FINDING ACCOMODATION
There are several options for accommodation in France: CROUS university residences, private residences, hostels or private owners' accommodation.
The choice of accommodation depends on criteria such as budget, location and surface area.
To help you in your search and to better understand how renting works in France, we invite you to read carefully the HOUSING GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS made by the Euraxess France association.
The Grand Reims and Ardenne Métropole also offer the ATLAS DU LOGEMENT ETUDIANT ET DES JEUNES 2023 (in French) which brings together in one catalogue all the possibilities of accommodation for students and young adults.
- It's often necessary to be on site to rent an apartment from a private individual: booking temporary accommodation for the first few months of your stay may be a good idea, to give you time to find permanent accommodation afterwards.
- Beware of fraud! Beware of low rates and tempting photos!
- Never send money to a private individual without first visiting the property and signing a rental agreement.
- If you go through a real estate agency, you will be charged an agency fee (equivalent to around one month's rent).
- Whatever type of accommodation you choose, you'll need to take out comprehensive home insurance - called assurance multirisques habitation - before you can get the keys and move in. This insurance is compulsory and covers you in the event of a problem in your home (theft, fire, water damage, etc.). This insurance can be taken out with an insurance company or a bank, for example.
- If you prepare your rental application in advance, you'll be able to react more quickly once you've found the apartment that's right for you.
MAIN DOCUMENTS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR RENTAL APPLICATION :
- Passport,
- Visa (depending on your situation),
- Proof of status as doctoral student/researcher (student card, admission letter, hosting agreement),
- Proof of income: scholarship certificate, hosting agreement stating the amount of your salary in France.
- Guarantor: in France, tenants must have a French (or European) guarantor called le garant who is a natural or legal person who undertakes to pay the rent on their behalf in the event of non-payment. The guarantor must provide a proof of identity, proof of address (rent receipt, electricity bill, etc.), proof of employment (work contract, employer's certificate, etc.) and proof of income (last 3 pay slips, last tax assessment, etc.).
If you don't know anyone in France who can be your "Garant", you have several options:
- The national, free of charge VISALE guarantee. You can benefit from Visale if you are under 31 and have a long-stay visa (if you are non-European).
- Private, paid-for coverage such as GarantMe or SmartGarant (non-exhaustive list), for which there is no age requirement.
Public University Halls of Residence
The Crous is the organization in charge of managing public university residences in France.
There are several university halls of residence in various districts in the cities of Reims, Troyes, Châlons-en-Champagne and Charleville-Mézières.
You will find a map of these halls of residence on this website with a presentation of each of them : Crous Reims - Carte des résidences.
Priority is given to students with low revenus but depending on availability, PhD students may also be able to find accommodation here.
The price varies depending on the halls and the size of the accommodation, but this is the cheapest way to find accommodation.
Reservations are made online, and here are the steps for booking accommodation:
- Step 1: Create an account on MesServices
- Step 2: Connect to the CROUS online reservation platform: https://trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr/
- Step 3: Make your search by entering your dates of stay and city.
You can then choose an accommodation and make your reservation request online.
The residence will confirm the availability of the accommodation and you will be invited to confirm your reservation by paying a deposit online (equivalent to one month's rent, which will be refunded at the end of your stay).
You will then be in contact with the residence's secretariat to prepare for your arrival.
Should you need any help, please contact us at: euraxess@univ-reims.fr
Private Residences
For temporary or monthly accommodation, many private residences or appart'hôtels offer furnished studios for students or researchers.
Find the list of residences in the Atlas du logement étudiant by the the Grand Reims and Ardenne Métropole.
Furnished accommodation on the private market
For longer stays, or if you're coming with your family, it's probably best to rent from a private landlord by contacting the owners directly via the Internet or a real estate agency.
There are several websites where you'll find listings for privately-owned furnished apartments and studios, as well as for shared flats. You'll find more information on the Housing page of the Euraxess France portal, in the "Private accommodation" section.
On these websites, you'll find advertisements for housing owned by private individuals (landlords).
You can contact them by e-mail or by phone to arrange an appointment to visit the apartment or studio of your choice.
PLEASE NOTE: if you go through an estate agency, you will have to pay agency fees (often equivalent to one month's rent excluding charges).
The Euraxess Reims center also has contacts of private landlords who offer furnished accommodation (mostly in Reims) to international scientists hosted at URCA.
To consult the list of accommodation currently available, you must first be registered on the Euraxess France database.