Two in three tenants managed by BARNES Rentals were foreign in 2025. Behind that figure lies a shift: major international fortunes are no longer looking for a Paris pied-à-terre, but a lasting residence.
One figure, an accelerating trend
Lettings made by BARNES Rentals to a non-resident clientele rose by twenty-two per cent in 2025, a momentum the agency says it sees accelerating in 2026. In May 2026, sixty-four per cent of the tenants managed by the agency were international, of whom forty-two per cent were American, thirty-three per cent European and twenty-five per cent from the Middle East.
Safety as an argument for wealth
According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index 2025, Paris enjoys a higher perception of safety than London or New York. For a wealthy international clientele used to weighing metropolises as they weigh financial investments, this indicator bears directly on the decision to reside. “This trend goes well beyond a simple market cycle. It illustrates Paris’s ability to establish itself as the benchmark residential destination for a wealthy international clientele,” observes Jean de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, associate director of BARNES Rentals.
The ultra-premium segment lifts rents
Demand from ultra-high-net-worth individuals — whose wealth exceeds thirty million dollars — is pushing the market upward: rents in the ultra-premium segment rose by twelve per cent in 2025, against six to nine per cent across the Paris high-end market as a whole, for an average rent of four thousand two hundred and eighty-five euros a month. The vacancy rate on properties managed by BARNES Rentals remains below one per cent. This clientele’s expectations are now close to those of luxury hospitality: a dedicated concierge, a private chef, personalised security.
A map being redrawn arrondissement by arrondissement
The 6th, 7th, 8th and 16th arrondissements, as well as Neuilly-sur-Seine, retain their status as benchmarks of the prestige rental market, supported by a clientele seeking established addresses and reputed schools. The Marais confirms its appeal for an international clientele drawn by its architectural heritage, while the 11th, 12th and 20th arrondissements are rising under the effect of younger demand. The 17th attracts families seeking a residential balance, the 15th international families thanks to its schools and green spaces.
From expatriation to settling
The movement is no longer limited to executives on professional assignment: French families returning from expatriation and international families alike are settling for the medium or long term, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Boulogne-Billancourt, Versailles or Saint-Germain-en-Laye. “Paris is experiencing something rather rare in the history of a city: a revaluation from the outside. It was not Parisians who decided that Paris was a safe haven. It was international crises that established it,” sums up Jean de Gouvion Saint-Cyr. High-end rental in Paris, long a transitional solution, is becoming a stage of settling in its own right.
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