Finding suitable rented accommodation

[Wardy29]

My wife and I are contemplating a move to the Beziers area (34/11) next spring and have been scouring the internet for suitable rented accommodation. I have tried various searches on google and the best sites seem to be www.seloger.com and www.explorimmo.com. I must say I have not been overwhelmed by the amount of choice available in our price range - we want to spend no more than €1000 per month if possible.

Are there any other sites that I have missed offering decent rented accom? Or is it best to come out to the area first and spend some time with one or more letting agents (if such a thing exists).

Are the vast majority of lets snapped up before even making it onto the internet sites, or are these sites fairly representative of what's available?

Obviously we are not planning on signing up for anything without seeing it and scouting the location out thoroughly. Ideally we wanted to pick out 8-10 very strong candidates before making a weeks visit early next year.

 

Any help greatly appreciated

Andy

[Benjamin]

Maybe the long term rental market is very expensive in the area but figures of €1000 would get you a very nice property in this area.

I just Googled long term rental Beziers and came up with lots of listings. You need to avoid anything that talks in terms of XX per week as these will almost certainly be short term holiday lets.

Best of luck.

[Kiras_Back]

Depending on what exactly you are looking for 1000euros 'outside' Beziers or within the department of 11 will get you a very nice property on a long term basis - (minimum years rental)

However you are covering a large area - can you narrow it down a bit?    Obviously different areas will carry different price tags!

Kira

[Wardy29]

I am in little doubt that we will be able to find somewhere very nice for the price we are looking to spend. Its just that I haven't come across that much on the internet so far.

 

1. Are there any websites out there that you guys recommend?

2. Is it much easier to search (or is there much more choice) locally?

 

Many thanks

Andy

 

 

[Logan]

Try local estate agents in the area you are interested. Often they have a stock of property for rent.

[cooperlola]

try

http://www.century21.fr/

[suein56]

[quote user="Wardy29"]

Obviously we are not planning on signing up for anything without seeing it and scouting the location out thoroughly. Ideally we wanted to pick out 8-10 very strong candidates before making a weeks visit early next year.

[/quote]

Hi Andy

We rent here in Morbihan and we found our house through an ad in the local newspaper. We did this for 2 reasons: 

a) We did not have the appropriate documents to back up our credit rating here as French estate agents take little notice, if any, of UK documents - not without a lot of hassle and translations etc etc - this is understandable as they are protecting their clients interests, a similar situation exists in the UK if you want to rent, I understand.

b) We found privately rented houses were cheaper and without the charges associated with renting through an agency. Though you do have to look out for yourself and understand the French rental contracts quite well to know just what your responsibilities are and what you will need to pay out.

Rental properties, especially good ones, do seem to move fast - so you need to be in a position to look, decide and act quickly if you find a place you like.

Sue

[mitsi]

Have you tried www.rentaplaceinfrance.co.uk? It seems to cover most areas although some are purely winter lets - worth a try.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Wardy29"]

I am in little doubt that we will be able to find somewhere very nice for the price we are looking to spend. Its just that I haven't come across that much on the internet so far.

 

1. Are there any websites out there that you guys recommend?

2. Is it much easier to search (or is there much more choice) locally?

 

Many thanks

Andy

 

 

[/quote]

Are you saying that the Google suggestion didn't turn up any useful sites or info?

[chessfou]

[quote]1. Are there any websites out there that you guys recommend?

2. Is it much easier to search (or is there much more choice) locally?[/quote]

1: http://www.agences-immobilieres.com/reseau-immobilier/fnaim.htm

click through "voir le site" - it's not bad for a quick look but typically the larger agents will have anything from 10x to 100x the number of properties displayed on the site.

2: Yes, much. Same as in UK - get list of all agents in relevant town(s), take quick tour to look in windows and get idea of relative size/importance, then visit in descending order. Also make sure you check the local papers (both paid and free).

Of course, you might get lucky (as we did) and spot something on the internet. Our near perfect house was one of three that the largest local agency had on their web-site at the time (they had about 40 or 50, and literally hundreds of appartments, on the display boards when we got to their offices).

[The Truth Fairy]

You could also try posting an "accommodation wanted" notice on the relevant Anglo Info forum (Languedoc-Roussillon) as they have a specific section, and peruse the accommodation offered while you're there (there seems to be plenty to choose from). The advantage of renting through an English-speakers forum will be that they will understand your references, unlike an estate agent as someone else said.