MTP's apartment is situated in an unbeatable location, with a great view out over Le Marais, which feels very safe even in the evening, and is always bustling. Admittedly, it is very noisy late into the night (even on week nights), but this seems to be typical of the area as there are many bars/restaurants and this is the price you pay for being in the heart of Paris. The apartment 5 mins or less from a range of bus stops and metro stations, and this makes getting around Paris is extremely easy. Thomas and Hélene were initially very helpful in providing me with signed documentation for my visa, and kindly greeted me when I arrived.
However, this said, the apartment had clearly not been used during the first half of the pandemic, and so some lamps were not working when I arrived, meaning the apartment was dark, and certain areas felt a little grimy and dusty (although I should add that a cleaning crew were sent in before I arrived to clean the main surfaces and to make the bed). The blinds also kept falling off, as they were cheaply made. Overall, though, this seems to be fairly standard of Paris apartments, although a little disappointing given the price point of the apartment, as it does seem to be on the more expensive end for the area.
The reason, however, that I cannot in good faith recommend the apartment to future guests is unfortunately due to the deterioration of communication on the part of Hélene and Thomas. Whilst helpful before I arrived in Paris and quick to respond on one occasion when there was an issue with the door, there was a major leak in the apartment during the first few weeks of my stay, which caused significant water damage to the floor and bed. This started in the morning and despite numerous calls to Hélene and Thomas, it took hours before they responded, and longer still before they offered an adequate solution. I had to wait until the evening before they confirmed that I would be able to stay in a hotel that night. During my stay at the hotel, they were consistently uncommunicative, and did not update me or let me know day-to-day what the situation was regarding the apartment, or when I would be able to go back. It was only when I mentioned involving Airbnb that they finally responded, and I was given no indication of how long my stay at the hotel would be. Eventually, they paid for this stay, but it was needlessly stressful and could have been avoided through further communication. We all speak fluent French and English, and communicated in a mixture of both, so I do not believe this was a language barrier issue.
I requested that the electrics be checked by an electrician given that there was water damage to the apartment as the stovetop temporarily stopped working following this damage, but this was brushed off by Hélene and Thomas, who insisted that, as the stovetop began to work again spontaneously, that the issue with the electrics was now fixed. Additionally, I was assured that a new mattress would be provided following the leak (as it was sodden and stained from the water), but actions were only taken towards this in the last two weeks of my stay, despite the fact that the damage happened in my first two weeks (I stayed in the apartment for 3 months total). Eventually, when Hélene did contact me to inform me the night before that she was bringing someone to the apartment the following morning to look at the mattress, I had to cancel in the morning, as I had a temperature and was concerned about passing this onto Hélene, as it may have been covid. Nevertheless, Hélene showed up at my door, banging multiple times despite the fact that I had texted her to inform her, and told me that it was extremely annoying that I had to cancel last-minute due to illness.
I did enjoy my stay, but can't recommend the apartment to others, as I believe there are options which are better value and may have more communicative landlords/rental agencies.