Accommodation in France

CROUS

• CROUS (centres régionaux des œuvres universitaires et scolaires) are regional organizations providing accommodation and student restaurants, among other services

• On trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, one can apply for a student residence

• This guide details the necessary steps

• However: The application process has two phases, and as an international student, you can (most likely) only apply during the second phase – this makes it unlikely for you to get a place

  • In 2023, no accommodation was available at the start of the second phase

  • Only once, from August 26th–29th, there was one room offered

• You might have better chances if you contact CROUS Clermont instead of relying on their website

• It has been tried to reserve CROUS accommodation for IMAPP students, but as of 2023, to no avail

• Other possibilities are outlined here

Companies

Mediation

• Studapart

  • ✅ some of us have used this

• OQORO

  • ✅ some of us have used this

  • French user interface

  • Allows multiple people to apply for a flat together, but everything else is handled separately

  • Slow to respond via e-mail

  • Might call you instead of replying to your e-mails

  • 24h deadline to sign the rental agreement (including the guarantor, if applicable)

  • You'll need to schedule an appointment with a city manager to move in

    • It can be before the rental contract starts (?)

• Lokaviz

  • A CROUS service that arranges private accommodation

• Leboncoin

  • General-purpose platform for classified ads

• Appartager

Commercial providers of student residences

• StudCity

• Les Estudines

  • ✅ some of us have used this

• Les Belles Années

Search engines

• ErasmusPlay

Guarantors

• Visale

  • Free offering by the state of France

  • Might insist on a French certificate of enrollment

    • You probably won't have that until the semester starts!

• Garantme

  • ✅ some of us have used this

  • Commercial guarantor

  • Roommates can be added to the contract for free

  • The contract is for a year, but if you cancel, you get the money for the remaining months back (minus €70) ¹²

  • Comfortable English user interface

  • Might call you if you don't respond

• SmartGarant

• Private guarantors

  • Must live in France!

  • In the past, certain French professors have volunteered to be guarantors for IMAPP students

• By the rental platform

  • Studapart offers the Studapart guarantee

Insurances

Though some providers might handle this for you, having a home contents insurance (or however you call it) is mandatory in France.

• Lovys

  • ✅ some of us have used this

  • cooperate with Garantme (1st month free)

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Open questions

• Are we elegible for CAF (housing aid)?

  • Seems to be 𝒪(50€/mo)