In Paris, finding accommodation when you're a student is almost mission impossible. Every time an ad is posted, hundreds of applications are sent out, and it's often difficult to get the best deal. We've come up with a few alternatives to get you by.
With the start of the new academic year fast approaching, student accommodation is almost fully booked. All Crous rooms in Paris are full, according to the Union des étudiants de France (Unef). Websites such as Leboncoin and SeLoger are jam-packed, and landlords have hundreds of applications to choose from for their future tenants. In such circumstances, it's hard to get by. For students who have just secured their place at the university of their choice, or those who are just starting out, it's going to be hard to find the right match. However, there are some little-known ways of finding accommodation more easily, and here are just a few of them:
- The Studyleaze platform: this allows you to find rooms in university halls of residence. There aren't many left, but they receive far fewer applications than the Crous or conventional real estate agencies.
- Xenia: an original company offering cheaper rents in exchange for small services. It's the principle of intergenerational renting. A student provides a service to a senior citizen, who provides low-cost accommodation. Rents average 450 euros.
- Colette: almost the same principle, Colette offers shared accommodation between students and seniors, without the services.
- Lesser-known platforms such as ImmoJeunes or LocService: These are classic platforms, but they are much less popular than sites such as PaP, Leboncoin or SeLoger. No good deals here, but you'll have less competition with other candidates.
