Looking for apartment listings is super easy in France. In this article, we will see all the websites and mobile applications to use to be the first to apply for an apartment.
📱 The Mobile Apps to See the Listings
I will show you the best mobile apps and websites to get in order to check apartment listings. Let’s go!
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🔎 The listing aggregator
Jinka aggregates all the main platforms for apartment listings in France. You will be able to set up alerts to be the first on brand-new listings.
Moreover, there is a scam detector to avoid headaches.
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🌐 seloger.com
👨💼 The listing platform for agencies
SeLoger is the leader in France in apartment listings for rent or on sale from professionals. You will be able to see the listings from all the real estate agencies.
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🌐 leboncoin.fr (entire / shared)
🥇 The no. 1 marketplace for direct landlords
Leboncoin is the no.1 marketplace in France. For real estate, it is the main channel for direct landlords to advertise their listings. You will also be able to see listings from real estate agencies.
💡 For the notifications, when you set up an alert, you should set the notifications on the mobile: the emails seem to come slower.
⚠️ Be careful of scam listings.
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🌐 pap.fr
👴 The website for direct landlords
PAP.fr is a real estate website dedicated to direct landlords. However, you will have fewer listings than on Leboncoin.
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🌐 gensdeconfiance.com (entire / shared)
😌 An exclusive marketplace between trusted people
⚠️ Find 3 sponsors to sign up
Gens de Confiance is a marketplace where trust is the pillar. Indeed, you will need to find 3 sponsors in order to sign up.
You will be able to find direct landlords and shared place listings.
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🌐 lacartedescolocs.fr
👥 Find shared apartments and roommates easily
La Carte des Colocs is a website specifically made to put you in contact with people looking to rent a room in their shared place.
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🌐 airbnb.com
🧳 Get a short-term lease easily
Airbnb is very well known for short-term rental apartments for tourists. However, you will also be able to look for a monthly lease to get a discount on the price compared to the daily price. It is a good (but pricey) alternative to finding a place.
🔔 Set up your alerts in these apps to be the first to call and book a visit.
🏠 What Types of Places You Have
In France, you can see listings for:
- Entire place: the place is only for you
- Shared place (“colocation“): you share your place with roommates (“colocataires“)
These places can be rented:
- Unfurnished (“non meublé“):
- 1-month rent deposit maximum can be requested
- 3-year lease renewable by tacit agreement
- Furnished (“meublé“):
- 2-month rent deposit maximum can be requested
- 1-year lease renewable by tacit agreement
💡 You can terminate your rental lease anytime: you won’t pay the months remaining in your contract. You will only have to respect a:
- 1-month notice period in Paris and big cities
- 3-month notice period in smaller cities.
👨💼 Who Is Listing Places to Rent
In France, you will be able to see listings from:
- Real estate agencies (“Agence immobilière“): they charge check-in/check-out inventory of fixtures fees
- Direct landlords (“Propriétaire“): they usually don’t charge any fees apart from the monthly rent
💡 It is usually better to rent from direct landlords to avoid the fees.
💰 What The Rent Includes
The rent advertised in listings is usually split by:
- rent: what the landlord earns
- service charge (“charges locatives“):
- 🚰 water
- 🧹 maintenance of the common parts of the building
- ♨️ hot water (in certain types of buildings)
- 🔥 heating (in certain types of buildings)
So, in addition to your rent, you will usually need to pay:
- ⚡️ Electricity/Gas: ~40€/month
- 🔥 Gas (in certain places): ~40€/month
- 🌐 Internet/TV/Phone: ~30€/month
💡 In a small apartment, it is better to have electricity only: you pay a cheaper rent overall.
💸 Scams
Sometimes, the listing is a scam. Here is some advice to avoid tricky situations:
- ✍️ Do not sign a lease without seeing the apartment: if you cannot see it, it is better to let it go.
- 💵 Do not pay anything without signing the lease: the scam is usually about money.
- 📂 Don’t send your documents to anybody: your documents have important information such as your ID card or passport, and people can take advantage of these documents.
Don’t be paranoid, but just be careful with who you deal with.
😳 Weird Listings
Some listings have really low prices compared to the market. You can be in 3 situations:
- 🍀 You are super lucky, you got the deal of a lifetime
- 💸 It is a scam
- 😳 It is a listing of a weird person looking for a roommate but you may face uncomfortable situations if you choose to live with this person
You should feel the situation, and leave if you don’t feel it.
Conclusion
To summarize, Jinka is the ultimate aggregator to use during your apartment hunting. However, if you want even more live alerts than the aggregator, you should get the mobile applications Leboncoin for the listings made by individuals, and SeLoger for the listings made by the real estate professionals.
To know more about the process of renting an apartment in France, you can check this article:
