Before signing your first lease lightly, you must carefully think about your decision so as not to find yourself in the red!

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The first item of expenditure, the choice of accommodation represents a headache for many students on a tight budget.

Dropped into the rental jungle, they often pay dearly for their inexperience by regretting their choice afterwards.

Here are some tips to avoid making mistakes.

A calculator in my head

The search for the ideal roof is a good opportunity to initiate, before the start of the school year, in management courses.

Indeed, you must above all establish your budget in relation to your available resources, but also taking into account all the costs that you will have to bear, including those of the transport that you will have to use between your future home and your place of residence. study.

If your maximum envelope is, for example, 500 euros, aim for advertisements displayed between 400 and 450 euros, making sure to check which charges are included.

If electricity and water are generally inexpensive, the heating bill can on the other hand explode your budget.

To avoid this pitfall, you can assess the energy cost of the studio you want thanks to the energy label, now mandatory on real estate ads, but also by making a phone call to the former tenant.

Insurance is essential

Do not forget either that you will have to insure your rental by means of a comprehensive housing contract.

You are required by law to protect yourself against any damage you may cause to the property of your lessor.

Whether you opt for an empty or furnished apartment or for a shared apartment, you will have to give him the insurance certificate when signing the lease, unless your landlord prefers to take it out for you, in return for your reimbursement.

Only hostels and seasonal rentals are exempt from this insurance obligation.

That being said, as long as you are still responsible for any potential damage you may cause to your studio, it is best to have your back.

Insurance companies offer inexpensive contracts (less than 10 euros per month) dedicated to students.

Additional funding

When it comes to establishing your budget, it is a good idea to shop around for financial aid that could inflate your budget.

In terms of housing, the first instinct should be to turn to the Family Allowance Fund in your department, to find out if you can receive the famous APL.

However, this generic term covers three types of allowances.

Most of the time, it is the social housing allowance (ALS) that can give you a boost, unless you opt for a home accommodation or a university residence eligible for personalized housing assistance (the real APL ) or that you are already a parent or married (family housing allowance).

In all cases, a resource ceiling must be respected.

Do an online simulation on Caf.fr.

The majority of lessors also require the presence of a guarantor to assume any unpaid rent.

If the financial situation of your parents does not lend itself to it, know that you can go through a private surety system or through the public Visale system.

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Cheap alternatives

Faced with a sometimes exorbitant private rental stock and crowded university residences, other options can allow you to stay at a low price.

  • Home accommodation: little known, student and young worker hostels offer to rent a room, or even a furnished studio, and take advantage of common spaces at low cost.

    The National Union of Student Houses, the National Union for Youth Housing and the Association of Youth Residences and Homes can help you find the accommodation that suits you.

  • Intergenerational roommates: specialized associations play the go-between between students looking for a home and seniors looking for support.

    The principle: the more the young person commits in terms of attendance and help with household chores, the lower the rent.

    You can get information from associations such as Un toit 2 generations, Solidarity Housing or the Intergenerational Solidarity Cohabitation network.

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