• 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).

• 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: see below

Whatever type of property you choose, you'll be required to take out comprehensive home insurance before you move in, called the Assurance Multirisques Habitation.

This is compulsory, and covers you against the various risks that may arise in your home like fire, water damage, etc.

It can be taken out with a Mutuelle insurance company, a bank or a private insurer, and must be handed over to the landlord when you move in.

Usually equivalent to one month's rent excluding charges, the security deposit, also known as the “Caution”, is to be paid when you sign the rental contract (lease), in addition to the first rent and any administrative or agency fees.

This is a deposit which will be reimbursed to you at the end of the rental period, provided you return the property in the condition in which you rented it.

If any damage is noted at the end of the rental period, the owner is authorized to withdraw from this deposit the amounts required to restore the property to its original condition.

Tip: make sure you don't close your bank account in France on the day of your departure, as your security deposit can be reimbursed up to 2 months after the keys have been returned to the owner or the residence.

In France, most landlords require tenants to present a guarantor, called un Garant.

The guarantor is a natural or legal person living in France or the European Union, who undertakes to pay the rent in place of the tenant, in the event of non-payment.

The guarantor must complete a document called Acte de Caution Solidaire and provide supporting documents like proof of identity, proof of residence (rent receipt, electricity bill, etc.), proof of employment (employment contract, employer's certificate, etc.) and proof of income (last 3 pay slips, last tax assessment, etc.).

If you don't know anyone who can be your Garant, you have several options:

• The national, free VISALE guarantee

You can benefit from Visale if you are under 31 and have a long-stay visa or residence permit (if you are non-European).

You can apply online, and you don't need to have already found accommodation to apply.

Crous university residences accept the Visale guarantee. Landlords or private residences are free to accept it or not.

• If you book accommodation via our partner platform Studapart, you can ask Studapart to act as your guarantor. This guarantee will cost you a percentage of the monthly rent.

• Alternatively, there are private, paying guarantors such as GarantMe - SmartGarant - Cautionéo (non-exhaustive list), for which there is no age condition.