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Renting in France


Rafa
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Hi,

I am due to rent an apartment from 1st March near Annemmase.

I was a bit surprised to discover I have to take out insurance for repair of goods (such as washing machine) even though they do not belong to me.

Also, against water damage, fire, etc.

I don't mind going along if this is the norm but I do not want to be ripped off.

Is taking out such insurance normal practice?

I know I have to pay habitation tax and a nominal garbage tax (the owner informs me).

Are there any other surprises I need to be aware of.

Thanks

Rafa

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I fixed up a rental for some Brit friends recently and yes, they had to have this insurance.  It was very cheap - not a horror story at all.  Most banks and insurance companies know the policy that you will need.  From memory it was about 12 euros a month for unfurnished, a little more for furnished no doubt.  You should also get public liability included as the norm (this covers you if a fire you accidentally start, say, damages other adjacent appartments for example.)  Basically it seems that you are responsible for the interior and your landlord for the exterior structure - ie if a tile blew off the roof and damaged somebody else's property.

Others will correct me if I am wrong.

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Cooperlola is right.

You may be responsible for the boiler too, if it needs servicing whilst you are there, unless it's considered 'Vetuste' (timeworn) in which case it shouldn't be in the flat/house in the first place.

The agent should provide you with an ''Etat des Lieux'' which you should check before you sign the bail (tenancy agreement). The Etat des Lieux is a thorough description of what is in the property and the condition of the property. Otherwise, on leaving, you may be asked to put right, things that were already damaged when you took it on.

When you leave, an Etat des lieux will be carried out and compared to the first. The Landlord may use this as a basis to withhold part of your deposit (Caution).

In France, when you rent, the property is considered your home/property. This means that the tenant has far more responsiblilites/rights for the rented property. Most Brits see rental in a very different way. I was once told off by a French person for not considering a rented place my 'home'.

Edit: The above refer to 'normal' rental (flats/houses) and not Gites. I have no idea how it works with Gites.

 

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[quote]Is taking out such insurance normal practice?[Rafa][/quote]

Cooperlola and LanguedocGal2 have answered you fully. A little extra:

Not only normal but essential - you won't get a signed rental contract without your Attestation d'Assurance Locataire (sometimes referred to by agents as "Assurance Dég/a\ts des Eaux").

It comes as a standard part of Home Insurance packages (in the UK, these would be called Home Contents).

Our particular package (from one of the big banks) is for both home owners and home renters (some different sub-sections apply as appropriate), which is a very different approach from the UK.

We pay €22 per month (for a large house - 150m2).

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Hi,

if you want to know details about rental in France, please contact me, Fil by Private Message, as there is lots I can tell you, as I have been on a learning curve since we let one of our gites to someone for six months.  Anyone else wanting to get in touch with me should also do it by private message, as my thread has been locked for censoring, due to a few odd remarks made on it.

But if you have anything you would like to ask me about rental advice, please get in touch.

Fil

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Fil and any one wanting to contact her should be aware that the Code of Conduct applies to PM's and Emails sent through the forum system too.

In this instance it is preferable that you use the LF system initially to exchange email addresses and continue the communication separately from this forum.

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