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Housing

Information on this page will help you if you are planning to take an apartment/house in Toulouse. You will find information about different considerations that you must account for before finalizing house deal, estate agents, short term residences and general vocabulary pertaining to housing used in Toulouse/France.

Contents

  1. 1 Considerations for the apartment/house
  2. 2 Agencies for apartment/house on rent
  3. 3 Hotels, Kitchen equipped rooms, paying guests, etc.
  4. 4  Real Estate - Vocabulary
  5. 5 Usual protocol when you take house on rent

Considerations for the apartment/house

Few points that we would suggest you to consider when you are looking for an apartment
  • Transport: If you don't own/intend to own car/drive in Toulouse, do consider apartment close to the public transport/company shuttle which you intend to use.
  • Locality: Visit the apartment locality at different times in a day: morning, afternoon, night, late night to see if the place is safe/commutable.
  • Noise: Do consider for street noise, noise from adjacent pubs, bars or hotels (especially on week ends) and even neighbors.
    • Summers are very hot in Toulouse (about 40 -45 deg C) and you will need to keep open your windows. Unlike winter, noise problem is more severe in Summer.
  • Schools: If you have school going kids, prefer residence close to the school.
  • Proximity to city center: City center is the most happening and culturally active place. If you are with family especially with toddlers/kids and house wife, do consider this aspect for socializing/acclimatizing in French culture/day to day life.
  • Airbus employee: Most of the Indians in Toulouse who are Airbus employee, stay/prefer to stay in Colomiers and places close to Airbus facilities. If you prefer to stay close to "Airbus community", chose Colomiers.

Agencies for apartment/house on rent

Want to rent an apartment in Toulouse, have a look at the following links:

  • CRIJ
    • Centre Régional d'information Jeunesse Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées  Located at 17 rue de Metz, 31000 Toulouse
  • EST IMMO
    • This agency is recommended by one of the members of Indians in Toulouse.
    • Address: 32, rue Mascard, 31500 Toulouse, Tel: 05 61 54 43 05 Fax: 05 61 20 18 80 email: contact@estimmo.fr
    • Ask for the agent  Elizabeth Lacoste-Barrau (Email: elacoste-barrau AT estimmo DOT fr) who understands and speaks English.

  • Accommodation for student agency website
    • Owner of furnished Studios, Flats in Toulouse with Internet access.
    • They mention no fees of research, you pay only the rent. Few Indians have already rented appts with them.

Other websites

Note: Moderators are not responsible for any subsequent undertakings/matters arising from using any of the above mentioned services.


Normally the rental agencies charge a commission of 1 month rental fee. If you can find an appartement on your own you can save this amount. Look for advertisements mentioned as Particulier (eg:Part.). Also a caution deposit of 1 or 2 months is charged by the owner.
 
If you are a student at a university, it is best to get a residence in the university initially. Later if needed you can move out. The university residences are the cheapest and best option for most students. See "Guide for Indian Students" for further details.

Hotels, Kitchen equipped rooms, paying guests, etc.

If you can not manage to get an accommodation before arrival to Toulouse, you can book a Hotel for the initial days.

There are many hotels fully equipped as any house. Few of them are
  • M Guerlin [Résidence tourisme pour court séjour ]
    • Manager: Mr. Monserat: 05 61 62 66 76 Mobile: 06 22 43 72 17)
    • Furnished T1, T2, T3 Garage available for rent from few weeks to few months
    • All renovated apartments which include dishes, sheets, towels, etc. and located in the heart of Toulouse:
    • Rent [example] in 2008: T1bis at Jean Jaurès: 40 euros / night, T2 at Jean Jaurès: 46 euros / night, T2 at St-Aubin: 42 euros / night.
    • They all have wifi/ Internet connection

  • Paying guest service by owner: Fournie de La Martinie Fabie
    • Address: APT 135, 13, Port Saint Etienne, 31000 Toulouse Contact Number: 05.61.62.17.30
    • Referred by one of the member of Indians in Toulouse who stayed in this place for 15 days. His comments are
      • Good for short stays. Owner is an old lady and speaks very good English. She is very helpful as a guide, particularly, for newcomers in the city. In year 2008 charges were about 30 euros per day (excluding breakfast).
      • Facilities: Fully furnished, shared bathroom, kitchen available, breakfast available (no lunch or dinner, kitchen can be used for self cooking),
      • Free WiFi, provides supporting documents for official purposes such as carte de sejour, etc.
      • TV, Fridge, Washing machine, dish washer, Iron, English novels for reading and on top of everything she is very informative.
  • CITYROOM 
    • Apartments listed on this website are well maintained, fully equipped with kitchen, bed, WIFI, etc., and located in good localities, close to shopping malls, etc.,
    • The manager can communicate in good English. 
If you are a researcher or PhD student on a short visit we suggest you to register at FnaK foundation. Apart from diverse free services offered by FnaK foundation, with their e-card, you can enjoy a 10 to 25 % reduction for a temporary lodging.

 Real Estate - Vocabulary

  • F1, F2, T1, T2 : 'F' stands for houses, 'T" stands for apartments. The number equates to a living room PLUS the number of bedrooms. The kitchen and bathrooms are not counted (i.e. 'F4' would be a three-bedroom house).
  • Louer / Location Offre -- For Rent
  • Appartements / Villas -- Apartments/houses
  • Villa, Pavillon -- A small house S., Standing--Good quality
  • G.S., Grand standing --Luxury apartment or home
  • Part., Particulier --A private individual is leasing the property versus an agency
  • Prop., Propriétaire -- Owner Loc.,
  • Locataire--- Renter / lessee
  • Séj., Séjour -- Living room
  • Ch., Chambre -- Bedroom
  • App.,Chb, Pièce -- A single room for rent within an apartment Chem., Cheminée -- Fireplace
  • Jar. Clot., Jardin Clôturé -- Fenced or enclosed garden
  • Cuisine intégrée -- Kitchen has cupboards and counter tops; (normally a French kitchen has only a sink in a cabinet)
  • Cuisine équipée-- Kitchen has appliances, such as stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc. (not commonly found)
  • Cuisine américaine -- Kitchen opens out onto the living area (usually an equipped kitchen with appliances as well)
  • Plein pied -- Phrase used to describe any one story house
  • Cave -- Wine cellar area
  • Sous-sol -- Basement or storage area
  • 1er étage -- first floor
  • 2eme étage -- second floor
  • Dernier étage -- Top floor
  • A more exhaustive list/glossary is available on this link.
 A typical rental advertisement will look as follows:
 

Typical adverstisement for appartment on rent

A louer: (For rent)
Type: T4 (3-bedrooms plus living room)
Surface: 100 Sq. M. (Area; one square meter is about 10 square feet)
Situation: Rue de Lombez (Location)
Loyer: xxx € (verify that charges are included in the rent, written as charges compris)


 



















Usual protocol when you take house on rent