Quick tips for finding accommodation in France

Finding accommodation in France at short notice can be tricky however don't panic as it can definitely be done. This guide has been written in order to help you find accommodation in your host city in the quickest time and with the least hassle.

Step 1 - Define the criteria

Set your budget - you may have to be prepared to pay a bit more than you had originally planned for as by this time of year most of the cheaper student accommodation will already have been taken by local students.

Define an area - have a look at a map of the city, or have an idea in your head within what area you are willing to live, be aware that being close to the university may be practical but is not always a good idea. If you want any more specific advice on where is good to be in your host city have a read of our city guides. If the guide for your host city has not yet been published please don't hesitate to get in contact with us and we try to give you some more detailed advice.

Know what you are looking for - if you are looking to share with friends in a bigger flat, then be warned; in france most apartments with 2 or more bedrooms come un-furnished and finding a furnished place in a good area for a good rate will be dificult. It may be a better option to split into smaller groups as you will have more chance of finding somewhere that fits.

Step 2 - The search

There are two main methods to go about finding accommodation in France and indeed any country.

1. Trawl through the classifieds (les petites annonces) and contact landlords directly. This method can obviously be very time consuming but it will inevitably save you money as there will be no agency fees to pay.

Where to look:

There are loads of good classified sites where you can find lists and lists of properties for rent. Most regions will have there own local paper which is probably the best place to look. Some of them do have web sites some don't. The best way to find out if there is a web site for the area where you are going to is navigate to google.fr and then search petites annonces + the name of town/city (e.g. petites annonces Bordeaux).

There are a few sites which have ads for right across the country. The best of them are:

www.paruvendu.fr

www.pap.fr

Use the criteria that you have defined above to narrow down the search results, be patient and methodically go through the ads. For the best chances of finding a property make sure that you call the landlords as opposed to emailing them, we know it's tempting to email but you will lose precious time and the chances are people won't reply.

2. Go through an agent - There are two main types of agent out in France.

a) A full blown estate agent, who will have a list of properties and will do all the leg work to find somewhere that suits you. You will also sign the contract with the estate agent and any future correspondence will be directly through them. You will only ever be asked to pay any money once the accommodation is secured and the contract has been signed. If anybody asks you to pay anything before this moment please be very careful and make sure you know the reason why. This is obviously a very easy solution and little work will be involved however you will pay for it. Agents normally charge 1 months rent for their services, but beware there may be other fees involved, such as paying for the 'états des lieux' and if at any stage you wished to finish your contract as a result of unforeseen circumstances you may be charged with the task of finding a replacement tenant. All agencies vary and you can expect different things from each so make sure that you read and fully understand their terms and conditions before signing anything.

b) The second type of agent you are likely to come across simply act simply as an intermediary. They will have a database of properties in the city and will charge you a one off fee for access to this database. The fee will vary from agent to agent but is usually in the region of 150-200€ depending on where you are in France. You will have to pay this fee up-front and they will normally guarantee to give you a certain amount of new offers each day. The offer will include a brief description of the property, the address and the landlord's contact details. There is no guarantee that the property they send you will still be available or whether the landlord will be willing to accept foreign students. There is usually also a time limit on how long they will keep sending you details, if you have not found anything within this time they will keep your money and stop sending you anymore details. It is then up to you to get in contact with the landlord and organise a visit to see the property. All the legal work will be between you and the landlord, so in effect it is exactly the same as going through the classifieds and contacting the landlords yourself that way.

Step 3 - Found It!

If you have gone through an agent as in case 2a. it will all be fairly straightforward however they may be more stringent as to what papers you have to present and what deposit you have to pay. Again this will really depend on the agent so make sure you know what you are in for when you agree to take one of their properties.

If you have gone down either of the other two roots then you will be dealing directly with the landlord. This does mean that you are slightly more vulnerable, but so long as you are prudent and you make sure you fully understand what you are reading then you should be ok.

The standard process is as follows:

When you go to visit the property make sure you have as much information about you as possible. Landlords will usually only do one or two viewings so expect there to be more than just you there. Once everyone has had a chance to look round everybody will give the landlord their 'dossier', a collection of almost mandatory papers. In there should include; Proof of address in England and if you have one in France, even better. This is called either Justificatif de Domicile or Attestation de Domicile.

A guarantor - this may prove problematic as the French can be very bureaucratic and will require this to be a french person. In general to have a valid guarantor you will need proof of their address, their equivalent of a P60 (showing what they earned in the last financial year) and their last three pay slips. We understand that 95% of you wont be able to provide these papers, but don't worry, there are ways around it. If you explain your situation and that you can provide English guarantors they might accept that. They may also ask you for a slightly larger deposit than they would a local, so 3 months instead of the standard 2. To grease the wheels a bit it might be an idea to offer to pay a couple of months in advance if you can afford it. If none of this works then we as a company can act as a 'Caution Solidaire' so Go Live It would be your guarantor. If you would like us to do this for you please let us know, there will be a charge for this service.

Proof of identity - make sure you have a valid proof of identity with you. If you can take your passport and make sure you have a copy of it to leave with the landlord.

If your application for the property is accepted you should expect to get a phone call from the landlord telling you what you will need to do next. This is not always the case as you may be able to secure the property when you go to visit it.

The Contract

This is the most important stage of the process! Please make sure that you have carefully read over the contract and that you fully understand every little clause in there. If at any stage you require any help with the language please do not hesitate to contact us.

Most contracts are fairly standard but be aware there are different laws applicable for furnished and unfurnished properties. If you are renting an unfurnished property the governing law is much more protective of the tenant whereas the law for furnished property whilst still providing adequate protection is less so.

Please make sure that you are clear on the actual rent of the property. There are often service charges involved with French properties which are to cover reparation and maintenance of communal areas and for rubbish collection. You must clarify whether these are included in the rent 'charges comprises' (c.c) or whether they are payable on top of the rent and if so how much they are and how they are calculated. As a rule of thumb we would suggest that you steer clear of properties where the charges are not included in the rent as you may be in for a nasty surprise. These charges do not included gas, electricity and water, expect to have to pay for these utilities on top of your monthly rent unless it is clearly stated in your contract.

Once you have signed the contract make sure that you keep an original copy of it.

At this time you and the landlord are required by law to carry out an inventory of the apartment 'l' états de lieux'. This will involve a thorough inspection of the apartment and noting down the general condition of all aspects of each individual room. The rooms are normally divided up into; floor, walls, ceilings, doors and windows. They will be classed on the following scale; Very Good (Tres Bon or TB), Good (Bon or B), Average (Moyen or M), Poor (Mauvais or M), Very Poor (Tres Mauvais or TM). Please make sure that you agree with everything that the landlord notes down and that you also note down anything in particular that is wrong with the property. If possible take photos and send a copy of them to the landlord. This may seem like an over the top process but it is the first step to making sure you get your deposit back at the end of the year. The completed document and any photographic evidence should then be appendixed to the contract and a signed copy kept by both parties.

As a mandatory requirement you will need to take out an insurance policy for the property in question and you will have to provide the landlord with proof of this insurance without which your contract won't be valid and you could face serious punitary fines and even a short stint in jail. It is not something to skimp on. It won't cost you the earth either. Go down to a high street insurance broker, MMA, MAF or really the first one you find and ask them for the basic insurance package for your apartment, they will know what your talking about and should have you sorted in no time. The amount you pay will depend on how many rooms there are in the property but is usually works out about 60€ per person for the year.

Paying the rent

You will be asked by the landlord to set up a direct debit into their bank account. If you would like to benefit from our english banking service then please don't hesitate to ask. Either way, please make sure that you pay your rent every month on time and in full. If not you could get yourself into some serious trouble.

Living with french people - la colocation ou la coloc

If you are looking to live with french people during your year abroad then there are a few things that you have to do differently:

To give yourself the best chance of finding some flat mates whilst out in France you really need to be out there when your looking. Lots of students understandably want to meet their future housemates in person and phone calls and emails just won't do. So prepare yourself to spend a few days out there when you can go and meet people and discuss what you would need to enjoy a successful colocation. Meeting your future housemates will also help to make sure that you won't be in for any surprises when you get out there either.

There are a few sites that are dedicated to help you find flatmates in France;

www.appartager.com (probably the best)

www.colocation.fr

www.colocationfrance.fr

With most of them you should be allowed to post an add for free and also send messages to others however if you want their contact details you will have to pay but it is probably worth your while as it really isn't expensive.

Please be careful what information you give out and to who, there are a lot of strange people on these sites and never be tempted to take a room where the rent appears to be free, you will be expected to pay in other ways!

Again it is worth while calling people as it makes a good first impression, you must remember that usually many other people will also be interested in the same offers as you so you will have a bit of competition to contend with.

Once you have found some people who you want to live with and who want to live with you, the next thing to do is to work out the terms of the contract. This can be a minefield with lots of potential pitfalls if you are not vigilant.

Sub-letting is really common with french students however if you are going to be sub-letting from another french student make sure that all the legals are correct and present. In order to sublet legally the primary tenant must have written permission from the landlord, which is usually not the case making the sub-let completely illegal and therefore you will have no rights as a tenant whatsoever and could be evicted at any time. We would advise you to leave sub-lets well alone unless you know exactly what you are talking about.

Another common problem is regarding the deposit. It is quite common for people to find replacement tenants for a flatmate who is leaving. If this is the case please make sure that you draw up a new contract and carry out a full inventory 'etats des lieux', ensure that you do not pay your deposit to the departing housemate and that the landlord is up to date with the changes. This is the best way to avoid getting stung for damage that was already done when you moved.

If you follow all these guidelines then you shouldn't have any problems finding yourself a nice place to live. If at any stage you require help with talking to landlords or verifying contracts please don't hesitate to contact us, that's what we are here for.