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  Housing in France

Choosing a neighbourhood

If you have children your priority will probably be to live in the vicinity of a particular school. Distance from work and traffic should be taken into account as well as the kind of lifestyle you intend to have. If you want to make the most of French culture you may prefer to live in central Paris, whereas Western suburbs are more appropriate if your family feels more comfortable as part of the expatriate community.

Properties for rent :
Furnished or Unfurnished ?

Both types of apartments are available. Furnished houses are fairly difficult to find on the rental market. If you decide to go for unfurnished housing and take your household goods with you, you must be aware that appliances, curtain rods and lighting fixtures will most likely not be in place. You may negotiate with the owner and/or prior tenant if he is still around for these furnishings to be provided or left behind - usually for a price (reprise). Any understanding you reach should be put in writing.

Warning : Large American type refrigerators will not fit into a French home, so do not bring them.

Conditions

Unless the lease is signed in the Company's name, you will be requested to provide evidence of net monthly salary of at least 4 times the monthly rent and to prove that you are a permanent employee and not working for a limited trial period.

However, if you were only recently recruited by your Company or if the monthly rent is too high compared to your monthly salary, you have two options :

A bank guarantee : the usual procedure is for the bank to block one year's rent on your bank account.
A personal guarantee ("Caution Solidaire") : you may give the name of someone ready to be your guarantor ; this person who should normally be a resident in France, will have to provide proof of revenues equal to at least five times the monthly rent and sign a document indicating his acceptance to be your guarantor.

The rentral contract  

The lease is usually a four-page, pre-printed contract with blank spaces to be filled out with the following particulars :

Names and addresses of the parties.
Summary description of the rented property.

Duration of the contract : For an unfurnished property, a minimum period of 3 years if the lessor is an individual and 6 years if the lessor is a company. For a furnished property, usually short-term, one year or less; the two parties agree on the duration of the lease.

Effective date.
Renewal - Notice : The tenant must give 3 months notice before termination of the lease, or one month if his company requires him to relocate (provided the contract is in the tenant's own name).

Amounts of payments :

• monthly rent
• "leasehold right" tax (2.5% of the rent)
• provision for charges, for apartments only (1/12 of the estimate of the yearly expenses for electricity and cleaning in the common areas, water, lift maintenance, concierge's wages, rubbish collection tax, and in some cases central heating)
• monthly total : total obtained by adding up the three previous amounts.

Payment terms : the sum is payable in advance and in full on the 1st of each month.
You can instruct your bank to automatically wire the amount every month ; ask for the bank details of your landlord.

Revision of the rent : the rent is revised every year on the basis of the average cost of construction index over 4 quarters.

Guarantee deposit : 2 month rent ; this deposit will be returned to the tenant no later than 2 months after his departure, providing the lessor does not claim part or all of it for repairs of damages allegedly caused by the tenant to the premises ; the lessor must prove the extent of such damages in the event of a dispute.

Fees : for an unfurnished property, the realtor's fee (generally 10-15% of the annual rent, i.e. about one month rent) is usually shared equally by the lessor and the tenant, unless the tenant is a company, in which case usually the company bears the full
fee ; for a furnished property, the tenant generally pays the whole fee.

Important : Please read carefully the section headed "conditions générales" which states the tenant's and the lessor's responsibilities.

The Lessor's Obligations
The lessor is bound :

to maintain the premises in a state fit for the intended use and to make all the necessary repairs other than rental repairs

not to object to conversions made by the tenant not constituting a transformation of the rented premises

to give freely a discharge to the tenant whenever he so requests

In the event of sale or transfer of the premises, the new lessor shall be required to notify its name and domicile (or corporate name and registered office) to the tenant, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, and, if need be, those of its representative.

The Tenant's Obligations  
The tenant is bound :

• To answer for the damages and losses occurring during the term of the contract in the premises of which he has exclusive enjoyment, unless he can prove they occurred by force majeure (circumstances outside one's control), by the lessor's fault or by the action of a third party he did not introduce into the housing
• To undertake personally the daily maintenance of the housing and amenities in the contract, the minor repairs and all the rental repairs defined by decree by the Council of State, unless they are caused by age, poor workmanship, a construction defect, an act of God or an event of force majeure
• To take out a maintenance contract with a specialist company (or to reimburse the cost thereof to the lessor if the latter takes care of its payment) to have all the individual amenities serviced at least once a year (gas heating, gas burners...) and to provide proof of this at the lessor's first request (if there is a chimney, it must be swept at regular intervals by a named chimney sweep and a certificate, known as the certificat de ramonage, may be required as proof of this)
• To inform the lessor immediately of any accident or damage occurring in the rented premises, even if no apparent damage arises therefrom
• Not to transform the rented premises and their amenities without the lessor's written agreement ; the lessor may, if the tenant has disregarded this obligation, demand that the premises and amenities be restored to their original condition upon the tenant's departure or keep the transformations made without the tenant being able to claim any indemnity for the expenses incurred; the lessor shall however have the option of claiming from the tenant the immediate restoration to the original state of the premises if the transformations endanger the proper operation of the amenities or the safety of the premises
• To allow to be carried out in the rented premises the improvement works on the common or private areas of the same building, as well as the works required for the maintenance in condition and normal upkeep of the rented premises
• To take out insurance (multirisque habitation) against the tenant's risks for which he must answer as a tenant : fire, water damage... and to provide proof thereof to the lessor after handing over the keys, by giving him the certificate issued by the insurer or its representative ; he should provide proof thereof in this way every year, at the lessor's request (see Chapter 5 on Insurance)
• To allow visits, for sale or rent, of the rented premises two hours per day during the working week ; the times of visit shall be fixed by agreement between the parties; failing such agreement, the visits shall take place between 5.00 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Signing the Rental Contract  

Please note that French landlords will usually require the following documents to establish the lease :

• Photocopy of passport or identity document.
• Statement from your Company confirming your status and salary.
• Proof of previous earnings (last pay slips or income revenue declaration).
• A Bank slip (giving details of your bank account in France)
  In case a landlord requires a warranty, the same documents will need to be produced by the person giving the warranty.

When signing the lease, you will usually have to pay the following amounts :

• 2 month deposit
• first month rental
• real estate fees
  in addition, you will have to show the House Insurance you have subscribed for the property.

Any remarks or verbal agreements between the tenant and the landlord should be stated in the Lease as a "Condition Particulière". Particularly if some work is required in the property, even if minor, these should be reported in the Lease Contract with a clear description and a precise term.

The inventory

A very important document attached to the rental contract is the inventory of premises drawn up upon handing over the keys to the tenant. It is a detailed description of the condition of the premises. It can be done reciprocally or by a bailiff whose fees should be split between the landlord and the tenant. If the landlord does not want to share the cost of a bailiff, we recommend that you pay the full amount as this legal document will be the yardstick for comparison of the condition of the property when you leave.

For a furnished property, the inventory will also include a list of the contents.