You have found your architect, your decorator or your contractor. The quote is signed, the plans are approved. Then you realise that someone has to be in Paris for everything the contractor does not do.
A good professional runs the site. But a flat is part of a building, and a building has its own rules, its own people and its own calendar. That is the part I take care of.
I do not replace your contractor
Most of my clients already have someone for the works: an architect, an interior designer, a contractor. I work alongside them. Sometimes the owner calls me, sometimes it is the professional himself who needs someone to handle the administrative side, especially when the owner lives abroad.
I also step in after a water damage, when repairs have to be organised and followed on the spot.
The building has a say
Not every job needs the building’s approval. In principle, you can arrange your own flat freely, within two limits: the purpose of the building and the rights of the other owners (source: justice.fr).
It is different when the works affect the common parts or the outside look of the building, such as windows, ducts or air conditioning. Then the general meeting of owners has to approve them, and neither the syndic nor the co-ownership council (conseil syndical) can grant that approval on its own (source: justice.fr).
That is where I come in. I prepare the request with the syndic and I attend the general meeting on my client’s behalf, with a proxy, so that the request is presented and put to the vote even when the owner is thousands of kilometres away. Sometimes I come with the owner instead, to help follow the discussion and translate.
Meters, gas, water
Moving a meter or cutting the gas is not something a contractor does on his own. The meters belong to the network operators.
For electricity, Enedis (the French electricity network operator) is the only entity authorised to move a meter. The request can go through your electricity supplier or directly to Enedis (source: enedis.fr). For gas, the meter belongs to GRDF (the French gas network operator): you cannot modify, move or remove it without GRDF’s agreement. The request goes through GRDF’s online form or customer service, and GRDF sends its own teams (source: grdf.fr).
In practice, that means calls, forms and dates to coordinate with the contractor. When water has to be cut, I leave a message for the building so that nobody is surprised.
The neighbours
A renovation is also the business of the people who live above, below and across the landing. When it is needed, I contact them myself. A word at the right moment makes everything easier.
Seeing the site without being there
I take photos before, during and after the works. You follow the progress from wherever you are, and you keep a record of the flat at each stage. I also keep track of the payment of deposits and invoices, so that the project stays clean from start to finish.
Even better: call me before you choose
Today, I often arrive once the contractor has already been chosen. What I would like is to be there earlier.
I work with several contractors I trust. Some come from my network, others are people I have already worked with on other sites. And the lowest price is rarely the only reason to choose someone: speed, precision, responsiveness, willingness to take on small jobs all count. If you are still at the stage of looking for the right person, I can help you find them.
This matters even more for decoration. Everyone has their own style, and the right person is the one who matches your taste. Clients from abroad sometimes arrive with requests that are hard to carry out here: standards in France and in Europe are different, and some materials are difficult to find locally. You need someone who explains things well, who is patient and pedagogical, and who can say what is possible, what is not, and what the alternatives are. That is the kind of professional I look for.
In short
- Coordination with your architect, designer or contractor
- Requests to the syndic, and attending the general meeting on your behalf (with a proxy) or by your side, with translation if needed
- Electricity and gas: meters, cut-offs, forms and calls to Enedis or GRDF
- Notices to the building and a word to the neighbours
- Photos before, during and after
- Follow-up of deposits and invoices
- Repairs after a water damage
Living abroad, you cannot pop in, meet the syndic or sit in the general meeting. Someone can do it for you, or sit next to you and translate.
Looking for a neighbourhood or a flat first? See my property search services. Already an owner? Read Owning in Paris: understanding your property tax.
Own a Paris flat and live abroad? Book a free 30-minute call and tell me about your project.