First encounter with l’administration française
Having always benefited from contacts when searching for an apartment in Paris, I have until recently avoided the torturous journey through the congested network of French administration – a bureaucratic haven of rules, regulations and excessive amounts of paperwork. Very soon I will be returning to Paris to find an apartment with my girlfriend. Thus, to add to my ever growing list of things to do, I received an email highlighting the documents I would need to provide when using the facility of a housing agency in France.
My jaw was left gaping, only to be shut again for fear of drooling. I can foresee that this list will gradually become more and more unsightly as I simultaneously become more and more desperate in my search for documents which are probably starting to gather dust at the back of some filing cabinet.
Not only am I obliged to provide all the usual material such as proof of identity and previous address, but my parents – as guarantors – are forced to photocopy everything from council tax forms to pay slips dating back from months ago. The objective behind these Machiavellian style demands is merely to avoid any possibility of not being paid. Unfortunately, by inflicting such gruesome bureaucratic pressure on the thousands of people who search for flats in Paris every year, future tenants feel extremely distrusted as they are forced to sign the contract leaving a trail of sweat and blood behind them.
In England last year, there was no identity check; no scrupulous reading of my bank statements and no involvement of my parents as I gleefully signed my contract sans administration. Wouldn’t it be great if we brought back the good old days when everyone carried wads of cash in their pocket? The proof would be there for everyone to see and house hunting in Paris would become less of a chore.
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I don't know how things are going in Ole Blighty, but down here, it is becoming distinctly totalitarian.....
cheers
fog