Private accommodation: characteristics
Private accommodation belongs to a private individual. It can be either furnished or unfurnished. You can either rent it directly from the landlord or via an estate agent. It is perfectly possible to co-rent private accommodation with another tenant, provided the landlord agrees.
Regardless of whether you rent from the landlord or via an estate agent, you will need to provide a complete rental application form. Estate agents will bill you for agency fees.
Cost of rent: depends on the surface area of the house or flat, and the neighbourhood in which it is located. To help you pay your rent, as a student you are eligible for housing benefits from the CAF (called “APL”).
When should you start looking for accommodation in the private sector?
From May until the end of July: many students leave their accommodation to carry out an internship from May onwards. This the time of year when you’ll find most offers of rooms for rent, plus studios, one- or two-bedroom flats or large flats for several people to share.
Finding accommodation in the private sector
To find accommodation with a private individual, you can consult:
- offers posted by the CRIJ ;
- offers published on the Crous website LOKAVIZ;
- classified ads on the website for private landlords PAP - De particulier à particulier ;
- classified ads published on www.leboncoin.fr
For housing offers from private individuals and estate agents: check out Se loger
Be wary of offers that sound too good to be true! These ads are usually easy to spot: professional photos, low rent, no contact phone number.
Never hand over any payment in cash and do not pay any rent or deposit before signing the rental agreement.
Be wary of people offering to sell you a “list of names”: they will provide you with a list of housing offers in exchange for money, but no guarantee of finding accommodation.
Renting in the private sector for a short period: temporary rental agreement (called a “bail mobilité”)
Do you need to rent accommodation for a period of between 1 and 10 months? The “bail mobilité” lets you rent furnished accommodation in the private sector for short periods of time. It is not possible to renew the rental agreement, except if the original contract is converted into a standard rental agreement for furnished accommodation.
The tenant is entitled to terminate the rental agreement at any time, with a notice period of one month.
Who is eligible?
This type of rental agreement is only for:
• students;
• interns;
• people with an apprenticeship contract;
• people carrying out their civic service;
• people on a training course, professional transfer or temporary assignment;
More information: The “bail mobilité” agreement.
