Two Years And Counting

In life, you lose nonstop – youth, looks, money, friends, illusions. But sometimes, you win in court. And so, after two years of paperwork and courtrooms, on January 28, 2022, a French court ordered my former 2019 Paris landlord to return my full security deposit, plus two years’ interest. This decision is a step in the right direction and a way to put part of my nine weeks in hell behind me.

Not that the apartment itself was hell. It wasn’t.

The Apartment

I chose the apartment for its superb location, and it looked so cute online. It was perfect for me and my (now deceased) dog, Gavroche, and the landlord seemed like a nice guy. Everything looked perfect online.

In the real world, life was a bit different. The landlord wasn’t so nice after all, and the apartment I had rented was a wee bit different (!) from the image presented online. Yes, that is to be expected. That’s a big-city rental for the pre-rich for you.

The apartment was situated behind a noisy old elevator. From the kitchen window facing the bin area, you could smell the garbage bins. The floors were freezing, likely due to their location directly above an ancient basement. It was dark and moist, as evidenced by the mold on a wall, and it was clear that one of the former inhabitants had been a non-neutered male cat! The toilet was in what must have been a cupboard once upon a time, sans sink. Or, in other words, it had old-world charm and atmosphere!

Bittersweet Goodbye

Joking aside, the truth is that I am sure I would have stayed there for years if the monsters hadn’t shown up and joined ranks with a group of local thugs. Because the location was unbeatable, and the apartment even had a terrace. And a bit of paint and a lot of fresh air would have fixed the nasty scent.

No, my problems weren’t the scary mold, the stench of cat urine that came with dampness, or even the faulty wires; all of that is to be expected when you rent a no-need-to-sell-a-kidney-priced apartment in a metropolis in Europe. My problem, my nightmare, was the Danish monsters that turned everything very ugly very quickly, as they do wherever the gutter they travel in leads them!

The reason I left this apartment was that the monsters from Denmark showed up in the hallway.

As usual, they had weaseled their way into a neighborhood, a building, and people’s hearts and minds with their lies and madness. And then the destructive and malicious hell they create wherever they go began.

Renting in Paris

État des lieux d'entrée

I had never rented with the rental agency that managed this apartment before, but they seemed friendly and very professional. However, when I needed help, they failed to assist, despite the substantial fees. I had paid the security deposit directly to the agency. But when it came down to having it back, it was between the landlord and me.

Another issue that was solely my problem, rather than the rental agency’s, was the état des lieux d’entrée. État des lieux d’entrée, which translates something like: The state/condition of the place upon entry. An état des lieux d’entrée is a document you fill in and sign with your landlord or representative when you move into a rental. Here you note down everything - faults, deficiencies, what furniture and kitchen equipment there is, the conditions of the same, e.g., 15 forks, a minor scratch on the bathroom mirror, and so on. The state of the apartment upon arrival is then agreed upon and signed by both parties.

État des lieux de sortie

When you leave the apartment again, you fill in and sign a similar document, the état des lieux de sortie (The state/condition of the place upon departure). Then you can compare the two docs, and this way, you can easily see what has been broken, added, and so on. It is a good deal for both tenant and landlord. Sometimes it is the same document, where you note the condition for both entry and departure.

Remember to keep your copy safe if you rent an apartment in Paris. You will need it when you move out.

However, the état des lieux d’entrée wasn’t done upon arrival. I had expected it to be done within a few weeks, but no. Why this was, I don’t know.

But I do know that it left me in a difficult situation, because when I vacated the apartment six weeks later, I didn’t have the above, and no one showed up to sign an état des lieux de sortie or sign for the keys. I was texted to leave the keys on the kitchen table and close the door on my way out.

It was as if I had never even been there, except for my rental contract and the payments.

No Exit?

Not having an état des lieux de sortie left me in a situation with my insurance company. They needed a signed état des lieux de sortie to cancel my insurance. They were, however, very friendly and cooperative. And in the end, after nine months of communication, I could cancel the insurance policy.

And now, after two years, I will get all of my deposit back. Or at least the court has told the landlord to pay it back.

One Chapter Closed

But this is a drop in the ocean compared to an apartment and rental contract that had cost me thousands of euros to secure, to begin with, the extreme experiences, and once again in my life, having thrown in my face that too many people are weak, stupid, and ignorant.

The people in the Rue Malebranche building had no reason to behave the way they did – all they had to do was talk to me to find out who I was. They could have even spoken to the people who came down from Denmark to see me, people who had known me since I was a kid. But they didn’t.

It was much more fun to play along and accept the lies of primitive, uncultured, mythomaniac, sadistic thugs without question, I guess.

Leaving that ghoulish nightmare aside, which evolved within days in September 2019 in Rue Malebranche in the 5th arrondissement, today I am relieved that the court sided with me, and I might get my money back. So, if not anything else, I can close this monetary chapter of my nine weeks in hell. The rest is still to come.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found it valuable and worth your time! Until next time, remember to get your facts straight, and that whatever good times you have will never come back as bad times.