The build-up to the Olympic Games has brought a new topic of discussion to dinners in the north of Paris, the inner suburbs around the Stade de France: Asking about their plans for the coming summer. The question is generally not aimed at assessing the speaker's preference for javelin throwing or triple jumping, but at finding out whether he or she intends to rent out their home between July 26 and August 11, 2024.

These new landlords have even more easily welcomed, rather than opposed, the Paris Games as they allow the candidates an unexpected windfall that they can actively support. They don't talk about it as a windfall, but present the operation as an escape plan from hell: They'll be leaving Paris this summer, disgusted by the change in the metro ticket price to 4 euros rather than motivated by the prospect of three months' salary in two weeks. We're not far from Hugues Lavigne's viral video of a Parisian showing his cellar to an American: "700 euros every night. Enjoy Paris!"

How to recognize them

They often don't need it to make ends meet, but they don't know (if they do, they can't afford to bring their apartment up to standard). They decided on their ethical line on the subletting issue after seeing the prices. They are against Airbnb in Paris for the rest of the year. They've learned to take wide-angle photos. They pretend they didn't set this crazy rate on their own ("We were told that was the price"). They think their tenants will be lucky to fall in with them. If they have bought a single-family home in a gentrified neighborhood of Pantin, they declare that "it's a stroke of luck for Seine-Saint-Denis."

How they talk

"Laurent will make 15,000 euros in a fortnight." "Anne Hidalgo [the mayor of Paris] isn't going to stop Parisians from earning a little money." "I don't dare put it on Airbnb; for the moment, I've put it on a Japanese site." "I'd love to rent out my apartment, but I'm too lazy to tidy up at home." "Anyway, apart from the gymnastics, there are no events I want to see." "It'll pay for our vacation." "She plans to pay for her new boiler with the Olympics." "Calling it the most important peacetime policing event doesn't put you in a festive mood. Why should we stay?" "During the Cannes Film Festival, the people of Cannes can have Brad Pitt in their home. Here you haven't even got Brad Pitt." "I don't see who's going to pay 15,000 euros a week to live in the 10^th arrondissement, but I hear it's available." "If it helps open up neighborhoods." "I'll set a reasonable price so they don't expect satin sheets." "I asked for 17,000 euros a week. I haven't heard from them since." "All our friends are renting for fortunes. Why don't you sublet yours?"

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