but it turns out AirBnB licenses are not distributed there anymore. And it makes sense! What about people who live and work there? It made me reflect a lot on the situation.
@missmayflower. In France Airbnb are a recent phenomen in France. In the center of Paris there always been several empty building as most of them are the roperty of banks, business, billionaire and even government and an empty property doesn't financialy affected them. Some arrondissement like the 8eme are well known for that since ages!
The fact that an apartment is rented on AirBnb differs from being empty. On the opposite, it's definitely consistently occupied. Otherwise, the owners would have rented it by now. I'm always surprised how privileged people care only about themselves. They can't understand that some people come to their city to study or work and need to live somewhere in the first months while looking for a long-term place. Without AirBnb, they would be left on the street. And don't start with hotels as an alternative - the prices in Paris are not affordable for everyone to pay a few months of a hotel stay. Not everyone is rich. So even such a tiny apartment of 5 sq.m. is a lifesaver for so many people, as well as apartments on AirBnb that you can rent without having a job in Paris and going through all those quests. You simply book it and have a roof over your head.
Indeed! I've been struggling with the upkeep of my 1920s bungalow for the past several years, especially when dealing with ME/cfs and unemployment. An elderly friend plans to move in with me and make my garage his tiny home, since apartments are out of his price range. I'm very grateful to have the space, even with the leaky roof, un renovated kitchen (from the 1930s! The cabinet barely function) and termite battles. Single family homes should NEVER be sold to investors, imo.
I lived two years in Paris, in 9 m2, but my window showed me the roofs, Notre Dame and so on. I had a shower and warm water. I went to work on feet, crossing the Seine and walking on the parvis from Notre Dame. A good time.....
9 is not too bad. many people even live inside vans. i got a 66 m2 apartment outside stockholm and i use like 20% of it lol (but it's filled with stuff)
If you choose to live In a world city that is what you get. Travel between 30 and 50 kilometers and you will fight much cheaper places for more square meters. I live 45 kilometers from Amsterdam and my rent is one third from what I would pay in Amsterdam. House prices are about 100.000 euro cheaper for the same square meters than in Amsterdam Nobody forces you you to live in a world city it is a choice. All countries in the EU have an excellent transportation system. The train brings me in Amsterdam u der 40 minutes.
@@Bruintjebeer6 Unless you need to work in the city & can't get work elsewhere & can't do such a commute if you're a shift worker with start times really, really early or late. Or for students. It's not always that easy.
@@florencepierce1864 for years a went on a bike or my moped to work 25 kilometer one way Only when the weather was real bed or I had to work until the middle of the night because the project needed to finish, a co worker or my boss would give me a ride. For every problem there is a solution I even went on my bike to my parents, 45 kilometers one way, because I could not afford the train and bus.
When I was a student in Paris, I was living in a ‘nun’s room’. I was paying for the room by giving tuition to the owner’s children. I didn’t care one bit about the small space, I was a student. I could access the owner’s washing machine to clean my clothes. Best ever option for a student.
I rented a 6m2 chambre de bonne for 350 euros from a noblewoman who owned the top floor apartment and the attic floor above in the early 2000s as a student in Paris. It had a bed, a wardrobe, a cold water sink and a hot plate. I shared a toilet down the hall, and next to it outside of my apartment was my private shower room, which was unusual. I knew another student sharing a whole floor of maids' rooms with about 15 people (a mix of immigrants and students) sharing one shower and one toilet, which was rough. The owner of my apartment only rented to international students and was really taking advantage, I think, as she refused to return my 1-month deposit when I moved out despite leaving the place pristine and providing proper notice. It was terrible because it was a lot of money for me, but a drop in the bucket for her.
It is horrible to not just see people are forced to live like this, but also that sentient chickens are treated so violently! This is the dark side of humanity....
Narcissistic entitlement Sociopathic entitlement Psychopathic greed that is entirely ruthless and without conscience. This can be found all over the world, which is...sadly...why we see so much human suffering, human trafficking, child trafficking, animal abuse, r@pe/torture/serial killing, etc.
Chickens were literally created by humans to be livestock. And they are useful too! Then and now. In the past the feathers were used as stuffing for ticking, fire starter, fertilizer and decoration.All the flesh was used for food, either for humans or livestock. Bone was ground and used as fertilizer. The same happens today, but in an industrial scale. Without chickens the loss of food and industry would cause millions of people to suffer. Meat eaters aren’t “ the worst of humanity”.
@@codename495 there is a huge difference in treating livestock animals with compassion and dignity and allowing them to go outside, have enough room to roam, stretch, run and dig and have access to good fresh water and fresh food or having them shoved into boxes where they cannot even turn around with their head is thrust through bars to eat processed pellets under artificial lighting while their feet get swollen from a lifetime of standing on sharp metal wires. I eat meat but I support local green and eco farmers that raise their birds and other animals with access to outside areas, without growth hormones and who slaughter them as humanely as possible so that the animals have an actual good life before it is killed. I am grateful to the animals and such farmers that I can have meat like that on my table. To defend what was seen in the video is exactly what is wrong with people these days.
@@codename495 Oh yeah so if you "created" something that lives and feels you can keep it caged and kill it as soon as it stops being "useful" to you. Weird you don't have the same approach to children - people also "create" them lol... Dogs as well?
In Denmark you can't rent out rooms that doesn't have around the clock access to, hot and cold running water, heat, toilet, bath and kitchen (kitchen have to contain a stove, oven and sink with running water, there have to be room for a fridge too. Before there were residency requirement inside the city limit, except hotels and the like. It should had continued with that. Now a normal house cost a fortune because companies are buying houses just to rent out as vacation/airb&b houses.
It is a world wide problem, particularly in major tourist cities. Air b&b should be banned, regulated/licensed or limited. It is out of hand. No housing for citizens. There is a lot of push back now. Condo buildings don't allow air B&B. Nor apts. ...
I was hoping to retire to Paris, I'm on a budget but in London I was lucky and a few years ago I was able to buy a modest house with a big garden in a great up-and-coming area. I couldn't even live in a flat (apartment), let alone a small one, I would feel in a cage without my own garden. Sadly the more I research the Paris housing market the more hopeless my dream retirement looks, I think I'll have to stay where I and be grateful, and just travel to Paris and France for holidays
Try one of the other big cities - Bordeaux for example is as beautiful as Paris… or settle in a town 100km or so from Paris. Don’t give up on your dream - just adjust it! I too wish to retire to France but I want a house in the countryside with a bit of land so I can have animals. Un petit bled me suffit! 😊
I was lucky when I was a student. My home was tiny, though certainly not 5m², but using second-hand furniture, my dad created lots of built-in cupboards and drawers. I had a huge amount of storage for very little cost. People say that you need to live minimalistically to cope in small spaces, but the secret is to have plenty of storage and furniture that does double duty. After college, I upgraded to 20m² and followed the same plan. I lived there for 35 years until I inherited a two bedroomed house. Sometimes, I would like to downsize, but I enjoy having a garden and a large bathroom.
So they can stop paying rent. The landlord won’t find them a new place (that seems a bit much anyway) so the landlord loses the right to rent the apartment. But what happens to the tenant? Do they have to leave and the apartment is vacant? Where do the tenants go?
Why do people choose to live in 5 sqm rather than move farther away? It’s probably because it’s inhumane to live so far away from where you want to live.
Wait... there's no shared bathroom down the hall? Here in NYC we have some cheap apartments in boarding houses that are just a single small room, but they have a shared toilet and shower on every floor, people aren't bathing with bottled water next to the bed. That's really insane. I'm pretty sure even those coffin apartment in Hong Kong have a shared bathroom.
@@krisstopher8259 Which is what they are counting on!!! the "charm and privilege" of living in Paris, I absolutely would not live there even if they paid ME money to do it if it meant no water/electricty/sewage etc....think about how charming Paris is as you pour bottled water over your head to bathe.....
I ‘m French and I have a friend who lived in a « chambre de bonne » ( maid bedroom) with the toilets on the hall for all the residents at the floor, when she was at uni. It’s quite « normal » for students. But in fact it’s not normal. Nobody should have to live like that. Everybody deserve to live in a decent home.
Thank's for sharing! Some of my friends experienced that as well. For my part as a student I had a 42 m2 in a suburb and had 1 hour + by RER to get the Uni (don't know which is worse though, mon coeur balance😅)
In college, my dorm room was no bigger than these. I had a roommate, there were two twin beds and a closet. The whole sixth floor shared a big bathroom with showers, a kitchen and a t.v. room. I went to China in 1988 and visited a university where the dorm rooms were the same size but FOUR girls lived in each room. If I was a student fortunate enough to attend university in Paris, one of those rooms by myself would be fantastic but as an adult working a full time job, it would be AWFUL.
What you are describing is a the normal thing at college in the US. they are dormitories, and the room houses two students and there is a bathroom and shower that are shared by the floor. It is normal, no torture.
@@lee3171 In the US, dorms also have heat and air conditioning, places to park, and access to cafeterias or communal cooking areas, and maintained toilets and shower areas with hot and cold water and separate sink areas. Most students keep their belongings at home or pay (minimally, compared to places like Paris and the UK)) for additional storage. TOTALLY different. I've experienced both situations; dorms, and even shared housing, is a luxury.
Strongly advise everyone NOT to want to live in any major city, as this is a worldwide problem. When you get yourself stuck in a small job in a big city, and in a small housing space, you are in serious problems- you will never be able to move anywhere else.
I live in Prague (37 m2) and a big advantage of living here is there is no need to own a car, you can use cheap public transport and save thousands on car maintanence, gas etc. Plus I hate driving and dealing with vehicles. I wouldn't want it any other way.
@@89Lautje Because wages, electricity and gas prices, the cost of food have all risen astronomically with 7% -20% inflation since Covid so people in France can barely afford to eat and keep the lights on. What the Baby Boomers have done to the housing market means you need at least $400,000 to buy a house. Short of winning the lottery or marrying someone extremely wealthy, it is impossible to save up the 20% minimum down payment required by French banks. Getting into a house in the US is MUCH EASIER but as you can see from the rental regulations, the French are extremely risk-averse. It can take up to 3 years to evict a nonpaying tenant in France. In the US, 30 days, so they're much more willing to rent to you.
The 5sqm with no kitchen is actually illegal but the man still rented it because he couldn't afford better and greedy landlords don't care as long as they don't get caught, but sadly a "chambre de bonne" with the kitchenette and shower next to each other and toilets shared in the corridor is legal as long as it's 9sqm. Personally I couldn't share my toilets with strangers, I wouldn't be comfortable pooping at home like that.
My daughter was born in Neuilly France, but raised in the US (Connecticut) and returned to France to work as an "au pair" during a gap year between h.s and college. She lived in a typical maid's room and dined with the family. She appreciated the fact that she didn't have to commute to work.
A lovely friend of mine invited me to stay with her in Paris a few years ago around Christmas, she lived on the Boulevard St. Michel, I thought, what a great location. What she didn't say was that she and her sister lived in one of these chambres de bonne, it was a terrible holiday, no privacy, no washing facilities, low ceiling, communal toilet, it was really awful. I had to wash myself in pieces in the sink also used to prepare food. These places might be OK for a minimalist person who has access to shower facilities elsewhere (my friend had her grandma living a few doors along, I didn't). It ruined my holiday, and it rained every day. It's so hard when you're poor because when I look at the price of hotels or b&b, I simply can't afford them so I have to stay at home and be an armchair traveller. I'm still grateful for those people who film great locations and post them online.
I am 73 and remember when you could save even if you worked in poor a paying job. Every second year you could vacation somewhere different. Now people cannot. Seeing how things have changed over the years I know why in my mind. I was lucky that in my early 20's I met a lady who lived through the depression and war in Europe. She told me to make sure I plan for the worst future. I took her advice. I planned for my retirement, plus I worked all my life even when women stayed home. I took a lovely vacation every second year. What is happening now has not affected me but I do feel sorry for people of today.
I fear that Berlin is moving in this direction. We have no such thing as chambres de bonne, but I have seen ads where you can rent a bunk bed in a room with three other people. Back to the 1920s…
most people don't *have* to live there, they want to. so as long as everyone just plays along, ofc landlords are gonna get more and more greedy and "creative". i recently moved back to the countryside and i feel reborn.
In nearly every apartment in a "Mietskaserne" in Berlin, at least if it's three rooms or larger, there ought to be an additional small room. That's the "chambre de bonne". At least that's how 19th and turn of the century apartments look in Gothenburg, Sweden. 👍
"The maids are all gone". If you work in the service industry or as a house cleaner you are a servant and can probably only afford the tiniest apartment.
Airbnb has truly fucked over European housing markets. Just banning it in big cities would already help things a lot. I really do like the idea of people hosting guests but it should be their primary residence or a dedicated B&B.
I lived in 12 square meter when I was at medical school. It was okay back then, but it was only possible because I could store my belongings at my parents house. It must be depressing when you don’t know if you can ever move to a better place
Very eye opening, especially those stats at the end. I knew a classmate who went to Paris for a month to teach, She described her living quarters as a closet. I guess she was not exaggerating! That was about 15 years ago.
In Ireland had what we called "bedsits" similar to these micro-apartments. Some were tiny and you might even have shared a bathroom and toilet. The government banned them but put nothing in there place. Shared living was touted as a solution for people who could not rent an apartment. This was where you had your own room/living space but shared a kitchen, very like a hostel. These did not really take off. Sharing a house or apartment with strangers is not always a good option. If you are studying you don't need the drama or if you are only staying a short time its not practical to go through all the steps to find a share.
Shared living is done in some places in the US like San Francisco. It’s still expensive but it does allow you to live in the city and work to earn money and save until you can afford an apartment on your own or consider buying a house.
What an eye opener. A French friend of mine who had a pied-à-terre in Paris complained that it was ridiculously tiny, but when I saw it, there was a large bathroom with a tub, a separate toilet, a generous sitting/living area, a kitchenette, a separate bedroom - I think the bedroom was a 9m2 room by itself. He invested in the property to be close to the Sorbonne where he worked. I'd wonder what he'd say about these chicken coops though - these are microscopic and, surely, very stressful trying to lead a normal life. I can also imagine some being without a lift service - I still remember taking the stairs to the fifth floor to visit a friend in Cambronne. It was terrible for me, it was worse for her who had to walk using a walking stick. Even a motorhome has more decent space than these scandalous spaces.
Depends where in Spain, apparently the housing market sucks in Barcelona because of over tourism. And France isn't limited to Paris, small towns and other cities are more accessible.
I agree the big cities in the Netherlands have way too expensive housing and if you have a minimal income your money will not go far. So why not move out of the big city, get more money and more space and maybe even a job if you need one? My province is trying to draw in more people, it has some of the lowest housing prices in the country. Still not that easy to get a house but certainly way easier than in a big city.
@@skepticalmaiden Usually the big cities have a ton of unemployed, and even if you are employed the thought of getting a new house you can have kids in plus jobs is attractive. Personally I don't see if the job is decent they can't use our own unemployed insteda of looking for foreign labour. I mean my cousin works in greenhouses, anyone can do that, without a degree.
@@Iflie The problem with Paris is that a number of industries are concentrated there. It's a bit like if you mashed together Washinton DC, LA and the Silicon Valley. You can move to a smaller town within commute distance (what my parents did) but then you have the significant commute.
@@duceagle6625 Sometimes a commute really is worth it. Plus you can look for jobs in other towns. I used to commute to amsterdam from another town and with good busses and trains it took me less time to get to the place than people living in Amsterdam itself in some overpriced haggard little room.
am in studio 350 sq feet - over forty yrs ago - two (sometimes 3) students would share same apt to be within walking distance of university - as a young senior (with disabling health concerns) am hoping to age in place - have been here 26 yrs - can’t imagine living anywhere else though - am so grateful for the space 🇨🇦🙏
Same with my 500sq ft apartment in Los Angeles and the “bad” neighborhood. Nobody wants to visit because they justifiably worry their car will get stolen. It’s a big thing where I live, and it’s all over Los Angeles, even the supposedly “good neighborhoods”, and I hear gun shots every now and then at night, plus the roaches. It seems trivial now that I think about it
Apartments in Paris are expensive because much more people want to go from Toulouse, Bordeaux or Rennes to Paris than vice-versa. This was not the case in the late 50' or early 60'. My parents went from Paris to Strasbourg in 1958, and I went from Strasbourg to Paris in 1983. I am not persuaded they were right to move to Strasbourg, but I am persuaded I was right to move to Paris. Excessive housing costs in capital-towns are a nuisance for everybody, but the reason for that is the incapacity of non-capital towns to remain attractive and to offer good opportunities. I own a 80 sq m haussmanian ex-"chambres de bonnes" apartment I bought 30 years ago for about 200k€
I am French and I can assure you that all the big cities in the country are following the same trend. It is becoming alarming for people with low incomes and no possibility to leave the city center (no driving license, no car, no money etc.) We are beginning to see the emergence of a class of homeless workers, like in the USA... For a country with a tradition of "welfare state" (état providence) it is hard !
That was pretty interesting. Thank you very much. I like small apartments. They can be really cozy with smart furnishings. My apartment is 54qm, 2 rooms, kitchen and bath. The rent is 312€ per month. Greetings from Germany.
@@hannes8835wow! 312 € for 54 m2 flat is very reasonable. My rent was 320 € for a room in a shared flat (2 room flat) and that was >10 yrs ago, also in Germany.
My 1st job after uni was in the capital (in SE Asia). I rented a space/bunk bed in a private dormitory. I had the upper bunk coz the lower ones were already occupied. Room was maybe 10 sqm and we were 4 in the room (2 bunk beds). We each had a small closet for our stuff. Eating area (a small table + 3 chairs) and bathrooms were shared. Cooking wasn't allowed but you could order food from the landlady, who lived in a house beside the dorm. There was space for doing laundry (hand-wash only). We were 4 in my room but 10 ppl total in the house/ dorm. Dorm was maybe 40 sqm but 2-storey (20 m2 per floor). It was just a place for sleeping & eating. Now, I live in a smaller city. My rented apt is 24 sqm and I live alone. I used to have a flatmate but when she moved out, I didn't get another one. In the flat beside me (same owner, same size flat), 2 ppl share the space. You learn to make do with the space you have. Btw, I have seen bunk beds being rented out to immigrants/ foreign workers in Milan, Italy. In the docu, 16-20 ppl were sharing a flat. They had shifting work schedules and the occupants made schedules when they would use the kitchen-dining areas. Bathrooms were shared.
@@pariscapeyes. I watch YT channels like Micro apartment Life (Japan), Never Too Small, etc and like how ppl make use of their small spaces. Then I also watch House Hunters and Love it or List it and the ppl (Americans) want more & more space. They're not content with 200 sqm (~2000 sq ft), they want 300 sqm! WTH? 😅 Different culture & priorities. Btw, thnx to the YT algorithm for showing your vid!
@@kitty_s23456 like you I watch videos of small apt - priorities in different countries are interesting - here in 🇨🇦 shared laundry facilities are normal - can’t imagine having a washing machine but no fridge (like most micro apt in Japan) - can’t imagine shopping daily or only eating out - for twenty yrs (college then early work) lived in dorm or boarding situations - now my 350 sq feet (same size apparently as a two car garage) studio is amazing - even palatial - have called this home for 26 yrs - am hoping to age in place - though I realize at the end of our lives like during the beginning - we will be sharing smaller spaces - but for now - I enjoy what I have 🇨🇦🙏
There's plenty of housing in the US. The problem is that it's either in the hood or way overpriced. All the new apartments going up are considered "luxe" and rent is too high for the average person.
And too many single family homes, as well as duplexes and townhomes, are being purchased by real estate investors to used as rentals. But that is limiting the number of homes available to individuals or families to purchase. Which is also driving up housing prices. It’s supply and demand, and the demand is huge, while the supply is limited. Because too many real estate investors are paying cash for these homes. Hence, available home pricing has skyrocketed. Something needs to be done about it. I’ve heard that some neighborhoods are implementing new laws but it needs to catch on.
@@kaymuldoon3575 Our housing prices soared mainly due, I believe, to wealthy Chinese buying them all up. We have bidding wars on all homes. At one point, Chinese were buying them up so quickly and without even seeing them - right from China! - as if it was a stock. People made fortunes. Close to where I live, the new condos do not have a 4th floor because it is bad luck in China. People are trying to change their house numbers to have an "8" in them because Chinese will pay a huge premium for that number. Some will pay $500K over asking
I agree. They only Airbnb I would say is fair if it’s a single owner and the owner lives in it over 75% of the time. But barring that ban them. Tourists need to start being ethical and refuse Airbnbs
seeing these apts are not for claustrophobic people, I live in approximately 1000 sq ft 2.5 bedrooms. The smallest apt I have lived in was 400-500 sq ft. there is no way I would be able to live in that small of space. I live in the U.S. This makes so very blessed. They are even smaller then a hole in a wall.
I think this kinda room should be living by minimalist, I seen someone from japan living in 7sqm apartment and it had shower, toilet and kitchenette. But he keep the room tidy, and doesnt have so much stuff. He doesnt even have much that he can fit a washing machine too 😅
Apartments (room) are small, yet the clutter is there. Lived in NYC small studio, and living in small spaces is possible. Organization is key, and clutter is a No-No.
I lived 1 year in Japan in 8.5 sqm with just common laundry and it was great. I now live a in 45sqm in another French city but rent a 10sqm for 1 or 2 nights per week. It is an "office" because no shower / small window so never advertised as an appartement and my landlord specifically checked that. The price is very low 250€/ m for a fancy area. I use minimalism.
@@pariscapethere’s a Japanese you tuber that lives in a micro apt - this sounds like him - his apt comes with washer but no fridge - he eats out or brings home prepared meals - he studies micro apt and shares these videos on his channels - he has has two suits and two pairs of shoes - the washing machine takes up more space than all his belongings - my studio apt is gigantic compared to his micro apt - it really is fascinating to see what small (even micro) is to different cultures - guess my four pairs of shoes (plus one pair of boots 🇨🇦) need a tad more space than his 🇨🇦🙏
There wouldn't be a demand for AirBnB if Universities and collages provided cheap housing for the students - including international students and those coming for exchanges. Erasmus is a fact and EU is financing it, so they have a lot of statistics on it. How come renting Airbnb for 3 months is much cheaper than dorms? Also there are seasonal workers and people coming to Paris for the time less than a year. They should also be offered something from the companies. Also some European cities rely highly on tourism, but would not accept the fact, that if they lay everything into the private zone, the citizens will suffer. It's easy to divide the world into good and bad, but Airbnb business grew on some kind of demand. I would also say, the gray zone, which is btw very immoral are the companies buying properties just as a locate. They'd rather keep them empty, because that way they save themselves a lot of effort. Then they sell it after a few years and make a profit. There are groups profiting on high rents. It's not a secret politicians usually owe more than a one property. There should be more understaning of it within us, and we should be doing something so it stops!
Living in the Spanish countryside: 160 squares meters for me alone. I love it, but it's not for everybody: next supermarket - 30 km, doctor: 2 times a week, hospital: 30 km, school - 30 km. As we have fast internet I work from home, that's sweet.
Living in Spain with a foreign salary is also a kind of violence. You’re taking the place of a local because you can afford it better than us. Maybe I’m assuming too much, but if that’s the case, it’s a new form of colonization. I hope laws will be held against this in the future, and I assume they will, since it’s a new phenomenon since Covid changed our working habits. Portugal is going thorugh a big housing crisis regarding this, and I think we’ll be next ones in line. I do not wish to hate against you or anyone that lives like this, I know it may be difficult to put yourself in the local’s shoes. Just wanted to clear this out, from a local’s perspective. I don’t think I’ll be able to afford living in my hometown in the near future due to the consequences of the housing crisis and touristification, and I’m heartbroken. I think some people don’t even realize what they’re doing. Kind regards
@@MariaCuesta-pf6sf People from richest countries with higher salaries are often not aware of this, our cities are like a cheap fun park for them. I honestly hate when I hear them speaking how nice and cheap it is here, while I am struggling to pay my rent. Regards from the Czech Republic.
I have known several people who rented out houses to long term tenants. Two of them had their houses demaged, one of those actually destroyed the house. Gutted it and then ran a hose into it. The other guy had to constantly battle to get his money from tenants even when he rented to someone he worked with. Personally, I can see the attraction of renting through airbnb. They make more money and bad tenants are picked up and cut out pretty quickly.
I had unpleasant experiences renting out my home I was no longer living in . Now live in 43 acres and considering putting in a camper ot bunkie as a weekend rental - people can get the whole country getaway experience. And can charge a high price :)
Not in Paris, but Australia: I lived in a flat that was six metres long and four metres wide for several years. It had a kitchen area with a sink and bench space, a full stove, fridge and washing machine. There was a bathroom area with a shower and a toilet, plus enough room for a bed, table, wardrobe, television and a cat tree in the main area, with space to walk easily between everything and my three cats had direct access to a large yard. People would be shocked when they saw how small it was for the first time they visited, but I had everything I needed and was quite content there.
I have family in Paris, but I didn't know about the struggles. Now I understand why my sister-in-law waited so long to get her own place. I think the trick is not to look for a place in the centre of the city, but on the outskirts. It's very sad that there are not enough flats and people are forced to live in shoe boxes. It almost made me cry to see how this man sleeps on the side and uses a bottle instead of a shower. It makes me more appreciative of what we have.
Im busy renovating and cutting off a portion of my house to rent out. Im losing 30 square meters, adding 9 square meters, so the new place will be 39 square meters. My place will now be 70 square meters instead of 100 square meters. My place feels small, the new place feels small. But this video makes me feel so much better.
Living in a small cosy house built in 1800 in a German city, 100 square meters on three floors. Loving it! Best place I ever lived in, and first time in my life that I can decorate my place like an instagram home with big plants and no clutter around :) I rented it just before the lockdowns started with doubts whether I really should spend so much on rent - and it was the best devision ever - I felt so comfy at home and didn't miss anything.
Gosh!! To live like that, no kitchen, no shower, no toilet,.. you may as well sleep in your car, maybe buy a van and you'd have more room to stretch out, could at least park next to a public toilet, and take a bucket with you for a wash!!! 😮😮😮
In my country you aren’t allowed to build skaller than 21 sqm. I have lived in 19 sqm with toilet including in this. It was ok. I have much bigger now But i recall i felt freer in the small one
This is why cities in Europe look beautiful architecturally, but the reality of living in those buildings is a horror !! Also, little privacy from the neighbors, their barking dogs, and lots of stairs to climb.....I am so lucky to live in the USA.
I think it's a common thing forr all big cities in Europe. For example in London the famous semi-detached houses ar split in two. One at ground floor and one at first one. In Italy a lot of old central houses in Rome, Bologna, Siena, Arezzo, Venice and Florence have been renovated for location as Bad & Brekfast.
Je suis française, cela a toujours été ça à Paris. Personne ne s'en plaint, c'est comme ça et chaqun le sait. Les étudiants ne se plaignent pas. En général ils sont contents d'avoir un toit, même minuscule. De plus, ils savent que cela est temporaire.
I have been in Paris in 2018 and we stayed in an apartment of a friend of a friend and I was truly shocked how small the place was and that they have stored their shoes next to the fridge. When we came back to Sofia in our two rooms apartment I felt like we were living in a castle. I was wow our place is not that small after all. I don’t know why they would just stay in such places. I will just move, even switch countries but not live in a shoe box.
I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment about 550 square feet. Suddenly it feels very spacious when i see people living in a space the size of my bathroom. I don't know how they cope.
I was living alone in 42 m2 apartment and decided its too small for me and moved to 95 m2 apartment. my good lord!! I didnt know that people are living in less than 9 m2 cages in Paris! you can move to Baku - Paris of Caucasus.
I lived in a 9 ft x 9 ft converted chicken coop for one summer while doing an organic farm internship in 1997. No running water, pond water, no toilet, no electric, only phone line. It had a wood stove and only required 5 hours work per week as payment. I cooked outside using propane and had a wet cooler and a dry cooler for food storage. The toilet was a pit toilet in the ground. Presently I live in a 30-foot caravan / RV that is approximately 200 SF with stove, fridge, freezer, toilet, heat and AC.
3:58 ok, but I guess he could organize his room better with a bed that is higher so he has place under it to use for storage. And shelves and maybe boxes so it is not such a mess… When I was a student in 2000, my room was 2m on 4m and I lived in it for 2 years, I had a lot of shelves and even a sink, and a refrigerator and microwave on it. I had a little table to sit at on my bed.
In small rooms or apartments, utilizing vertical space is key to keeping the floor space uncluttered as possible. Using day beds as couches, or futons that double as a couch, fold-down table leaves, mirrors to reflect and give an impression of more space helps a lot. White/cream walls, glass where possible, minimal belongings all help turn even tiny spaces into livable rooms. High ceilings help a whole lot.
I live in a 25m² tiny apartment however it is lofted and has a separate kitchen and nice bathroom, and the ceilings are super high so I can fully stand on the loft part. Costs about a third of my monthly wage.
FYI, it's illegal in France for a landlord to rent a room under 9m². Some people do not have a choice (like no papers) or do not know but... This is illegal. This is considered like unsanitay housing. And there is some other rules like : the room should have a window that open on the outside, etc.
All these stories are so interesting and very similar. When I was in university in Montreal, my apartment was extremely small, just a kitchen, small bedroom and bath. It was cramped but compared to these Paris apartment it was great. I think we adjust much better when we are very young. I could never live like that now.
Wow! In America, so many people can't afford to buy a house. At least we don't have to live in a space the size of a jail cell. SHOCKING! Your video was eye opening. My daughter is a real estate agent and despite saving for over 10 years, she still can't afford to buy her own home. 😮😢 Your video actually made her feel less depressed. 😢
Hi. I saw the YT vid of a real estate agent (in the US) wherein she + 2 siblings bought a 3-storey old colonial or Victoria fixer upper house. They are all part of the mortgage & each sibling will own 1 storey. They'll have their own entrances too. May be an idea for your daughter.
My Pakistani friend rents a nicely designed 2- BDR of approx 50 sq metres in the suburb. His office is in Montmarte, the company's driver picks him up. His neighbours are quite people were mostly Romanian. The metro line goes directly to Louvre. Why is this all drama about if you can live nicely 15 km outside the city center. But because it's North, only the migrants do.
In Seattle, microapartments must be at least 150 square feet but rent out for about $700-$900. The average is size of those type of units is 175 square feet and these types of developments have communal kitchens and often communal bathrooms as well. For a bit of context, the average Seattle new apartment is 659 square feet. The most cramped housing in the entire US.
It's the same here in Poland- because we don't have regulated housing laws as we should have, flippers will buy a 40m2 flat and will divide it from two to even 4 rooms if it's possible and will expect you to pay the price equal to renting whole flat. And the government will do NOTHING to stop this procedure- especially that more than half of the landlord do not report their lease agreements to the tax office so they don't pay their taxes. Microapartments are absolute plague- especially that now getting mortgage is absolutely impossible and usually homes and flats that are something bigger than a shoebox will cost from 1 mil up.
A guarantor is not "required". Legally, it's not an obligation (unless they sign). Most landlords will ask for one if the rent is more than a third of that candidate's revenue (it's also cumulative, so if it's a couple, chances are, a guarantor is almost never required). Above that, it isn't required. They can also ask for one if the candidate is a foreigner. They ask for a french guarantor to avoid people coming, then suddenly leaving the country without paying, leaving the landlord with no alternative. Quite a few of them are scummy, especially in Paris, but a decent chunk are just average people investing in a property.
I was living till my 5 years with both my parents in 9qm in a two room communal apartment in Saint Petersburg (Leningrad back then) Russia. Now i have 88qm for me alone and live in Germany.
And yet the rest of France has endless empty homes. I walked thru Angouleme recently, and most of the buildings seemed to be vacant. It was depressing.
In Korea, students can rent a goshiwan room of about 6m². Most goshiwan don't have a toilet or shower. There are communal dining and washing areas. They pay about €350 per month.
but listen folks, this is Paris within the Periphérique. If you're willing to commute 90 minutes, the situation is quite different. Not to mention the difficult ring towns.
new subbie here! my condo is about 1000 sq ft but generally in metropolitan area in my city (KL, Malaysia) smallest unit starts from about 500 sq ft but mind you it is not cheap as well.. I CANNOT imagine living in 16 sq ft space?? claustrophobia definitely creeps in 😅
@loudmummy - perhaps you meant 16 sqm, not sq ft? 16 sqm is small but doable flat in Asia. (There are 7 to 10 sqm flats in Japan.) 16 sqft would just be a room, not a flat/ apt. To convert sqm to sq ft, I usually add 1 zero. If vice versa (sq ft to sqm), then subtract 1 zero. It's not exact but will give an estimate.
One to 4%?! That's a bargain compared to the US. We have had 12%, 8%, 6% now; during the downturn, though, we had more like 1% to 4%. That will never happen again.
I live in the US and moved last month from a 1450 sq ft home to a 900 sq ft home. I thought my new home is small, but I live in a sprawling estate compared to these apartments!
I rent 50m2 in Vancouver, BC, but only because I got it in 2009 when I graduated university, locking in a rent controlled price. I would pay triple for a suite in this same building today! The average price for a one-bedroom in Vancouver is C$2750 a month, around €1850.
People tend to focus on immigration of the poor who come to do the low paying jobs, but those people are the ones who are most likely to become victims of these inhumane living conditions. Instead of focusing on the poor, we should focus on the rich who are buying out properties as an 'investment'. They are the ones inflating the prices in the cities and then all these apartments are sitting there empty, reducing the supply of available properties to rent, which drives prices up even more. The wealthy Chinese, Russians, Middle Eastern people etc. are buying out properties in all of the major capitals and coast cities in Europe and this is the real problem that should be discussed. There need to be laws in place to prevent this from happening. Instead of attacking the poor immigrants who are just trying to stay alive.. Brexit was going to 'solve' the immigration problem, yet the prices are continuing to rise in London because immigration was never the problem in the first place..
What a false image Paris gives to tourists or those wanting to live there. Everything looks beautiful from the surface but in actuality it is a nightmare. This is as bad as NewYork. It is utterly appauling! Shame on you Parisiens, you are just as bad as anyone else! Save your money people and don't even think to move there!
Well that’s depressing. All those empty apartments are a crime. That’s why so many cities are banning Airbnb. It’s completely upsetting the housing market so locals can’t find places to live.
Agree. I was thinking about buying a property to rent in Ibiza but it turns out AirBnB licenses are not distributed there anymore. And it makes sense! What about people who live and work there? It made me reflect a lot on the situation.
@missmayflower. In France Airbnb are a recent phenomen in France. In the center of Paris there always been several empty building as most of them are the roperty of banks, business, billionaire and even government and an empty property doesn't financialy affected them. Some arrondissement like the 8eme are well known for that since ages!
@@v.3924 it’s the same in Vancouver. Finally, the city implemented an extra tax on empty properties that investors were just holding onto.
That’s interesting to know about Airbnbs. I’m glad cities are starting to ban them.
The fact that an apartment is rented on AirBnb differs from being empty. On the opposite, it's definitely consistently occupied. Otherwise, the owners would have rented it by now.
I'm always surprised how privileged people care only about themselves. They can't understand that some people come to their city to study or work and need to live somewhere in the first months while looking for a long-term place. Without AirBnb, they would be left on the street. And don't start with hotels as an alternative - the prices in Paris are not affordable for everyone to pay a few months of a hotel stay. Not everyone is rich. So even such a tiny apartment of 5 sq.m. is a lifesaver for so many people, as well as apartments on AirBnb that you can rent without having a job in Paris and going through all those quests. You simply book it and have a roof over your head.
A brutal reminder to be grateful for what you have 😢
i live with my inlaws
Exactly.
❤
Indeed! I've been struggling with the upkeep of my 1920s bungalow for the past several years, especially when dealing with ME/cfs and unemployment. An elderly friend plans to move in with me and make my garage his tiny home, since apartments are out of his price range. I'm very grateful to have the space, even with the leaky roof, un renovated kitchen (from the 1930s! The cabinet barely function) and termite battles. Single family homes should NEVER be sold to investors, imo.
Spoiler: in Europe everything is away from those metropolis is cheap! 🙂
I lived two years in Paris, in 9 m2, but my window showed me the roofs, Notre Dame and so on. I had a shower and warm water. I went to work on feet, crossing the Seine and walking on the parvis from Notre Dame. A good time.....
9 is not too bad. many people even live inside vans. i got a 66 m2 apartment outside stockholm and i use like 20% of it lol (but it's filled with stuff)
So you sacraficed your space for a ridiculous view! What a joke! A fool does that!
@@BrownEyesGurL I think it had more to do with being close to work, and they were saying it was still nice enough to live in.
This is horrible.
Exactly. I would love live in one of those attic rooms.
It’s horrible to see people forced to live in such tiny spaces and equally horrible to see there are people happy to make money from them.
Well, what is worse is people not allowed to be forced into the only tiny place available that they can afford and living on the streets.
But yes, it sucks. Just wanted to make it clear I am not defending anyone making money off of this.😊
If you choose to live In a world city that is what you get. Travel between 30 and 50 kilometers and you will fight much cheaper places for more square meters.
I live 45 kilometers from Amsterdam and my rent is one third from what I would pay in Amsterdam. House prices are about 100.000 euro cheaper for the same square meters than in Amsterdam
Nobody forces you you to live in a world city it is a choice. All countries in the EU have an excellent transportation system. The train brings me in Amsterdam u der 40 minutes.
@@Bruintjebeer6 Unless you need to work in the city & can't get work elsewhere & can't do such a commute if you're a shift worker with start times really, really early or late. Or for students. It's not always that easy.
@@florencepierce1864 for years a went on a bike or my moped to work 25 kilometer one way Only when the weather was real bed or I had to work until the middle of the night because the project needed to finish, a co worker or my boss would give me a ride. For every problem there is a solution
I even went on my bike to my parents, 45 kilometers one way, because I could not afford the train and bus.
When I was a student in Paris, I was living in a ‘nun’s room’. I was paying for the room by giving tuition to the owner’s children. I didn’t care one bit about the small space, I was a student. I could access the owner’s washing machine to clean my clothes. Best ever option for a student.
I rented a 6m2 chambre de bonne for 350 euros from a noblewoman who owned the top floor apartment and the attic floor above in the early 2000s as a student in Paris. It had a bed, a wardrobe, a cold water sink and a hot plate. I shared a toilet down the hall, and next to it outside of my apartment was my private shower room, which was unusual. I knew another student sharing a whole floor of maids' rooms with about 15 people (a mix of immigrants and students) sharing one shower and one toilet, which was rough. The owner of my apartment only rented to international students and was really taking advantage, I think, as she refused to return my 1-month deposit when I moved out despite leaving the place pristine and providing proper notice. It was terrible because it was a lot of money for me, but a drop in the bucket for her.
I had a very similar situation in 1998. I can't quite remember her name. It might have been Mme. Delrez. Could it be the same person?
@@sarahm.5356It could, mine was on Rue Copernic
@@sarahm.5356 It could be! Mine was on Rue Copernic and I can't remember how to spell her name exactly, but it was Mme De Gagné.
That's a fitting name!
This is making me feel like my 51m2, 2 BRM place is a mansion.
I know, right?😀 Same here.
I feel the same . My appartment is 53 m2 👍
Same my 67m2 Unit is like a mansion compared to these coffins
@@Talmorne almost the same size as mine. i got a 66 high up with a forest view (600usd/month)
My 53m2 1 BR rents for $1800/mo in the SF Bay Area.
It is horrible to not just see people are forced to live like this, but also that sentient chickens are treated so violently! This is the dark side of humanity....
That's why people should stop funding them that treatment - it's really easy just stop buying meat, eggs etc.
Narcissistic entitlement
Sociopathic entitlement
Psychopathic greed that is entirely ruthless and without conscience.
This can be found all over the world, which is...sadly...why we see so much human suffering, human trafficking, child trafficking, animal abuse, r@pe/torture/serial killing, etc.
Chickens were literally created by humans to be livestock. And they are useful too! Then and now. In the past the feathers were used as stuffing for ticking, fire starter, fertilizer and decoration.All the flesh was used for food, either for humans or livestock. Bone was ground and used as fertilizer. The same happens today, but in an industrial scale. Without chickens the loss of food and industry would cause millions of people to suffer. Meat eaters aren’t “ the worst of humanity”.
@@codename495 there is a huge difference in treating livestock animals with compassion and dignity and allowing them to go outside, have enough room to roam, stretch, run and dig and have access to good fresh water and fresh food or having them shoved into boxes where they cannot even turn around with their head is thrust through bars to eat processed pellets under artificial lighting while their feet get swollen from a lifetime of standing on sharp metal wires.
I eat meat but I support local green and eco farmers that raise their birds and other animals with access to outside areas, without growth hormones and who slaughter them as humanely as possible so that the animals have an actual good life before it is killed. I am grateful to the animals and such farmers that I can have meat like that on my table.
To defend what was seen in the video is exactly what is wrong with people these days.
@@codename495 Oh yeah so if you "created" something that lives and feels you can keep it caged and kill it as soon as it stops being "useful" to you. Weird you don't have the same approach to children - people also "create" them lol... Dogs as well?
In Denmark you can't rent out rooms that doesn't have around the clock access to, hot and cold running water, heat, toilet, bath and kitchen (kitchen have to contain a stove, oven and sink with running water, there have to be room for a fridge too. Before there were residency requirement inside the city limit, except hotels and the like. It should had continued with that. Now a normal house cost a fortune because companies are buying houses just to rent out as vacation/airb&b houses.
France is basically a shithole and people are glorifying those small cages I can’t
Companies buying up property for air bnb. That is awful. We have the same problem in California
It is a world wide problem, particularly in major tourist cities. Air b&b should be banned, regulated/licensed or limited. It is out of hand. No housing for citizens. There is a lot of push back now. Condo buildings don't allow air B&B. Nor apts. ...
I was hoping to retire to Paris, I'm on a budget but in London I was lucky and a few years ago I was able to buy a modest house with a big garden in a great up-and-coming area. I couldn't even live in a flat (apartment), let alone a small one, I would feel in a cage without my own garden. Sadly the more I research the Paris housing market the more hopeless my dream retirement looks, I think I'll have to stay where I and be grateful, and just travel to Paris and France for holidays
London is just 2 hours away, you can come whenever you want to pay a visit🥰
Try one of the other big cities - Bordeaux for example is as beautiful as Paris… or settle in a town 100km or so from Paris. Don’t give up on your dream - just adjust it!
I too wish to retire to France but I want a house in the countryside with a bit of land so I can have animals. Un petit bled me suffit! 😊
For all the money in the world I would not trust a Parisien when it comes to renting an apartment!
@pariscape Please, Paris is such is a great city
Paris is expensive but outside of Paris you can find some lovely houses cheaper than a car in the UK.
I was lucky when I was a student. My home was tiny, though certainly not 5m², but using second-hand furniture, my dad created lots of built-in cupboards and drawers. I had a huge amount of storage for very little cost. People say that you need to live minimalistically to cope in small spaces, but the secret is to have plenty of storage and furniture that does double duty.
After college, I upgraded to 20m² and followed the same plan. I lived there for 35 years until I inherited a two bedroomed house. Sometimes, I would like to downsize, but I enjoy having a garden and a large bathroom.
So they can stop paying rent. The landlord won’t find them a new place (that seems a bit much anyway) so the landlord loses the right to rent the apartment. But what happens to the tenant? Do they have to leave and the apartment is vacant? Where do the tenants go?
That's what I'm wondering too. My God. It feels like whatever happens, it's bad for the tenant.
Thank you! More people need to hear about this. 5 sq m of living space is inhumane.
arent prison cells smaller?
I would take it given the option
@@SpaceCadete101 you mean as opposed to the street?
The min require is 9 sq m. The poeple who live there can take action and stop paying their room.
Why do people choose to live in 5 sqm rather than move farther away?
It’s probably because it’s inhumane to live so far away from where you want to live.
Wait... there's no shared bathroom down the hall? Here in NYC we have some cheap apartments in boarding houses that are just a single small room, but they have a shared toilet and shower on every floor, people aren't bathing with bottled water next to the bed. That's really insane. I'm pretty sure even those coffin apartment in Hong Kong have a shared bathroom.
so i guess paris is as bad as some third world country for poor people, or even worse when it comes to space. but at least they get to live in paris
THIS IS HIGHWAY ROBBERY WHAT PARIS IS GETTING AWAY WITH IN THE WAY THEY RENT APARTMENTS TO PEOPLE. THEY'RE SCAMMERS!
@@krisstopher8259 Which is what they are counting on!!! the "charm and privilege" of living in Paris, I absolutely would not live there even if they paid ME money to do it if it meant no water/electricty/sewage etc....think about how charming Paris is as you pour bottled water over your head to bathe.....
@@chrisfry436 yea i bet it would suck, lol. but hey it's still PARIS!
Single-room-occupancies are fairly common in the largest cities. It's amazing how desperate some people are to live in their dream city!
I ‘m French and I have a friend who lived in a « chambre de bonne » ( maid bedroom) with the toilets on the hall for all the residents at the floor, when she was at uni. It’s quite « normal » for students. But in fact it’s not normal. Nobody should have to live like that. Everybody deserve to live in a decent home.
Thank's for sharing! Some of my friends experienced that as well. For my part as a student I had a 42 m2 in a suburb and had 1 hour + by RER to get the Uni (don't know which is worse though, mon coeur balance😅)
In college, my dorm room was no bigger than these. I had a roommate, there were two twin beds and a closet. The whole sixth floor shared a big bathroom with showers, a kitchen and a t.v. room. I went to China in 1988 and visited a university where the dorm rooms were the same size but FOUR girls lived in each room. If I was a student fortunate enough to attend university in Paris, one of those rooms by myself would be fantastic but as an adult working a full time job, it would be AWFUL.
What you are describing is a the normal thing at college in the US. they are dormitories, and the room houses two students and there is a bathroom and shower that are shared by the floor. It is normal, no torture.
@@lee3171 In the US, dorms also have heat and air conditioning, places to park, and access to cafeterias or communal cooking areas, and maintained toilets and shower areas with hot and cold water and separate sink areas. Most students keep their belongings at home or pay (minimally, compared to places like Paris and the UK)) for additional storage. TOTALLY different. I've experienced both situations; dorms, and even shared housing, is a luxury.
A Van is more comfortable
and u chAnge views
And you get to have a full bathroom if you want, toilet, shower, and sink.
And prison obviously
@@eily_b in deed
Strongly advise everyone NOT to want to live in any major city, as this is a worldwide problem. When you get yourself stuck in a small job in a big city, and in a small housing space, you are in serious problems- you will never be able to move anywhere else.
Why would you then not be able to move away?
I live in Prague (37 m2) and a big advantage of living here is there is no need to own a car, you can use cheap public transport and save thousands on car maintanence, gas etc. Plus I hate driving and dealing with vehicles. I wouldn't want it any other way.
@@89Lautje Because wages, electricity and gas prices, the cost of food have all risen astronomically with 7% -20% inflation since Covid so people in France can barely afford to eat and keep the lights on. What the Baby Boomers have done to the housing market means you need at least $400,000 to buy a house. Short of winning the lottery or marrying someone extremely wealthy, it is impossible to save up the 20% minimum down payment required by French banks. Getting into a house in the US is MUCH EASIER but as you can see from the rental regulations, the French are extremely risk-averse. It can take up to 3 years to evict a nonpaying tenant in France. In the US, 30 days, so they're much more willing to rent to you.
This is so true, it will be impossible to save money to move anywhere else
How is this even legal??? No bathroom, no kitchen, no toilet...WTF!?!?
The 5sqm with no kitchen is actually illegal but the man still rented it because he couldn't afford better and greedy landlords don't care as long as they don't get caught, but sadly a "chambre de bonne" with the kitchenette and shower next to each other and toilets shared in the corridor is legal as long as it's 9sqm.
Personally I couldn't share my toilets with strangers, I wouldn't be comfortable pooping at home like that.
It's legal because we aren't making landlords fear for their lives....
It is down right f*cked up is what it is, but people are stupid enough to do it!
My daughter was born in Neuilly France, but raised in the US (Connecticut) and returned to France to work as an "au pair" during a gap year between h.s and college. She lived in a typical maid's room and dined with the family. She appreciated the fact that she didn't have to commute to work.
A lovely friend of mine invited me to stay with her in Paris a few years ago around Christmas, she lived on the Boulevard St. Michel, I thought, what a great location. What she didn't say was that she and her sister lived in one of these chambres de bonne, it was a terrible holiday, no privacy, no washing facilities, low ceiling, communal toilet, it was really awful. I had to wash myself in pieces in the sink also used to prepare food. These places might be OK for a minimalist person who has access to shower facilities elsewhere (my friend had her grandma living a few doors along, I didn't). It ruined my holiday, and it rained every day. It's so hard when you're poor because when I look at the price of hotels or b&b, I simply can't afford them so I have to stay at home and be an armchair traveller. I'm still grateful for those people who film great locations and post them online.
I am 73 and remember when you could save even if you worked in poor a paying job. Every second year you could vacation somewhere different. Now people cannot. Seeing how things have changed over the years I know why in my mind. I was lucky that in my early 20's I met a lady who lived through the depression and war in Europe. She told me to make sure I plan for the worst future. I took her advice. I planned for my retirement, plus I worked all my life even when women stayed home. I took a lovely vacation every second year. What is happening now has not affected me but I do feel sorry for people of today.
No wonder there is so much depression and people commit so much suicide. This is really really really sad and horrific.
I fear that Berlin is moving in this direction. We have no such thing as chambres de bonne, but I have seen ads where you can rent a bunk bed in a room with three other people. Back to the 1920s…
Crazy.
Southern Californis is ALREADY like this. Which is why I have stayed in Europe so long but I miss my family so bad but I am not bunking.
most people don't *have* to live there, they want to. so as long as everyone just plays along, ofc landlords are gonna get more and more greedy and "creative". i recently moved back to the countryside and i feel reborn.
In nearly every apartment in a "Mietskaserne" in Berlin, at least if it's three rooms or larger, there ought to be an additional small room. That's the "chambre de bonne". At least that's how 19th and turn of the century apartments look in Gothenburg, Sweden. 👍
Sadly Germany has returned to the 1920s in more ways than one...
"The maids are all gone". If you work in the service industry or as a house cleaner you are a servant and can probably only afford the tiniest apartment.
Airbnb has truly fucked over European housing markets. Just banning it in big cities would already help things a lot. I really do like the idea of people hosting guests but it should be their primary residence or a dedicated B&B.
It's destroying the American housing market as well in certain areas.
I lived in 12 square meter when I was at medical school. It was okay back then, but it was only possible because I could store my belongings at my parents house. It must be depressing when you don’t know if you can ever move to a better place
There’s a little crack on my screen so I read it as “medieval school” and thought that sounded about right😂
My French apt is 16 square meters with kitchen, washroom, 2 closets...yes, it's small
What’ the rent?
Very eye opening, especially those stats at the end. I knew a classmate who went to Paris for a month to teach, She described her living quarters as a closet. I guess she was not exaggerating! That was about 15 years ago.
In Ireland had what we called "bedsits" similar to these micro-apartments. Some were tiny and you might even have shared a bathroom and toilet. The government banned them but put nothing in there place. Shared living was touted as a solution for people who could not rent an apartment. This was where you had your own room/living space but shared a kitchen, very like a hostel. These did not really take off. Sharing a house or apartment with strangers is not always a good option. If you are studying you don't need the drama or if you are only staying a short time its not practical to go through all the steps to find a share.
Shared living is done in some places in the US like San Francisco. It’s still expensive but it does allow you to live in the city and work to earn money and save until you can afford an apartment on your own or consider buying a house.
What an eye opener. A French friend of mine who had a pied-à-terre in Paris complained that it was ridiculously tiny, but when I saw it, there was a large bathroom with a tub, a separate toilet, a generous sitting/living area, a kitchenette, a separate bedroom - I think the bedroom was a 9m2 room by itself. He invested in the property to be close to the Sorbonne where he worked. I'd wonder what he'd say about these chicken coops though - these are microscopic and, surely, very stressful trying to lead a normal life. I can also imagine some being without a lift service - I still remember taking the stairs to the fifth floor to visit a friend in Cambronne. It was terrible for me, it was worse for her who had to walk using a walking stick. Even a motorhome has more decent space than these scandalous spaces.
Thank you for this, it was so informative. I am shocked beyond belief that people live in such conditions. I really hope the cities put a stop to it.
I completely agree with you, especially because people who live in those places are the most vulnerable ones who often do not know their rights.
Cities will put a stop to this when we put a stop to landlords. 🗡
6 square meters I live on a sailboat
I live on a narrow boat so have a 15 square meter cabin - everything has to have more than one purpose, except the loo!
Done that too. It's a question of organisation, routine, but I had just retired and was not going to work every day.
my brother moved to spain to live on a sailboat but he haven't bought one yet
By choice?
This video gives me nightmares...... One of the reasons why I left Paris and oved to Spain!
My secret dream is to buy a place in Ibiza so I totally get it😃
Depends where in Spain, apparently the housing market sucks in Barcelona because of over tourism. And France isn't limited to Paris, small towns and other cities are more accessible.
People need to start leaving the big cities and refuse to live like that.
I agree the big cities in the Netherlands have way too expensive housing and if you have a minimal income your money will not go far. So why not move out of the big city, get more money and more space and maybe even a job if you need one? My province is trying to draw in more people, it has some of the lowest housing prices in the country. Still not that easy to get a house but certainly way easier than in a big city.
Easier said than done. People are where they need to be, for reasons. Usually job accessibility.
@@skepticalmaiden Usually the big cities have a ton of unemployed, and even if you are employed the thought of getting a new house you can have kids in plus jobs is attractive.
Personally I don't see if the job is decent they can't use our own unemployed insteda of looking for foreign labour. I mean my cousin works in greenhouses, anyone can do that, without a degree.
@@Iflie The problem with Paris is that a number of industries are concentrated there. It's a bit like if you mashed together Washinton DC, LA and the Silicon Valley. You can move to a smaller town within commute distance (what my parents did) but then you have the significant commute.
@@duceagle6625 Sometimes a commute really is worth it. Plus you can look for jobs in other towns. I used to commute to amsterdam from another town and with good busses and trains it took me less time to get to the place than people living in Amsterdam itself in some overpriced haggard little room.
I’m never complaining about my 675 sq ft again
so 62 sq m then. i got 66 and it's almost too big
am in studio 350 sq feet - over forty yrs ago - two (sometimes 3) students would share same apt to be within walking distance of university - as a young senior (with disabling health concerns) am hoping to age in place - have been here 26 yrs - can’t imagine living anywhere else though - am so grateful for the space 🇨🇦🙏
Same with my 500sq ft apartment in Los Angeles and the “bad” neighborhood. Nobody wants to visit because they justifiably worry their car will get stolen. It’s a big thing where I live, and it’s all over Los Angeles, even the supposedly “good neighborhoods”, and I hear gun shots every now and then at night, plus the roaches. It seems trivial now that I think about it
Oh my god. I'm so happy now. I was considering my garden shed small and it's 10 m2.
Apartments in Paris are expensive because much more people want to go from Toulouse, Bordeaux or Rennes to Paris than vice-versa. This was not the case in the late 50' or early 60'. My parents went from Paris to Strasbourg in 1958, and I went from Strasbourg to Paris in 1983. I am not persuaded they were right to move to Strasbourg, but I am persuaded I was right to move to Paris. Excessive housing costs in capital-towns are a nuisance for everybody, but the reason for that is the incapacity of non-capital towns to remain attractive and to offer good opportunities. I own a 80 sq m haussmanian ex-"chambres de bonnes" apartment I bought 30 years ago for about 200k€
congratulations, your apartment is probably worth at least 4 times as much today!
I am French and I can assure you that all the big cities in the country are following the same trend.
It is becoming alarming for people with low incomes and no possibility to leave the city center (no driving license, no car, no money etc.)
We are beginning to see the emergence of a class of homeless workers, like in the USA...
For a country with a tradition of "welfare state" (état providence) it is hard !
This means your protests need to get bigger and more... assertive.
Compost landlords.
Welfare state is turning into a joke. So many outside of France idealize living there because of the health system
That was pretty interesting. Thank you very much.
I like small apartments. They can be really cozy with smart furnishings.
My apartment is 54qm, 2 rooms, kitchen and bath. The rent is 312€ per month. Greetings from Germany.
Wow, that's very reasonable. Before buying our place we were paying 1800€ for a 64 m2🥵
@@pariscape Oh my... So much. It really depents on the location and the market.
@@hannes8835wow! 312 € for 54 m2 flat is very reasonable. My rent was 320 € for a room in a shared flat (2 room flat) and that was >10 yrs ago, also in Germany.
@@hannes8835 you certainly don't live in a big city like München, Frankfurt or Düsseldorf?
@@manuelacaravane No, of course not. A little town in the middle of nowhere.
My 1st job after uni was in the capital (in SE Asia). I rented a space/bunk bed in a private dormitory. I had the upper bunk coz the lower ones were already occupied. Room was maybe 10 sqm and we were 4 in the room (2 bunk beds).
We each had a small closet for our stuff. Eating area (a small table + 3 chairs) and bathrooms were shared. Cooking wasn't allowed but you could order food from the landlady, who lived in a house beside the dorm. There was space for doing laundry (hand-wash only). We were 4 in my room but 10 ppl total in the house/ dorm. Dorm was maybe 40 sqm but 2-storey (20 m2 per floor). It was just a place for sleeping & eating.
Now, I live in a smaller city. My rented apt is 24 sqm and I live alone. I used to have a flatmate but when she moved out, I didn't get another one. In the flat beside me (same owner, same size flat), 2 ppl share the space. You learn to make do with the space you have.
Btw, I have seen bunk beds being rented out to immigrants/ foreign workers in Milan, Italy. In the docu, 16-20 ppl were sharing a flat. They had shifting work schedules and the occupants made schedules when they would use the kitchen-dining areas. Bathrooms were shared.
Thank you for sharing your story! We used to live in a 30m2 with my hubby so I can definitely relate!
@@pariscapeyes. I watch YT channels like Micro apartment Life (Japan), Never Too Small, etc and like how ppl make use of their small spaces. Then I also watch House Hunters and Love it or List it and the ppl (Americans) want more & more space. They're not content with 200 sqm (~2000 sq ft), they want 300 sqm! WTH? 😅 Different culture & priorities.
Btw, thnx to the YT algorithm for showing your vid!
@@kitty_s23456 like you I watch videos of small apt - priorities in different countries are interesting - here in 🇨🇦 shared laundry facilities are normal - can’t imagine having a washing machine but no fridge (like most micro apt in Japan) - can’t imagine shopping daily or only eating out - for twenty yrs (college then early work) lived in dorm or boarding situations - now my 350 sq feet (same size apparently as a two car garage) studio is amazing - even palatial - have called this home for 26 yrs - am hoping to age in place - though I realize at the end of our lives like during the beginning - we will be sharing smaller spaces - but for now - I enjoy what I have 🇨🇦🙏
Short-term rentals should be illegal. Even in the States, they're stealing what little housing we have left. Insane that this is going on everywhere!
in canada they have enacted a lot of laws to prevent people from doing air bnb's with their extra properties. huge taxes and whatnot.housing crisis.
There's plenty of housing in the US. The problem is that it's either in the hood or way overpriced. All the new apartments going up are considered "luxe" and rent is too high for the average person.
And too many single family homes, as well as duplexes and townhomes, are being purchased by real estate investors to used as rentals. But that is limiting the number of homes available to individuals or families to purchase. Which is also driving up housing prices. It’s supply and demand, and the demand is huge, while the supply is limited. Because too many real estate investors are paying cash for these homes. Hence, available home pricing has skyrocketed.
Something needs to be done about it. I’ve heard that some neighborhoods are implementing new laws but it needs to catch on.
@@kaymuldoon3575 Our housing prices soared mainly due, I believe, to wealthy Chinese buying them all up. We have bidding wars on all homes. At one point, Chinese were buying them up so quickly and without even seeing them - right from China! - as if it was a stock. People made fortunes. Close to where I live, the new condos do not have a 4th floor because it is bad luck in China. People are trying to change their house numbers to have an "8" in them because Chinese will pay a huge premium for that number. Some will pay $500K over asking
I agree. They only Airbnb I would say is fair if it’s a single owner and the owner lives in it over 75% of the time. But barring that ban them. Tourists need to start being ethical and refuse Airbnbs
seeing these apts are not for claustrophobic people, I live in approximately 1000 sq ft 2.5 bedrooms. The smallest apt I have lived in was 400-500 sq ft. there is no way I would be able to live in that small of space. I live in the U.S. This makes so very blessed. They are even smaller then a hole in a wall.
Here I am thinking… I’m never going to complain about my 1,000 sq. Ft again (which I thought was small until this video)
I think this kinda room should be living by minimalist, I seen someone from japan living in 7sqm apartment and it had shower, toilet and kitchenette. But he keep the room tidy, and doesnt have so much stuff. He doesnt even have much that he can fit a washing machine too 😅
My thoughts exactly! Could work only if you had two t-shirts, one pair of shoes and a laptop😂
Apartments (room) are small, yet the clutter is there. Lived in NYC small studio, and living in small spaces is possible. Organization is key, and clutter is a No-No.
@@pariscape, Nope you’re so wrong.
I lived 1 year in Japan in 8.5 sqm with just common laundry and it was great. I now live a in 45sqm in another French city but rent a 10sqm for 1 or 2 nights per week. It is an "office" because no shower / small window so never advertised as an appartement and my landlord specifically checked that. The price is very low 250€/ m for a fancy area. I use minimalism.
@@pariscapethere’s a Japanese you tuber that lives in a micro apt - this sounds like him - his apt comes with washer but no fridge - he eats out or brings home prepared meals - he studies micro apt and shares these videos on his channels - he has has two suits and two pairs of shoes - the washing machine takes up more space than all his belongings - my studio apt is gigantic compared to his micro apt - it really is fascinating to see what small (even micro) is to different cultures - guess my four pairs of shoes (plus one pair of boots 🇨🇦) need a tad more space than his 🇨🇦🙏
The bed bugs...the bed bugs and the havoc they cause...that is all I can think about in these crammed living conditions
Everything is correct, but it is possible to rent an apartment of less than 9m² if it has more than 20m³ of living space.
Exactly ! Merci pour la précision !
How
That makes no sense
@@M_SCmaybe if there is so much room under 2.2 m minimum height, it starts to be re-accepted as a factor?
What are u talking about.
There wouldn't be a demand for AirBnB if Universities and collages provided cheap housing for the students - including international students and those coming for exchanges. Erasmus is a fact and EU is financing it, so they have a lot of statistics on it. How come renting Airbnb for 3 months is much cheaper than dorms? Also there are seasonal workers and people coming to Paris for the time less than a year. They should also be offered something from the companies. Also some European cities rely highly on tourism, but would not accept the fact, that if they lay everything into the private zone, the citizens will suffer. It's easy to divide the world into good and bad, but Airbnb business grew on some kind of demand. I would also say, the gray zone, which is btw very immoral are the companies buying properties just as a locate. They'd rather keep them empty, because that way they save themselves a lot of effort. Then they sell it after a few years and make a profit. There are groups profiting on high rents. It's not a secret politicians usually owe more than a one property. There should be more understaning of it within us, and we should be doing something so it stops!
Living in the Spanish countryside: 160 squares meters for me alone. I love it, but it's not for everybody: next supermarket - 30 km, doctor: 2 times a week, hospital: 30 km, school - 30 km. As we have fast internet I work from home, that's sweet.
Working from home is my dream!
Living in Spain with a foreign salary is also a kind of violence. You’re taking the place of a local because you can afford it better than us. Maybe I’m assuming too much, but if that’s the case, it’s a new form of colonization. I hope laws will be held against this in the future, and I assume they will, since it’s a new phenomenon since Covid changed our working habits. Portugal is going thorugh a big housing crisis regarding this, and I think we’ll be next ones in line.
I do not wish to hate against you or anyone that lives like this, I know it may be difficult to put yourself in the local’s shoes. Just wanted to clear this out, from a local’s perspective. I don’t think I’ll be able to afford living in my hometown in the near future due to the consequences of the housing crisis and touristification, and I’m heartbroken. I think some people don’t even realize what they’re doing. Kind regards
@@MariaCuesta-pf6sf People from richest countries with higher salaries are often not aware of this, our cities are like a cheap fun park for them. I honestly hate when I hear them speaking how nice and cheap it is here, while I am struggling to pay my rent. Regards from the Czech Republic.
I have known several people who rented out houses to long term tenants. Two of them had their houses demaged, one of those actually destroyed the house. Gutted it and then ran a hose into it. The other guy had to constantly battle to get his money from tenants even when he rented to someone he worked with. Personally, I can see the attraction of renting through airbnb. They make more money and bad tenants are picked up and cut out pretty quickly.
I had unpleasant experiences renting out my home I was no longer living in .
Now live in 43 acres and considering putting in a camper ot bunkie as a weekend rental - people can get the whole country getaway experience. And can charge a high price :)
I can't understand people who destroy property. If you don't like it, move, but why wreck the place? That's why rent is so expensive.
I live in one of these! 10m sq. it’s all I can afford but I actually love it.
Not in Paris, but Australia: I lived in a flat that was six metres long and four metres wide for several years. It had a kitchen area with a sink and bench space, a full stove, fridge and washing machine. There was a bathroom area with a shower and a toilet, plus enough room for a bed, table, wardrobe, television and a cat tree in the main area, with space to walk easily between everything and my three cats had direct access to a large yard. People would be shocked when they saw how small it was for the first time they visited, but I had everything I needed and was quite content there.
I have family in Paris, but I didn't know about the struggles. Now I understand why my sister-in-law waited so long to get her own place. I think the trick is not to look for a place in the centre of the city, but on the outskirts. It's very sad that there are not enough flats and people are forced to live in shoe boxes. It almost made me cry to see how this man sleeps on the side and uses a bottle instead of a shower. It makes me more appreciative of what we have.
Thanks for asking: 18.6 square meters. It’s a nice place, but I’ve only been here 4 months. I share with 2 cats. Hope we’ll do okay in winter.
Im busy renovating and cutting off a portion of my house to rent out. Im losing 30 square meters, adding 9 square meters, so the new place will be 39 square meters. My place will now be 70 square meters instead of 100 square meters. My place feels small, the new place feels small. But this video makes me feel so much better.
This reminds me of looking for an apartment in New York. It can be so stressful when you’re looking for “cheap” rent.
I had a room in a basement apartment in New York, I was 28 and a happiest girl alive 🩵
Living in a small cosy house built in 1800 in a German city, 100 square meters on three floors. Loving it! Best place I ever lived in, and first time in my life that I can decorate my place like an instagram home with big plants and no clutter around :) I rented it just before the lockdowns started with doubts whether I really should spend so much on rent - and it was the best devision ever - I felt so comfy at home and didn't miss anything.
Gosh!! To live like that, no kitchen, no shower, no toilet,.. you may as well sleep in your car, maybe buy a van and you'd have more room to stretch out, could at least park next to a public toilet, and take a bucket with you for a wash!!! 😮😮😮
That is just sad.
So true.
In my country you aren’t allowed to build skaller than 21 sqm. I have lived in 19 sqm with toilet including in this. It was ok. I have much bigger now But i recall i felt freer in the small one
This is why cities in Europe look beautiful architecturally, but the reality of living in those buildings is a horror !! Also, little privacy from the neighbors, their barking dogs, and lots of stairs to climb.....I am so lucky to live in the USA.
I think it's a common thing forr all big cities in Europe. For example in London the famous semi-detached houses ar split in two. One at ground floor and one at first one. In Italy a lot of old central houses in Rome, Bologna, Siena, Arezzo, Venice and Florence have been renovated for location as Bad & Brekfast.
Je suis française, cela a toujours été ça à Paris.
Personne ne s'en plaint, c'est comme ça et chaqun le sait.
Les étudiants ne se plaignent pas.
En général ils sont contents d'avoir un toit, même minuscule.
De plus, ils savent que cela est temporaire.
I have been in Paris in 2018 and we stayed in an apartment of a friend of a friend and I was truly shocked how small the place was and that they have stored their shoes next to the fridge. When we came back to Sofia in our two rooms apartment I felt like we were living in a castle. I was wow our place is not that small after all. I don’t know why they would just stay in such places. I will just move, even switch countries but not live in a shoe box.
City life has city price! 😊
I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment about 550 square feet. Suddenly it feels very spacious when i see people living in a space the size of my bathroom. I don't know how they cope.
I was living alone in 42 m2 apartment and decided its too small for me and moved to 95 m2 apartment.
my good lord!! I didnt know that people are living in less than 9 m2 cages in Paris!
you can move to Baku - Paris of Caucasus.
You comment made me recall that where I come from (Samara) they say that Samara is a Swizerland of Russia. Why do we always want to compare ??😅
We all know what the cause of this overcapacity and suffering is, but so few will say it and fight for change.
I lived in a 9 ft x 9 ft converted chicken coop for one summer while doing an organic farm internship in 1997. No running water, pond water, no toilet, no electric, only phone line. It had a wood stove and only required 5 hours work per week as payment. I cooked outside using propane and had a wet cooler and a dry cooler for food storage. The toilet was a pit toilet in the ground.
Presently I live in a 30-foot caravan / RV that is approximately 200 SF with stove, fridge, freezer, toilet, heat and AC.
3:58 ok, but I guess he could organize his room better with a bed that is higher so he has place under it to use for storage. And shelves and maybe boxes so it is not such a mess…
When I was a student in 2000, my room was 2m on 4m and I lived in it for 2 years, I had a lot of shelves and even a sink, and a refrigerator and microwave on it. I had a little table to sit at on my bed.
In small rooms or apartments, utilizing vertical space is key to keeping the floor space uncluttered as possible. Using day beds as couches, or futons that double as a couch, fold-down table leaves, mirrors to reflect and give an impression of more space helps a lot. White/cream walls, glass where possible, minimal belongings all help turn even tiny spaces into livable rooms. High ceilings help a whole lot.
Custom beds and furniture cost money that this man probably really doesn't have.
I thought the same, but he probably can’t afford it.
I live in a 25m² tiny apartment however it is lofted and has a separate kitchen and nice bathroom, and the ceilings are super high so I can fully stand on the loft part. Costs about a third of my monthly wage.
same situation ☺️
I live in 2 small caravans. Onecis the kitchen & one is the bedroom. Most of my day is spent outside anyway.
FYI, it's illegal in France for a landlord to rent a room under 9m². Some people do not have a choice (like no papers) or do not know but... This is illegal. This is considered like unsanitay housing. And there is some other rules like : the room should have a window that open on the outside, etc.
All these stories are so interesting and very similar. When I was in university in Montreal, my apartment was extremely small, just a kitchen, small bedroom and bath. It was cramped but compared to these Paris apartment it was great. I think we adjust much better when we are very young. I could never live like that now.
I can under why being slim is a bonus in Paris
That’s ridiculous!! I’m thankful for my large space for under $1,100 per month!
Wow!
In America, so many people can't afford to buy a house.
At least we don't have to live in a space the size of a jail cell. SHOCKING!
Your video was eye opening.
My daughter is a real estate agent and despite saving for over 10 years, she still can't afford to buy her own home. 😮😢
Your video actually made her feel less depressed. 😢
Hi. I saw the YT vid of a real estate agent (in the US) wherein she + 2 siblings bought a 3-storey old colonial or Victoria fixer upper house. They are all part of the mortgage & each sibling will own 1 storey. They'll have their own entrances too. May be an idea for your daughter.
You do have a lot of people who are homeless. And a lot of vanlifers.
Looking for an apartment for two months. Heh, try standing in line for 13 years for an apartment in Stockholm.
What ??😱
Utrecht, Netherlands, social housing has waitlists for 15-18 years.
My Pakistani friend rents a nicely designed 2- BDR of approx 50 sq metres in the suburb. His office is in Montmarte, the company's driver picks him up. His neighbours are quite people were mostly Romanian. The metro line goes directly to Louvre. Why is this all drama about if you can live nicely 15 km outside the city center. But because it's North, only the migrants do.
In Seattle, microapartments must be at least 150 square feet but rent out for about $700-$900. The average is size of those type of units is 175 square feet and these types of developments have communal kitchens and often communal bathrooms as well. For a bit of context, the average Seattle new apartment is 659 square feet. The most cramped housing in the entire US.
Le mot anglais « jail /geol» vient du vieux français « geôle ». Voilà ce que m’inspire cette vidéo. Beau travail.
It's the same here in Poland- because we don't have regulated housing laws as we should have, flippers will buy a 40m2 flat and will divide it from two to even 4 rooms if it's possible and will expect you to pay the price equal to renting whole flat. And the government will do NOTHING to stop this procedure- especially that more than half of the landlord do not report their lease agreements to the tax office so they don't pay their taxes.
Microapartments are absolute plague- especially that now getting mortgage is absolutely impossible and usually homes and flats that are something bigger than a shoebox will cost from 1 mil up.
People are learning to live in cars and mini vans. Very small places.
Poverty needs to be the focus far more than Airbnb.
And here I thought 300 sq. Ft. In San Francisco was the smallest I’d ever seen…
A guarantor is not "required". Legally, it's not an obligation (unless they sign). Most landlords will ask for one if the rent is more than a third of that candidate's revenue (it's also cumulative, so if it's a couple, chances are, a guarantor is almost never required). Above that, it isn't required. They can also ask for one if the candidate is a foreigner. They ask for a french guarantor to avoid people coming, then suddenly leaving the country without paying, leaving the landlord with no alternative. Quite a few of them are scummy, especially in Paris, but a decent chunk are just average people investing in a property.
Shame on our Western capitalist societies. I'm also living in a tiny studio in Southern Germany with no alternative choice.
My apartment is just over 1,000 square feet. Two bedrooms, two full baths. $1,100/month. I live in the midwest of US.
I was living till my 5 years with both my parents in 9qm in a two room communal apartment in Saint Petersburg (Leningrad back then) Russia.
Now i have 88qm for me alone and live in Germany.
And yet the rest of France has endless empty homes. I walked thru Angouleme recently, and most of the buildings seemed to be vacant. It was depressing.
In Korea, students can rent a goshiwan room of about 6m². Most goshiwan don't have a toilet or shower. There are communal dining and washing areas. They pay about €350 per month.
If I could rent a tiny place like that in my city, I would. I LOVE tiny spaces. And I love getting rid of stuff.
I'm homeless.
That would be paradise to me.
I had a friend with a maid's room apartment, but it had a shower. Many many stairs straight up.
Painfully dragging shopping home but saves on gym membership! 10K steps per day ✅
@@bebertlenjoleur3721 My shops were nearby, but I remember walking a lot . There were just individual shops.
Madame Marie Claire lived in one of the garret apartments before she met her husband. She lived on radishes.
but listen folks, this is Paris within the Periphérique. If you're willing to commute 90 minutes, the situation is quite different. Not to mention the difficult ring towns.
My one bedroom and den is 800sq ft. Ample for me. People make due with what is available. Nothing under 400 sq ft is acceptable.
new subbie here! my condo is about 1000 sq ft but generally in metropolitan area in my city (KL, Malaysia) smallest unit starts from about 500 sq ft but mind you it is not cheap as well.. I CANNOT imagine living in 16 sq ft space?? claustrophobia definitely creeps in 😅
Bienvenue !🧡
9 sq meters is almost 97 sq.feet. not 17. 17 would be 4 feet by 4 ft.
@loudmummy - perhaps you meant 16 sqm, not sq ft? 16 sqm is small but doable flat in Asia. (There are 7 to 10 sqm flats in Japan.) 16 sqft would just be a room, not a flat/ apt. To convert sqm to sq ft, I usually add 1 zero. If vice versa (sq ft to sqm), then subtract 1 zero. It's not exact but will give an estimate.
One to 4%?! That's a bargain compared to the US. We have had 12%, 8%, 6% now; during the downturn, though, we had more like 1% to 4%. That will never happen again.
I know😭 Still, even 4% is so much money paid to the bank! We secured our loan at around 0.80%, I guess I'll never change appartments😅
@@pariscape Wait. Are you renting or buying the apartment?
I live in the US and moved last month from a 1450 sq ft home to a 900 sq ft home. I thought my new home is small, but I live in a sprawling estate compared to these apartments!
You literally live in Versalles😀
I rent 50m2 in Vancouver, BC, but only because I got it in 2009 when I graduated university, locking in a rent controlled price. I would pay triple for a suite in this same building today! The average price for a one-bedroom in Vancouver is C$2750 a month, around €1850.
Wow, lucky you! No such thing here, we've got social housing but the waiting lists are crazy and let's face it you need to have a very low income...
Immigration needs to be part of this conversation.
People tend to focus on immigration of the poor who come to do the low paying jobs, but those people are the ones who are most likely to become victims of these inhumane living conditions. Instead of focusing on the poor, we should focus on the rich who are buying out properties as an 'investment'. They are the ones inflating the prices in the cities and then all these apartments are sitting there empty, reducing the supply of available properties to rent, which drives prices up even more. The wealthy Chinese, Russians, Middle Eastern people etc. are buying out properties in all of the major capitals and coast cities in Europe and this is the real problem that should be discussed. There need to be laws in place to prevent this from happening. Instead of attacking the poor immigrants who are just trying to stay alive.. Brexit was going to 'solve' the immigration problem, yet the prices are continuing to rise in London because immigration was never the problem in the first place..
What a false image Paris gives to tourists or those wanting to live there. Everything looks beautiful from the surface but in actuality it is a nightmare. This is as bad as NewYork. It is utterly appauling! Shame on you Parisiens, you are just as bad as anyone else! Save your money people and don't even think to move there!
My house is 1800 square feet. I live in the countryside in the USA.