What is the process for renting through immobilier?

[the wee p]

Can anyone please tell me what the process is and how long it takes from viewing property to getting the keys to rent a house through an immobilier, what verification is required etc?  Cant seem to find any info online about this :(

[ams]

Generally it will be necessary for one to be earning income in france. As a general rule the rent must not be greater than 30% of your declared income. under current legislation u will have to provide a deposit representing 2 months rent, then pay the first months rent in advance , in addition pay and produce a coprehensive insurance contract in respect of the property excluding the cost of the building.

 

generally a 12 month bank guarantee from a tenant can be acceptable if the tenant is unable to produce sufficient french delared income. a valid reason would be necessary in such an event. Provided the income requirements are in place, then it will be necessary to have the usual supporting documents and references in place. the estate agent should check them out and if all are ok, i would expect the process to take just a couple of days.

 

ams

[Evianers]

We have let our house to three different sets of tenants in 4 years: each had to sign a 3 year lease [if the house is unfurnished] but none stayed that long: rights in France are invariably in favour of the tenant so even if you have to sign for three years, as long as you give 3 months notice, you are free to move out at any time. Generally speaking two months rental has to be given over to the estate agent which is refunded as long as there is no damage to the property, and the house has been kept in generally good condition.

[chessfou]

(a) Do you already have a "presence" in France (job, bank account) whatever?

(b) Are you starting from scratch from the UK?

If (a) much less than if (b) - in the latter case allow at least a couple of months (assuming you have excellent relations with your bank) or more. In any event the 30% (rent as % of income) is likely to be a determining factor.

[jilly]

I too have found  very little info about the actual nitty gritty of renting a property in France. At the moment we rent over here in England so shouldn't be too hard (hopefully). What worries me is that both my partner and I are both self employed. I'm worried about 'proving our income', particularly as a big chunk of it is paid in sterling

[suein56]

[quote user="jilly"]I too have found  very little info about the actual nitty gritty of renting a property in France. At the moment we rent over here in England so shouldn't be too hard (hopefully). What worries me is that both my partner and I are both self employed. I'm worried about 'proving our income', particularly as a big chunk of it is paid in sterling. [/quote]

Jilly I have sent you a pm.

Sue

[chessfou]

[quote]At the moment we rent over here in England so shouldn't be too hard

(hopefully). What worries me is that both my partner and I are both

self employed. I'm worried about 'proving our income', particularly as

a big chunk of it is paid in sterling[/quote]

So, you've got some references (especially the receipts for the rent paid, and the contract);

self-employed is no problem - you've got your UK tax returns;

Sterling income is no problem (as long as it equates to the requisite number of €).

However, the whole thing will probably get complicated.

Have you already opened a French bank account? If not do so a.s.a.p. - you can't even start the process without one.

If you've already decided on an area, then visit the main rental agencies there (allow several days, so that you can make appointments - you can't just walk in off the street, unless you want to put them off; and make sure you take all relevant docs with you - 3 months bank statements, last couple of tax returns, etc.) and discuss with them (on the spot) what exactly they need in the way of documentation (they all have a printed list but, unsurprisingly, not all of the items have direct uk equivalents) and what monthly rental limit they will impose (the 30% rule in general). Make sure you include IMMO de France among your ports of call.

That way you have a decent chance of being prepared to action things fairly rapidly when it comes time to select a property.

[5-element]

Hopefully, things have eased off since I tried to rent a flat when I arrived in France from England.

It was 6 years ago. I had money in the bank, I had a letter from a UK employer, to guarantee my income, and I had a written offer from another UK guarantor. Plus any character references, my bank statements, everything you could wish for.

The estate agents I went to all dismissed me one after the other.

At the time, I was supposed to have wage slips from an employer in France, or a guarantor in France who would provide their pay slips and bank statements (like it seems most parents manage to do for their offspring). Even the good sized amount of money I had in the bank failed to impress, and my offers to pay a year's rent in advance did not cut any ice either (it would be illegal).

I was getting desperate, even went through an agency for the homeless and was told I was an "atypical" case (!), it was also suggested to me to rent a mobil'home off season on one of the nearby sampsitesthe only way I did find a flat was through a stroke of sheer luck: with a great many other hopefuls, I answered an ad in the local paper, put there by the landlady herself. She trusted her judgement, and picked me as the tenant for one of the flats in her building.

So the only way you can find somewhere to rent, if you do not meet the agency criteria, is to find a private person - these days, many do go through an agency - if something goes wrong, the agency takes the flak.

My other avenue was also to look for foreigners (Americans and British, for instance) who had a room or a studio to let, furnished, privately, usually undeclared.

I did find, at the time, that it is indeed, easier to buy a place in France, than to rent! But as I said, I hope it has changed as it is ludicrous.

[chessfou]

[quote]I did find, at the time, that it is indeed, easier to buy a place in

France, than to rent! But as I said, I hope it has changed as it is

ludicrous.[/quote]

It has clearly eased a great deal. Similar position to you Dec2005/Jan 2006 when we set up our current rental agreement. Yes, we had to jump through hoops (set up one year guarantee with another French bank - Credit Agricole - since our main bank - Caisse d'Epargne - couldn't do such guarantees) and it was annoying to dump some € 11,000 into a non-interest bearing account but our hearts were set on the house and the view.

I believe that things are a bit easier still now, especially looking at the IMMO de France (inheritors of our agency) who now advertise special arrangements and insurances for deposits and guarantees (although they may be for French residents only).

The main point remains - get started a.s.a.p. with French bank account and making relevant contacts.

[LEO]

Hi wee p ,

You could rent a furnished property for a one year lease with an immobilier and , probably less red tape.

There are various forums you could place a wanted request for property to rent in your chosen area.

Kind regards,

Leo