parisbynumbers.com

According to an article in Wired, Paris can claim to be the birthplace of the world’s first bus service, started by the prodigiously talented scientist, theologian and entrepreneur Blaise Pascal as far back as 1662:

The system started with seven horse-drawn vehicles running along regular routes. Each coach could carry six or eight passengers. Some sources specify three routes; others say there were six, and that one of them was a circular route…King Louis XIV granted a royal monopoly: Try to compete, and your horses and vehicles would be taken away.

No-one likes a bus. Whether you’re queuing for a red double decker or a green parisian hopper, bus travel can be a frustrating experience - and the good people of the 17th century agreed. Pascal’s game was up in only a few years: by 1675 the scheme was out of business. France’s strict social code ensured his ‘Five Penny Coaches’ were off limits to peasants, and could only be available to the nobility and gentry - who presumably had more comfortable means of getting around town.

“A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself on a bus, can count himself as a failure.” So said British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (or so the story goes) - seems the people of Paris found it hard to disagree.

Paris is a small and very accessible city - and fortunately for visitors, it’s also packed full of hotels. The most popular tourist sites are distributed evenly around all parts of the capital, and all are quickly reached on the city’s admirable metro network, allowing tourists to pick from a wide selection of Paris’ surprisingly affordable accommodation options.

The central arrondissements are certainly the most popular places to stay, combining close proximity to popular attractions with easy access to pubs, shops and restarants. In particular hotels in the 4th, 5th and 6th arrondissements are high on many tourists’ wishlists. Combining the Marais, Latin Quarter and St Germain districts respectively, these three arrondissements represent the most picturesque, riverside areas of the city - not to mention the best of the capital’s cafe culture.

If your budget can’t stretch to the central districts, there are still rich pickings further out. The western arrondissements offer easy access to (and if you’re lucky, a nice view of) Paris’ monumental Eiffel Tower. While these districts can be expensive - and a little short on local colour - the upper reaches of the 15th combine lively streets with a quick metro into the centre.

Or better, perhaps, to head east; the 11th and 12th arrondissement (around Bastille and Gare de Lyon) have very affordable accommodation amidst some of the capital’s best night life. Equally the 14th, around the historic district of Montparnasse, is fames for its restaurants and brasseries, and is another pleasant spot from which to explore the larger city.

Most hotel listings will name the closest metro station, but if in doubt check the postcode to confirm its location. Paris zip / postcodes consist of 5 digits; while the first three will always be ‘750′, the following two digits indicate the arrondissement. Thus a code 75011 indicates an address in Paris’ 11th arrondissement. While hardly any quarters should be considered off limits, hotels in a few districts should still be booked with care. The 18th arrondissement, around Pigalle and Montmartre, is one of Paris’ tourist hotspots - but it’s also home to more than a few of it’s seedier hotels, many barely a stones throw from the famous Moulin Rouge. Many hotels claiming a ‘montmartre’ address nestle in fact amongst the sex shops and cinemas of Pigalle - an exciting spot to visit, but not a particularly pleasant place to stay.

Similiarly, a significant number of hotels, particularly the large chains, have set up shop just the other side of the peripherique. A location just a hundred meters beyond Paris’ exterior ring road can lower room rates quite considerably, and these are a popular option for travellers on the tightest budgets. But bear in mind that while these are relatively well plugged into the transport network, they are generally in undesirable locations - if you’re using public transport late in the evening, the short but noisy walk back under the underpass or over the road bridge might not be the perfect end to your perfect night.

All great cities charge a lot for a little - but it seems Parisians have it much better than their near neighbours in London, according to a recent survey of the world’s most expensive addresses.

The report, carried out for Swiss bank UBS, named the British capital the most costly place to live in the world, heading up a list of 70 cities dominated by European locations including Oslo, Copenhagen, Dublin and Zurich.

Paris, meanwhile, just sneaks into the top ten - ahead of Berlin, Brussells and Barcelona but nestling snugly below New York, whose sky high property prices land it in fifth place, despite the rapid depreciation of the dollar.

The biannual research survey ‘Prices and Earnings’ combines the cost of selected goods and sevices with the cost of property to create a cost of living league table of all major world cities. While the French may well be envious of Britain’s roaring British economy, it seems that the people of Paris may well have a little more cash in their pockets come rent day…

The ’syndic’, short for syndicat, is the managing agent responsible for each French apartment block. Paris is famous for it’s tall, stately, often very beautiful apartment buildings - indeed, almost all of the city’s residential property is housed in blocks five or six storeys tall. But all this communal living means plenty of communal space - and plenty of communal problems. To manage this, each building needs a syndic.

When you buy an apartment in Paris you’ll very likely become a co-proprietaire or co-owner - that’s to say, while you’ll own your apartment outright you’ll gain a share in the responsiblity for the block in which your own property is housed. One of the prinicipal roles of the co-proprietaires in each apartment block is to appoint the syndic, who manage the day to day costs and challenges of maintaining the building - the structure, utilities, and any disputes or conflicts which may arise.

There are plenty of professional agencies who take on the managment of apartment blocks, but the role of syndic might equally be fulfilled by an amateur organisation too - sometimes the responsibility is taken on by one of the co-owners. The co-owners are expected to meet at least once a year to review and reappoint, the syndic - as well as discuss and agree the service charges for the year ahead.

Service charges are normally levied on a quarterly basis - it’s another charge, on top of property taxes, of which anyone investing in Paris property needs to be aware.

Once you buy property in Paris you potentially become liable for two separate taxes: taxe d’habitation and taxe fonciere. Taxe Fonciere is the state property tax, paid to central government, and the owner of a property on the 1st January each year is liable for this tax.

Taxe d’habitation, on the other hand, is paid to the city of Paris itself and directly covers the costs of local services. The tax is charged to residents occupying the property on the 1st January: if you’re resident on that date you’ll be liable to pay tax for the full year, regardless of when you moved in, or when you choose to move out.

If there are no residents in a property on the 1st Jan (but the property is still considered ‘habitable’) the tax is charged to the owner - so if you’re only occasionally resident, or you let out a property for short-term holiday rentals, you’ll still have to pay the tax. Only if your property is rented out on a long term basis will you escape payment: then your tenants are liable for Taxe d’habitation in your place.

Both of these taxes are calculated according to the city’s estimation of your property’s annual rental value, which generally does turn out to be lower than the market rate. Of the two, taxe fonciere is likely to be the most significant - sometimes as much as twice the cost of taxe d’habitation. 

Taxes for the year are usually billed late, in August or September, with payment due a month or two later - though arrangements can generally be made to pay in monthly installments. When buying a property, a private agreement may well ensure that the buyer and seller share the full year’s tax bill proportionally - but the legal responsibility for payment always rests with the owner and occupier of the property on the first day of the year.