The Globe and Mail - 15.2.2003

The true meaning of the A-list? You have an appartement

Friends fever has hit Paris, where people go to colocation parties to find a roommate

Paris - Elodie is an easy Parisienne. "I'm looking for a man or woman. It doesn't matter," says the 22-year-old hairdresser with long frosted locks. She scans the crowd of beautiful people. "All I want is a washing machine."

We're standing in a queue awaiting our turn with Celine, one of precious few people at tonight's Colocation Club soirée wearing the letter "A" on a name tag. No, she's not a scarlet woman. Celine has an apartment.

Le Jeudi de la Colocation is a monthly meet-and-greet club founded by Antoine Peytavin, a 26-year-old telecom engineer who, in 2000, needed to find a roommate in a pinch. He built a Web site, got an overwhelming response and voilà -- the club was born.

Since then, more than 35,000 people have registered at Colocation.fr and flatmate fever has swept France. Colocation.fr is about to make the leap across the pond, with an English-language Web site targeting New York and San Francisco set for launch this summer.

In Paris, the Thursday-night events attract as many as 500 people. So what happened to the legend that Parisians cherish privacy? I flag down Antoine so I don't lose my spot in line. "Yes, a few years ago, it was not popular at all to have a roommate. It meant you didn't have money, you had a bad job. But with TV shows like Friends, it's become very popular now. Everyone wants a life after eight or more hours of work."

A more compelling reason is that Paris rents have skyrocketed, likely because of the très serious shortage of apartments. It's common for landlords to demand salary slips and tax returns, as well a month's rent as "caution."

It's Elodie's turn with Celine, a tall, blond, 24-year-old law student with a newly renovated 50 square metre two bedroom in the luxe 8th. With a washing machine! Celine seeks a "discreet calm woman, not depressed, likes to laugh." Elodie grins hard and wide until she hears the rent : 600 euros a month plus caution.

Rubin, 26, from Barcelona, wants to move from his "dirty" place in the 18th to the 9th, where he waiters. He's also looking for an "opportunity to know good people. Paris is very beautiful but the people aren't as beautiful."

Diane, 23, agrees that Parisians are hard to buddy up with. "They are protective and you have to be too." With a 40 square metre two bedroom - 440 euros a month, no caution - Diane is A-list. Unfortunately for Rubin, her place is in the 18th and available only to women. "You have to pass through my bedroom to go to the washroom."

Even in the burbs, French apartment seekers can expect to share the loo and pay through the nose. "I'm expensive," says Cecile, a 37-year-old journalist with a house in high-end Meudon. Her washroom comes with a tub. "Everything's large. I used to live in America."

Celine just lost her old roommate to a "very nice Canadian man," and she's having no luck replacing her. "At my rates, most candidates are men," she says, "and the men here tonight are too young for me."

One of them is Paul, a twentysomething with a bigger ego than budget. "Women are more clean and proper," he says. "I want something in the 1st for no more than 500."

By now, my 800-euro "bonne chambre" in the 5th is looking très bon. So what if it doesn't have a bathroom door and the couple next door wake me at 3 every morning with their amorous aerobics? I have a view of the Notre Dame spire. All to myself.

By Danielle Egan