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France Information · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 33 Home Country: france

HOUSING IN FRANCE

FLAT HUNTING

As in many places, it can be difficult to find a suitable flat for rent in France (Paris can be a nightmare). It will often take some time - in some cases several weeks - to find what you are looking for.

Finding a place to live is all about patience and persistence. As in many places, it can be a long, time-consuming and frustrating process. The typical search takes at least 2-3 weeks - in Paris this can take much longer. Don't make the mistake of thinking you will find something and be moving in after a few days!

May to July is the best time for housing hunting. August can be difficult as people are on holiday. September and October tend to be the worst months as people return from vacation and students start a new year. The housing market is also slow over the Christmas period.

Finding a good apartment at the right price before you arrive in France is difficult. Landlords prefer to meet tenants before signing a contract and the wide range of quality means it is not advisable to commit to rent a flat 'unseen'. If you require your living arrangements to be organized before you arrive, you can use an apartment rental service. However, these do tend to be expensive.

Plan on doing a lot of walking. It's a great opportunity to discover the city that will be your new home. The first step to locating accommodation is to familiarize yourself with the different neighbourhoods (quartiers/arrondissements). Buy yourself a pocket-sized street guide (carte or plan) and get to know the local bus and metro lines. Explore different areas, talk to people and spend some time walking around. This will help you decide where you want to live. Do not underestimate the differences which can exist within the same city or town.

Once you have some target areas, the real fun begins. Make sure you know what you are looking for before you start. A list of desired characteristics for your future home is essential, but make sure you split it into 'essential' and 'nice-to-have' items.

Get your point across in French! If you don't speak French very well or are lacking in confidence on the phone, try to find someone who is willing to help. Like just about anywhere, people tend to have less patience with foreigners and will not struggle through a conversation that is going to take half an hour (also, some people might have less confidence in foreigners).

Take some time to write down the questions you want to ask in advance. Also, you might find it useful to prepare a few lines that you will use to describe who you are and what you are looking for. Some preparation might save you some trips to see apartments that are very different from what you want.

Where to look for rented accommodation

Whether you're looking for an apartment or just a room: local knowledge is key. If you're not willing to spend a lot of money on an estate agent, you will have to get used to a housing market that relies a lot on local advertising. Some pointers for a housing search:

1. Networking: Given the lack of rented housing, a lot of the best places are not generally advertised, but are recommended by word of mouth because landlords prefer 'known' tenants. Talk to friends, family members, classmates, work colleagues, etc. and let them know that you are looking for a place to live. The more people that know you are looking, the higher the chance you will be pointed in the right direction.

2. Classifieds: On the basis of quantity, classified advertisements offer the most housing possibilities. The bad news is that competition for the places on offer can be intense. Our advice is to get copies of classifieds when they're published and start calling immediately and be persistent. Many advertisers fill up their schedule for showing the property early in the morning of publication. If you get an answering machine or voicemail, leave a message but keep calling as many people will not return calls.

Lots of newspapers and local magazines have a property section offering rentals. For help in deciphering this abbreviation-full language as well as the French system of counting the number of rooms in the flat, consult our glossary. If the advertisement includes particulier, you should be dealing directly with the landlord (i.e. no agency).

Many publications also offer the possibility of placing a wanted ad - sometimes this is even for free. However, your time might be better employed elsewhere as it is unlikely you will be contacted by a landlord. These are useful when looking for roommates though.
The most popular sources are:

* De particulier à particulier appears each Thursday full of classified advertisements from private individuals. Properties are classified by type and areas. It can be bought at a news-stand or consulted on-line: www.pap.fr (in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese)

* FUSAC (France-USA Contacts) is a popular free English-language classified newspaper. Published every two weeks, you can pick it up in many places where you find English speakers (Irish and English pubs, churches, WHSmith bookshops, etc.). There is also an on-line edition: www.fusac.com (in English and French)

* Le Figaro is one of the major French daily newspapers. It has a large classifieds section (it has a good reputation for its French so is also a good way to practice). There is also an on-line edition: www.lefigaro.fr/immobilier (in French only)

* There are also many free local papers full of advertisements and classifieds. They can be found outside shops, bakeries and bars. Be aware that some ads for flats to rent are placed by real estate agencies, which you will only find out about when you call.

* Check out notice boards at the language schools, universities and posters on the street or in small local shops (épiceries). For example, in Paris, the American Churches (Eglises Americaines: 65, Boulevard d'Orsay and 23, Avenue George V), have a very large and popular notice board.

3. Websites: There are many property websites. Most are free to search, but on some you have to pay to get contact information.

4. Real estate agencies (Agences immobilières): If you're having trouble finding a place or are in a rush to get settled, you can use an agency.

An agency will typically charge a fee of one month's rent. This is more expensive than renting direct, but can be worth it if time is limited. A positive point of renting through an agency is that is often easier and more straightforward than dealing directly with a landlord. Don't be scared of trying to negotiate a better price with an agent, especially if you find out the flat has been vacant for a while. The worst that can happen is that they turn you down.

5. Use Just Landed's services: put a free notice up in our classifieds or use our housing search

Appointments

Set appointments as soon as possible! The longer you wait -even if it's only a matter of hours - the greater the chance that the apartment will be rented before you get there. Dress well and be prepared for any questions the landlord may ask. If you are not confident in French, try to bring along someone who is to help out. As a foreigner, you need often to be extra convincing.

You might find it useful to go to appointments with cash (or better with your chequebook) in hand, particularly if the apartment was advertised in a newspaper. However, you should not say yes to the first flat you see. Always try to visit several places to get a feeling about the market and price you are willing to pay. Also, don't let the competition scare you into signing a contract unless you are sure. Having said all that, the best advice is, when a good flat comes up, to grab it! If you take a day to decide, you might well find your dream flat already taken by someone else.

Very often, being first in line does not guarantee you will get the flat as landlords are choosy with tenants. French law gives a lot of protection to tenants. I.e. during winter (mid-october to mid-march) you can't be evicted, even if you do not pay your rent. In addition, eviction procedures are complicated and long, as tenants have the right to appeal.

Due to normally strong demand and tenant protections, landlords often take their time choosing a tenant to minimise their risk of non-payment and future problems. Sometimes you will be asked for a 'dossier' about yourself and the selection procedure can take a few weeks! Enquiries about yourself may be a lot more in depth that in your home country.

Typically, you may be asked about your: nationality, status in France, profession, job and type of employment contract (employees in a probation period, with a temporary contract and freelance professions are often not welcome), your income (which should be about 3 times higher then the rent and charges), information about your family, etc.

Be prepared for these questions and expect to bring the following documents (and copies):

* your residence permit and passport

* recent pay slips (preferably the last three months) or other proof of income, such as an employment contract. If you are a student, on a low income or planning on looking for work, a good tip might be to include your parent's proof of income (pay slips) in your dossier as this may help strengthen your case with the landlord

* your last tax declaration (especially if you are self-employed)

* a certificate from your bank (not your account balance, but stating you are a 'good' client)

* a letter from your parents (if you are a student) or other guarantor

A good tip before you commit to an apartment is to visit the area during the day and at night to see what it's like, or ask around. Perfectly peaceful areas during the day can turn into unbearable residential areas at night if there are bars nearby. Likewise, a calm neighbourhood in the evening may be a nightmare during the day due to traffic or construction works.

SHARED ACCOMMODATION

Rising prices mean that sharing a flat or house is becoming more common in France, especially among students and younger people. In terms of value for money, this can be a good solution.

Often a tenant of a flat will look for a flatmate to split the rent with, sharing the rent and common areas, such as bathrooms and kitchen (this can work out at €250-400/month).

When it works out well, sharing an apartment can be a good solution, as you can often live in a better location and have more 'living space' than in a single-person flat. If you do not know many people yet, flat-sharing is can be a great way to extend your social life, make new friends and improve your language skills.

The main challenges are to find a place (as always) and to make sure you are going to be able to get along with who you are living with.

Have a good talk with your prospective flatmate/s to make sure your lifestyle expectations match. Conflicts over things like smoking, pets, late-night partying, recreational drug use, the washing up or the state of the bathroom are all easy ways to find yourself in an uncomfortable arrangement. It can be a good idea to agree in advance how things like cleaning, buying household supplies and insurance are going to work before agreeing to move in.

Contracts for shared flats

When sharing rented property, the contract should have all of the names of tenants. If your name is not on the contract, you might not be able to stay there if the other people leave. It often happens that a tenant will offer a sublet without wanting to change the contract. This can be an easy solution as you leave someone else to make sure everything is OK with the landlord, but be aware you could be chucked out at any time!

There are agencies offering a flatshare finding service, such as EasyRoomate. They have many listings from people looking for flatmates and also offer the option to post your own ads. This is a paid subscription service - look under www.appartager.com.

Whether you look for a place to share or for a future roommate, you can also put up a free notice on our housing board.

TENANCY CONTRACT

Before negotiating and signing a rental agreement, you should be aware of several important items. Most landlords use an official standard rental contract (contract, bail), but you can also find contracts written by landlords themselves. Especially in the second case, take your time and read the contract carefully to ensure everything is clear. You can usually buy a standard rental form at a real estate agency to see how it looks.

The contract must be signed by both the tenant and landlord. There should be two copies, one for each party. A normal contract will include the following:

* start date and duration of the rent period
* use of the rent space (private, professional, mixed)
* rent amount, in addition to terms of payments and revisions
* additional charges (list) and taxes that the tenant has to pay to landlord
* deposit (if any)
* contract termination terms

Rental period

Typically, rental contracts run for three years. During the contract period (durée du contrat) you cannot be asked to leave, even if the owner wishes to sell the flat. Typical agreements are automatically renewable for another 3-year period, unless the landlord gives notice 6 months prior the end of period (check your contract as terms differ).

The contract period can be shorter then three years ( un bail de courte durée), but legally, it must be for a minimum of one year. If the rental period is shorter than 3 years it is probable that the landlord does not want to rent the place afterwards.

A tenant is usually free to leave whenever he or she wants after giving notice as specified in the contract (usually 3 months). You will need to do this by registered letter with acknowledgement of reception ( lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception) - keep a copy.

You can leave before the end of the notice period, but will have to pay the rent for the whole period. If relations with your landlord are good and you get someone to move in when you leave, you might be able to avoid paying your notice after you have left.

Deposit

Most landlords ask for a deposit (caution, dépôt de garantie) of two months rent, you should avoid anything more than this. This deposit is refunded when you leave - minus any deductions for damages to the property. Legally, it must be refunded within two months after the date the tenant gives back the keys.

Some landlords try to make deductions without good reason, so bear in mind that:

* Deterioration of the flat (especially carpet, wall paper, paint) and its contents through normal use or ageing cannot be considered as damage. However, ensure their maintenance is carried out during your rental because small repairs are usually your responsibility. You are also usually required to clean everything at the end of the lease.

* The landlord has to justify the amount deducted from the deposit with invoices for required reparations.

* In case of disagreement, you can defend yourself. Complaints can be made with your local Prefecture de Police or to the DDE (Direction départementale de l'équipement), a state agency for accommodation issues Be aware, however, that this is very time-demanding procedure.

* You also may be able to negotiate the conditions concerning the return date of the deposit or try to use it to pay the final month's rent. Naturally, it is preferable to get any additional agreement in writing.

Guarantees

It is common for landlords to ask for additional guarantees (guaranties), especially if you are not in full-time employment or your income is not more than 3 times higher then the rent. For students, this is usually a letter from your parents. If not, you may have to get a friend or your bank to guarantee that if you default, they will pay whatever is owned for the remainder of the contract.

Initial and final inventories

In France, this document about the inventory (état des lieux) is a very formal and important piece of the contract. An inventory is established together with the landlord when you move in; this details the condition of the flat and lists its contents.

The second part of the état des lieux is completed when you leave. Two copies must be signed by the tenant and landlord, each keeping an original. The inventory can be also established by an official third party (hussier), with fees usually being split between the tenant and landlord.

It is very important to check all details of the initial inventory. All existing problems, damages and defects must be noted, otherwise the landlord can make you responsible for them and retain part or all of your deposit. If you discover problems after moving in, you have one month to include these in the inventory statement (in the case of central heating until its first use). In this case, send a registered letter to your landlord and make sure that your comments are included.

Flats are not usually furnished, but if so, ensure all items are present and their state corresponds to the description in the inventory. If an item is described as 'nouveau', it must be really new or recently installed. If it is not new, insist on a different term. Check all electrical appliances and utilities are in working order. Don't accept a verbal guarantee that things will be fixed later, get it written down in the contract or fixed immediately. Make sure you find out who will be paying for the maintenance of things like boilers, heating, etc. Some landlords have maintenance contracts and the fees are already part of your charges.

Before making structural or other changes you should ask the landlord for permission. If you do not, you may later be required to change the property back to its original state (or have amounts deducted from your deposit).

Utilities and service charges

Depending on the landlord, utility expenses (charges) and community fees may or may not be included in the rent. Community fees generally cover the costs of the concierge (if any), cleaning of common areas, general maintenance, lift usage, rubbish collection and sometimes one or more of the utilities (mostly water and heating, if provided from a central system).

Just be sure to ask which items you will have to pay for individually (heating can be a particularly large expense). Usually, charges are paid monthly and the amount is based on the last year cost + expected increase; then, once a year (usually at December/January), an adjustment according to real cost over the past period is made.

Rent

Rent (loyer) usually excludes charges and the deposit and is normally paid monthly, at the beginning of the month (e.g. in advance). According to French law, rent can be increased only once a year. Review conditions should be specified in the contract. Increases are usually calculated on the base of a construction cost index (Indice du coût de la construction) published annually by the government (see www.insee.fr)

MOVING IN

Household insurance

French law requires a tenant to be insured against the damage to the property (assurance d'habitation), so we recommend doing this as soon as possible. If you use the same agency as the last tenant (ask the landlord as they often have a copy of the contact), you can usually phone them get a price and send a cheque.

A standard multi-risk insurance covers damage from fires, floods, explosions. You can then choose from different options such as third-party liability (responsabilité civile), which usually covers all people living the flat and theft (you define the value of your personal belongings), etc.

Everything is subject to the specific terms and conditions in your contract. Standard contracts are annual with automatic renewal. You might be obliged to give 2-3 months notice to cancel the contract. Insurance is usually paid for the whole year in advance or quarterly. If you cancel the contract before the term, you may receive a proportion of the fees back from the agency.

Local taxes

Nearly everyone living in France has to pay local taxes (taxe d'habitation). You have to be registered at the local town hall but usually the landlord will do this, as they pay a related property tax (taxe foncière).

The full amount of the taxe d'habitation is paid annually by the person(s) occupying a property on the January 1st. This means that if you move in on the January 2nd you will not need to pay until the next year. You will receive a payment notice in October and the tax must be paid by the 15th December.

Tax amounts vary depending on the size of the accommodation and the spending levels of your local town hall, department and regional authorities. The amount will be probably be equivalent to or less than one month of rent.

Electricity and Gas

Electricity and gas services are provided by two public sector companies: EDF (Électricité de France) and GDF (Gas de France). Customers deal with their common offices (EDF GDF Services) and receive a joint EDF/GDF bill for electricity and gas every two months.

If your accommodation is already equipped with an electricity and gas network (highly probable), you need to contact the nearest EDF/GDF office and you will be connected in a day or two. Connection will cost around €15. Both companies have websites with useful features (in French only):

* EDF GDF SERVICES: http://monagence.edf.fr
* EDF: www.edf.fr (go to the particuliers section)
* GDF: www.gdf.fr (go to the particuliers section)

You can also call the national customer service numbers:

* EDF: 0 810 126 126 (local rate)
* GDF: 0 810 140 150 (local rate)

The electric supply is the same as in other European countries: 220/240V and 50Hz. Gas is relatively cheap in France, so an electric heating bill for winter could be 2-3 times higher than one for gas.

Telephone and other connexions

France Telecom, the state-owned monopolist, is the only provider that can connect you to the fixed telephone network. However, for all other telephone services (local and/or long distance communications, international calls, internet access, etc.) there are a number of alternative providers.

Waste collection and recycling

Rubbish collection is paid for from local taxes. Collection frequency varies; usually daily in big cities or 2-3 times a week. Apartment buildings usually have a bin area, but this does not always include separate bins for recyclable waste. Glass recycling containers can be easily found at supermarkets or in public areas. The availability of containers for other recyclable waste depends on the environment-friendliness of the local authority.

Disposal of dangerous waste (including chemicals, batteries, motor oil) in normal rubbish bins is prohibited by law. Town halls and many supermarkets have bins for used batteries. Unwanted medicines can be left in pharmacies. Motor oil should be disposed of by a garage.

Furniture and appliances

Furniture and appliances can be bought in many chains, from big hypermarkets (which provide economic solutions for many items) to specialists in fields like furniture, electric appliances, carpets and other floor-covers, DIY goods (do it yourself), etc.

If you're on a low budget, we recommend checking small second-hand shops in your area (especially for refrigerators and washing machines). In Paris or larger towns, another option is just to look around in the streets. Many people just put old furniture and big household appliances on the street as it is too complicated to sell them when they buy the new ones or move to a new place. You can sometimes find decent furniture and working washing machines, refrigerators, TVs, etc. for free. Although recovering furniture in this way is a very economic solution, 'dumping' unwanted large items (such as furniture) in the street is illegal in many cities. Contact your local town hall (marie) if you wish to get rid of such items and they will arrange for it to be picked up. The evening of the day before the arranged pick-up date is the only time you can 'legally' dump your stuff on the street.