First things first. The apartment looks as advertised in the photos, it is a garret apartment (think La Boheme - without the charm) and you climb up 100 loosely-carpeted, sometimes dark, steps, up eight flights with peeling paint to reach the top (4th) floor. If that is a problem, stop reading and look elsewhere.
I will now do the good bits. A new, very serviceable kitchen. Terrific location; Les Halles, if you want to be in Paris' equivalent of the West Village (New York City) or Soho (London). It is also near the very best and most convenient Metro station: Chatelet. Samuel met us easily and promptly and so the arrival was effortless. He was also available, as was the office, throughout our stay. There is a second separate toilet room. The towel warmer in the bathroom is great. The shower is better than many in Paris and the clothes washer is new and works. The apartment was clean. There are lots and lots of newly installed outlets for phones, iPads etc.
The current challenges. 1.) The apartment has at least five mousetraps I could spot. Happily no mice but disconcerting especially when you also see them on every floor as you climb the stairs. Also, the glass dome on the ceiling light in the bathroom has dead flies in it. 2.) At least three of the wall outlets don’t work. 3.) the apartment looks like a barren college dorm room with miscellaneous, uncomfortable and unnecessary furniture that looks like it has just been left by the last students and then supplemented with Paris-themed stenciled box furniture. 4.) the apartment has great cross ventilation which it badly needs being on the top floor, except that you can’t keep the windows open because there is no latch to secure any of them open and they swing shut and bang, and as previous renters discovered, that breaks the glass panes. (I was told that the broken panes were scheduled to be fixed, but that doesn't do any good unless you latch the window too) Also the bedroom door needs a door stop because every time you open a window the bedroom door slams shut, and again eliminates the much-needed ventilation. 5.)the advertised air conditioning is a single floor unit with a hose, but you are supposed to hang the hose out the window ( no small feat without anything to attach it to), however, if you do, then you can’t close the window, completely defeating the purpose of the air conditioner...which, by the way, does nothing for the bedroom. There is a standing fan in the bedroom which is better than nothing but not enough. So, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT RENT THIS APARTMENT IN WARM WEATHER UNLESS THEY FIX THE WINDOWS AND FULLY AIR CONDITION THE APARTMENT. 6.)the apartment could use necessities like washcloths, pepper, and a towel rack in the bathroom, 7.) the loose metal bathroom sink stopper does not work unless, as I was told, you get a knife from the kitchen and when you need to pop up the stopper you can pry it up with the knife. 8.) the following was broken during our stay: the coffee machine- later replaced, a glass wall sconce in the bedroom (missing), the aforesaidmentioned window panes, the glass lamp shade on the kitchen desk lamp, the door handle hardware to the bedroom, the bedroom sink faucet is completely loose, not to mention that the glass in the front door of the building is smashed giving an initial dilapidated air to the place. 9.) Inconveniently, when the neighbors turn on the hall light the entry light inside the apartment goes on.
In summary, they could probably make this a decent rental ...location, location, location, but they need to fix lots of things, give it some care and attention (we spent over $2,000 here so they are making enough money to do that) and then stay on top of maintenance and repair.