FINDING AN APARTMENT/FLAT IN FRANCE FOR FOREIGNERS 10 Sep 2009 Finding a flat and getting established in France for someone coming from outside Europe is some work, but it can be done. This description and advice is my attempt to smooth the road for those who come after me. There is some help for students, from the CROUS (housing/welcome service for students, I think, see for example www.crous-nice.fr ). However, for faculty, post-docs or people with a salary, there appears to be less of an established help network. (I would hope that companies, at least, offer some help.) Most of the following is particular to France or Nice, though some advice is universal -- and a good reminder for those who have been out of the rental market for a while. A decent knowledge of French and/or a local friend to help are very desirable (especially for phone messages left in French), but many people speak at least some English and try to be helpful if you try but your language skills are not sharp. BEFORE YOU START, INCLUDING BANKS/FINANCING: Some parts of the country, like Paris and the Riviera, have big housing shortages. Be prepared to move fast. One almost certainly needs Internet and telephone access (preferably mobile access) to have timely communication, or even to call for directions or for a door to be opened when you arrive at a large block of flats. A good transport and street index map/GPS and a public transit weekly pass are also essential investments, as it could take quite a bit of getting around to find a place. A "pay as you go" mobile phone is well worth it at this stage. Note that there is an almost vicious cycle in setting up: a bank account requires an address, and an address requires a month's rent as deposit and the first month's rent as well, which are usually paid by bank transfer. (Cheques can be used, but they are less typical -- and still require a bank account). I got around this by having a colleague list me as a roommate on a bank form. The bank sent a confirmation letter to me care of him as proof that I "lived there". A bank account is also a requirement for getting paid for most (if not all) jobs, so one needs to have 2000-3000 Euros in hand just to move in. Other frequently needed documents include proof of work, a copy of your passport, records of your last rental/mortgage payments etc. Also, French landlords often want a guarantee of payment from a second person in case you default, even for professionals in their thirties or later who are long out of university. A letter from your institution/company could work as a substitute for a rent guarantor. Of course, one needs an address for many other things, like getting a good deal on a mobile phone (pay as you go is expensive, maybe 50 E-cents/min) and perhaps various government papers/identity cards/work permits if you need one. TEMPORARY HOUSING while you search can also be a challenge, depending on the area you are in. In addition to the usual hostels, pensions, inexpensive hotels etc. consider studio apartments. They can be quite a good deal for rentals by the week, and having a kitchen can cut meal costs considerably. HOUSING: There are a few important points to know about housing: 1) There are various conventions to know: studio = same as in English -- everything in one room F1 = one room but with a separated kitchen space F2 = two room, with a separate kitchen space F3 = three room etc. T1 (Type 1) and T2 are the same as F1 and F2, and are newer ways to describe an apartment. Both methods appear common. cc = charges comprises, or utility bills included. Typical values for a 1-2 room flat are 30 Euros/month for electricity, and for those apartments with gas, several tens of Euros per month on average. Bundled Internet/telephone services generally run around another 30 Euros/month. co-location = is sharing accommodation as roommates/flatmates. RESIDENCE AND OTHER TAXES: There is also a residence tax called "Taxe d'Habitation", which is charged to whomever is in a residence on 1 January. The resident typically pays for the whole year, but it is possible to pro-rate it. It is coupled with a television tax, and people who claim not to have a television can be investigated, as they are in the minority. The Taxe d'Habitation can be high in some places. In Nice in 2009, it was 50 Euros/month for a 33 square metre studio, or 100 Euros/month for a 60 square meter F2. Check it out. You might arrange to have it bundled into your rent, but often it is not. If you are taxed in your home country and there is a tax treaty, it may be to your advantage to have the Taxe d'Habitation in your name if you can offset it against your home country tax. There is also a "trash/rubbish tax", Taxe d'Ordures Menagere", which is perhaps 50 Euros/year and can either be paid by the landlord or tenant. Check the details with your landlord. SEASONAL RENTALS; In vacation areas like the Riviera, many apartments are seasonal for the academic year ("annee scolaire"), which runs from September through May. If you need year-round housing, beware that some landlords will charge you a higher price for the summer months, or ask you to move out so that they can get vacation/holiday renters in. It is well worth talking over a map with one or more locals about desirable/safe or undesirable/unsafe areas, and other things unique to your area. 2) Many places lease for 1-3 years, but there are conventions to get out of a lease. They usually involve giving notice -- three months is common. 3) Real estate companies ("Agences Immobilieres") have contracts to show the vast majority of rental properties. This is to provide a service to the owners, who have to pay, and to act as a clearinghouse for potential tenants, who also have to pay. Ads often say "PRO" for "professional company advertising this flat". The immobiliere fee for a tenant is large: one month's rent just for the privilege of moving in. Rents in Nice in 2009 are 500-1000 Euros for a studio to a 1-2 room apartment, so this is not something taken lightly. My impression is that people do not move often, and so justify the fee as being equivalent to a small rent increase over a few years. The upside is that the number of potential apartments or houses is large. The downside, of course, is the cost. Just for comparison, German agents (Makler) charge 2.3 months' rent as a finder's fee, so the French get off lightly in comparison! On the other hand, in starting a job with German companies and universities, one can often negotiate to have the Makler fee paid for relocation costs. Nobody I asked had heard of such an arrangement in France. 4) To avoid paying immobiliere fees, as I did, I looked in the private (non-professional) market. The downside is that the number of potential places to live is smaller, but all one needs is one successful find. Apartments rented out by private individuals without immobilieres are listed in ads as "particulieres" (as opposed to "professionelles"). There are several good places to look: a) Paper ads posted on university notice-boards and kiosks. Even in 2009, this turned out to be an excellent place to look, at least for non-luxury apartments. This involves some legwork. b) The local newspaper, Nice-Matin in my case. c) Free apartment publications on street corners d) "Particulier a Particulier" (putting private individuals into contact, avoiding immobilieres), a national publication. Look for it online or for a paper copy. 5) There are some ways to search for housing online before arrival in France. a) The local paper (Nice-Matin in my case) online. About 90% of the ads were placed by immobilieres (see above). Pick and choose carefully. You might be lucky. b) Search engines such as google.com, if searched in English, tend to turn up luxurious vacation apartments, at least in Nice. That's where the English- speaking market goes. Search engines in French can be more successful. There are some French sites to know about: i) seloger.com - This is run by immobilieres. All apartments listed will require the 1 month's rent as a finder's fee. ii) nice.vivastreet.fr - worth a try, be aware of immobiliere fees iii) apartager.fr - worth a try, be aware of immobiliere fees c) Place an ad as a person seeking accommodation ("location") in the local newspaper. This in the end worked for me (as it also did in Heidelberg for a previous job). The cost in Nice-Matin was 42 Euros for a four day run. The space was limited to about 120 characters, and words had to be spelt out, even "Universite". But, there is a wide readership, and it will pull in the private landlords. (Specify "particulier" if you desire.) Beware that it can take a few days (five in my case) for the ad to start running. Housing is in such a short supply in Nice, and space in the newspaper so limited, that my ad had to await an opening. That said, try to put (succinctly) as many things as important to you as possible: cost, location, required amenities etc. to filter out as many undesirable properties as possible. Despite this, you will get landlords who try to get you to rent an apartment which doesn't fit your requirements. I got about five calls my first day, and one or two calls on subsequent days. d) Craig's List. Although Craig's List is in a number of cities in France, it was a disappointment for housing. It appears to have a limited readership, heavily slanted toward foreigners. In a vacation spot such as Nice, the apartment ads were almost exclusively for luxury vacation rentals. I ran an ad saying I was a professor looking for a one bedroom apartment, 600-900 Euros/month, and in a month only got three replies. One was from a guy in Nigeria wanting a deposit up front before sending me the keys just to look at the place. It sounded like a scam. Another was from a woman who offered a place in Paris (obviously not reading the ad). The third was from a Dutch woman who never got back to me after I requested more information. CHECKING OUT APARTMENTS: Once you find an apartment, call and make sure it is what you want. Some things to look for include: a) whether the apartment is still available b) "hidden" immobilieres or move-in fees c) furnishings, if any d) whether the lease is seasonal or year-round e) whether the owner plans to sell (which could mean terminating the lease) f) whether the Taxe d'Habitation is included g) whether utilities are all, partially or not included h) type of heating, whether there is air conditioning (rare); if there is a gas connection, it has to be checked annually by a professional for a fee of about 40 Euros i) parking availability, if any j) communal charges for a garden, communal heating, communal water for example k) from when you can (or have to) rent the property Good notes and a digital camera work wonders to jog a faulty memory. ALWAYS allow some extra time for "getting lost". You will, as you will be doing nearly everything for the first time. Such photos with landlords (converted to pdf) also can act as records of the state of an apartment. Once you want to rent, do not hesitate to arrange a meeting to pay a deposit (with an electronic or paper receipt) and sign a lease. Competition for housing can be fierce. OTHER TIPS: Most apartments have no or sparse furnishings. Do not be shocked by bare wires coming out of the ceiling for a potential light fixture. Most flats will have the basics of a kitchen. Some cooking units may consist only of a portable set of electric rings. Sometimes the previous tenant will be happy to sell you appliances like a washing machine, refrigerator etc. or some furnishings. It always pays to ask. Some buildings have communal utility charges based on surface area. Hooking up individual meters for heating, cold water etc. can be expensive and is not universal. If you end up in someone's vacation flat, check whether you can get a rent rebate if you allow the owners back for stays of one to a few weeks while you are travelling. Good luck!