Finding accommodation in France is not always easy. Some towns or areas are expensive. The best is to start looking for housing as early as possible, especially if your arrival coincides with a period of high housing demand, in September and October when the new academic year starts, or if your stay is of short duration. We advise you to make arrangements beforehand to have a place to stay while you are hunting for a rental (for instance, ask your host to reserve a room in a hotel, inn, hostel, etc.). There are many ways to find lodgings.

Ask your host to help you
Your first step should be to request help from your host laboratory. Ask for tips and help before your arrival. Some laboratories have access to housing reserves, and your predecessors can sometimes leave you their housing. Finally, some universities post ads or publish an information bulletin which may contain housing advertisements.

Some sites even have a service to help find accommodation:
- Ile-de-France / CIUP
- Grenoble,
- Paris Sud (Saclay, Orsay, Gif sur Yvette, Palaiseau…),
- Strasbourg. 

Finally, you can rely on a rental agency.  There are two types of agencies in France, person-to-person agencies (PAP agencies) which bring together owners and renters and  traditional rental agencies which represent the owners.

- Upon payment of a fee in general from 76 to 137 Euros, PAP agencies let you consult their database according to rules which vary from agency to agency. From that point  on, everything else takes place between you and the owner. You will have to contact him directly and make arrangements to visit the lodgings. Again, rentals are secured on a first-come first-served basis, and remember that you are not the only client of the agency.

One note of warning regarding these agencies. Their databases are not always well stocked and the offer may not correspond to your expectation from the description. The agency has no obligations to you regarding the result and it may well be that you may not find anything suitable. In the latter case, you will have lost money.

- Traditional rental agencies act as representatives of the owner. They will show you the accommodation and you will pay only if you decide to rent one of the apartments presented. You are not required to pay anything to a traditional rental agency before signing the lease. The fee is about one month rent and must be paid with the first month’s rent. 

Halls of residence
Most main towns possess halls of residence (Foyers) reserved to young women or young workers. You are usually required to pay a certain number of meals with your rent, even if you do not intend on eating on the premises. This solution is especially appealing for short stays (one or a few months).

Sometimes, you can find a room in someone’s house or apartment. No lease is signed then, it is only an agreement between a private person and yourself.

How to understand rental advertisements
Here is a lexicon of the most common abbreviations to help you decode housing advertisements:

2 PCB : 2 rooms + kitchen + bathroom
F 2 : 2 rooms + kitchen
6 Pc: 6 rooms
rdc : ground-floor
sdb : bathroom
chauf cent : central heating
chauf élec : electrical heating
chges or ch : maintenance expenses
kitch : kitchenette
balc : balcony
ascen : elevator
part : private person

Meeting the owner
Before you rent an apartment, the owner will ask a number of guaranties, in particular financial guarantees and guaranty of solvency . He is entitled to ask you to show proof of revenues (pay slips, income tax declaration, last rental receipt). He can also ask you to name a guarantor, i.e. a person who commits himself to pay your rent and utility expenses in case you default on your payments. However, if your income is sufficient, you probably will not be asked for a guarantor.

If the guarantor does not wish to commit himself for the totality of your debt, he must write the guarantee declaration (Acte de Caution) stating the limit. If you cannot find anyone to be your guarantor, you can request the services of a mutual insurance company (Mutuelle) or a bank to serve as financial guarantor (this service is not free of charge) or you may ask for a guarantee from the Fonds de Solidarité du Logement (Solidarity Fund for Housing) of your region. You can obtain information and addresses from ADIL agencies (http://www.anil.org/adils/carte.htm).

The first month can turn out to be very expensive. The payment of fees may be requested at the beginning of the month or towards the end of it.
Here is an example to help you anticipate your expenses:

- first month’s rent
- rental agency fees, if you used one (usually one month rent)
- a security deposit (usually, two month's rent)
- connection fees for utilities (electricity and gas) which will show up on your first bill
- telephone connection (to be paid with your first bill)
- rental insurance

If you have difficulties, ask the owner or the rental agency to spread out some of these expenses over several months.

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