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Setting up home in Paris: useful apps which make moving in/to Paris easier

Once you have arrived in Paris, settled into your first accommodation and are starting to look for your new future home, don’t forget to download some handy apps to your phone which could make the next steps of organising your life in Paris easier.

Clearly, there are a multitude of apps for every city which provide assistance for everything from navigating the public transport to booking a baby sitter. We would like to introduce you to some useful French apps which a newcomer may not be aware of and that are worth chewing up some storage space on your phone.

Via Navigo

Via Navigo is an essential app, trusted by visitors and locals alike. The easy to use app will show you how to get from point A to point B within the Ile-de France region, providing information about the length of time the journey will take (door-to-door) as well as next scheduled stop of your selected means of transport. It includes all the different modes of public transport (train, RER, metro, tramway, T Zen, Car).

My Troopers


My Troopers specializes in small removals, and for the moment only in Paris and its suburbs. This young company simplifies small removals by offering the rental of commercial vehicles with drivers, who, if you wish, help you to move.

The site offers three different formulas. The first is called the “trottoir à trottoir” and offers transportation only. With the second (“1 trooper”) the driver is put into the equation and helps the customer to carry his belongings. Finally, by choosing the third and last formula, namely “2 troopers”, the customer does nothing

Stootie

Once you have found the apartment you wish to move into, you may require some helpers to make it your own. At home (your previous one, that is) you may have simply asked a bunch of friends to help you with your move, or you could use your own network to sort out some minor issues such as hanging your tv screen on the wall or refreshing the paint on the kitchen. But in a new location we often don’t have those contacts handy.

Stootie is an application that allows you to rent services or buy products nearby. It connects private individuals and applicants through localisation. Weather you are looking for a guitar teacher or a helping hand for a move, or perhaps a used washing machine, you can look for it on Stootie.

This app has been praised for high response rate within a fast time period.

Mon Super Voisin

Based on the same principal as Stootie, rather than call a professional, enjoy the goodwill in your neighbourhood. This application connects the inhabitants of the same district, in Paris and Ile-de-France. Some indicate their needs, others (who want to make ends meet) display their skills. Mon Super Voisin includes a prepayment tool to avoid any inconvenience, and liability insurance covers the services provided, in case of damage or accident.

Welp

The Welp site is a support network that connects individuals to help each other without financial remuneration.

From tuition, visiting seniors, babysitting, pet sitting, gardening, do-it-yourself, you name it, you can create your ad to offer help (help out parents , give clothes, keep an animal …) or ask for help for yourself, an association or a friend.

We love this app as it presents a good opportunity to connect with the local community and integrate into your new city. Perhaps also a way to apply your freshly gained language skills?

Kliner

If you are looking for a qualified cleaner you could try this app. Kliner offers a mobile application to easily book assistance. A platform which makes the connection between the person offering and the one looking for the service. Good to know: Kliner only allows the connection but not the management of the relationship between you and the man or the housekeeper.

Gens de confiance

Another app to find help and offer services. The difference here is all new registrants must be recommended by three sponsors before accessing the content. It kind of works like word-of-mouth works and you will every only deal with people with recommendations. In case of inappropriate behaviour, subscribers get excluded.

This app is could be of interest in particular when looking for services where you need to really put your trust in people, such as renting or babysitting.

DIY: a number of apps which can help get your work done

The uberisation of the DIY market is in full swing. If you have a little do-it-yourself job but are not confident about your hammer skills, you could consider finding a handyman through any of the following apps.

Hello Casa

This app connects professional services with the consumer with the all small DIY work as well as smaller renovation works. Via the site or application, simply select the service, date and time chosen. You can upload a photo and as for a quote – quotes are either online thanks to fixed prices for different services or you can ask for a personal quote tailor made to your situation. Jobs can be as diverse as painting a front door, installing white goods, installing smoke detectors, laying tiling …

Merci, Jack

For smaller jobs (mounting a shelf or exchanging a tap) as well as for bigger ones (installing kitchen) you will be connected with a professional service to assist you. The app will send you a handyman to you home, who will evaluate the work, the time of intervention and offers his price: if you accept he gets to work, otherwise he leaves and you pay nothing.

Supermano

SuperMano.fr is a home DIY service platform connecting a community of handymen with individuals with specific needs and punctual small jobs: painting, plumbing, electricity or gardening, everything can be realized by using the app. By filling in the type of work, your address and your date for the work, the site automatically suggests a list of people who are quick to intervene and the handyman best suited to your needs together with the best ratings and opinions from the community. Very practical, because it saves you from responding to the many requests that an ad generates.

About Natalie Nègre

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