Rent
a flat for a long term
Most
often, these are unfurnished premises. The owner may be a private
owner (person or company), a social housing organisation (access of
council housing is limited).
Renting
from a private owner
Several
channels exist to find housing for rent on the private real estate
market.
Real Estate Agents
Their role is to establish contract between the owner and the renter
and possibly to draw up the lease. With a real estate management card,
they can manage the premises for the owner. If the transaction occurs
throug the intervention of the real estate agent, that agent may request
remuneration which is paid both by the owner and renter. The real
estate agency profession is subject to certain regulations. A financial
guarantee protects clients.
The " Notaires"
Certified professionals, the " notaires" can become involved
with the rental process. Their role is then similar to that of the
real estate agent.
Advertisements
Going through a professional to contact an owner is not compulsory.
Direct contact may be taken through advertisements published in the
newspapers.
Rental Terms for Private Housing
Main Legal Obligations
- The
lease must be written and for a minimum duration of three years
except for special cases (recovery of the premises by the owner
for family or professional reasons). In any case, the tenant has
the right to leave the premises at any time with three months
notice, but the owner may not take possession of his real estate
before the lease expires.
- An
inventory of the premises must be conducted each time keys change
hands between the tenant and the owner.
- The
rent is usually paid on a monthly basis. In general, it is determined
in reference to the previous tenant. An increase is possible if
the rent is obviously under-valued. The rent is freely determined
by the owner if the premises are new, or if major work was done
since the departure of the previous tenant. The rent can be reviewed
each year, that is it may be increased according to the evolution
of the cost of building index.
Financial Terms
In
general, when the lease is signed, the owner requests :
- a
deposit (maximum two months’rent),
- the
first months’rent in advance.
Remuneration
of the intermediary (roughly 8 % annual rent) case be added to the
above amounts.Note : It is most often required that the future tenants’s
incorne be equal to three or four times the rent requested (for example,
3.050 euros of monthly salary for 762 euros of rent).
When the lease is signed, for a monthly rent of 762 euros, the total
amount to be paid can equal :
| |
1
month rent |
762
euros
|
|
| 2
months deposit |
1.525
euros
|
| 8%
total annual rent |
732
euros
|
| Total |
3.019
euros
|
Only the tenant at the end of the lease may recuperate the deposit
if no deterioration of the premises has been observed.
Financial
Aid
Low-income
tenants can benefit from housing allocations if the premises involved
are their main residence. Some housing is part of an agreement with
the Government, their occupants can request the APL (Personalised
Housing Aid), whose amount is higher than the housing allocation.
Information is available from the ADIL or the CAF (Caisse d’Allocations
Familiales - Family Allowance Administration).
Renting
low income (Council - GG) housing or intermediary
Stage housing organizations offer
rented housing accessible to those meeting certain income conditions.
There
are different types of low-income housing lessors (Offices and Sociétés
d’HLM - Low income Housing Authorities) where contact can be
made directly or via an intermediary. A committee applying certain
rules attributes housing.
One
can also contact the local CIL (Comité Interprofessionnel du
Logement - Interprofessional Housing Committee) who have for salaried
staff of companies a certain number of reserved housing units with
public housing organisations. The request is handled more or less
quickly depending on housing available in the Department. Only non-agricultural
companies with 10 employees or more subscribe to the 1 % accommodation
and thus are related to CIL’s (Comité Interprofessionnel
du Logement).
Council housing rental terms
A
ceiling is fixed on the income of applying tenants. Rental rules are
similar to those applied in the private sector with a few exceptions:
the Public Authorities regulates the amount of the rent. The owning
organisation cannot give notice to the tenant unless the latter has
not respected his obligations. The most frequent financial aid in
this sector is the APL (Personalised Housing Aid).
Rental terms in the intermediate sector
The
ceiling of rental resources are higher than in the public sector,
the rentals being halfway between the private sector and the public
housing sector; this accommodation is intended for middle management.