The best sites to find an apartment in France and a list of helpful vocabulary.
Spring is here and with it comes acceptance letters! For many, now is the time to find an apartment for their year abroad. To help out I've compiled all the essential vocab for renting they didn't teach you in class along with my favorite sites for finding apartments in France and what documents you'll need for a renter's dossier.
Enjoy !
My first apartment. Lyon, France. 2017-2018.
Helpful Vocabulary
Location, Co-Location & Sous-Location
Location means to rent, co-location means to split rent with someone (roommates are called co-locataires), and sous-location is subletting.
This means that either you rent directly from the owner of the building (location and co-location) or rent indirectly from another renter (sous means under.) This is common among students (I am in sous-location currently) and often, sous-location and co-location go hand in hand as it is a way to share space and costs while minimizing paperwork. Since sous-location requires less paperwork, it is often preferable for foreign students. (See garant.)
NOTE: Sous-location is legal when it is approved by the owner of the apartment (propriétaire) and each type of renter can benefit from the French financial assistance, CAF! ♥ Double note: If you are planning on applying for CAF, ask whomever you're renting from BEFOREHAND to make sure it is possible... it changes based on the building.
Garant
A garant is a person with a stable income (3x more than the cost of rent) that can vouch for you. It’s usually parents, though you can also be backed by the government,or your bank/ insurance. Most landlords demand a garant but it's not a requirement.
NOTE: According to this article I found by L'Etudiant, landlords are not allowed to deny a garant just because they'e foreign!
Dossier de Location
There are certain documents that will be required in order to rent (note: location only) such as: a copy of your passport, proof of past three paychecks (if employed), and a justification of your last residence (electricity bill, etc.) Your garant will also have to provide these documents. Additional papers you can include in your dossier are: your student ID or carte de séjour, proof of CAF, a copy of your R.I.B.
Note: they cannot ask for your insurance card or a photocopy of your bank account. More information here.
Caution
The caution is simply a deposit (typically one or two months rent) that you pay at the beginning of your contract to cover potential damages. When you leave the apartment, the caution will be refunded within two months... assuming you didn't damage anything ;-)
Frais d'Agence
Sometimes there is an agency fee associated with the apartment, which can be costly. If there's no renting agency (immobilier) involved (ie. you go to the landlord directly) no fee! Another pro to sous-location.
Charges Comprises (CC)
CC means costs are included in the rent price which is listed (like for water, electricity, heat, etc.) in French: Eau, Gaz, Chauffage.
Loyer € € €
The rent! (Pro tip: 300-450 is normal in Lyon while Paris is closer to 550-750.)
Meublé / Non-Meublé
This indicates whether or not the apartment comes pre-furnished.
T1, T2, etc.
Pieces The number of rooms (but does not count the bathroom, kitchen, hallways) A T1 means one bedroom, T2 means two, etc.
Surface or the floor space of the apartment is measured in Mètre Carrée (square meters.)
Ascenseur, étage, securisé
Ascenseur means elevator while étage refers to the story/ floor. Careful! In France, the first floor (le rez-de-chaussée) is actually considered floor zero. The first floor is what we would consider the second story.
“Securisé” means there is an external locking system so you'll probably have to have a code to get into the complex.
Disponible
An apartment that is "disponible" is available to rent !
Where to look for apartments
Personally, I love this site. Super easy to use, integrated map, frequently updated, always many places to choose from. You can sort by co-location, sous-location, or location! The only downside is that it varies by city: for example, this site is great for apartment hunting in Lyon but there are next to zero listings in Paris.
This is basically French craigslist. You can find anything on here which is why sometimes it can be overwhelming, however this is where you'll find the majority of apartments for rent! (I.e. use a site dedicated to co-location for finding roommates and Bon Coin for renting directly.) The downside to Le Bon Coin is that it doesn't have an integrated map so it's harder to search by neighborhood.
Uncannily similar to La Carte des Colocs? Yes. More listings? Maybe. Double your chances of finding a place by making an account on both sites!
Additional Infographics : What and What NOT to put in your Dossier de Location
Credit: Se Loger