Budget : The most important search criteria are lodgings that suit your budget and your lifestyle (dorm room, apartment, joint tenancy, low-rent housing, a room in someone’s home, etc.). When you install yourself, you will have to pay substantial fees. Make sure you have enough for the rental deposit and charges. Remember that financial assistance is not allocated immediately. Count on a delay of about two months before receiving this assistance once it has been granted.
Transportation: Travel time between the university and your place of residence is another important criterion. Take the time to explore communities near Lyon because rental rates are lower there and the TCL lines provide a good connection to the city.
Google maps
www.tcl.fr
To help students pay their rent, the Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) provides financial assistance for housing. This assistance is calculated according to the characteristics of your lodgings and your personal financial situation. Foreign students may benefit from these allowances. Click here to request financial assistance for housing.
• If you come from a European Union country, you follow the same steps as a French student.
• If you are from a country outside the European Union, you must simply send your CAF a photocopy of the front and back sides of your currently valid residence permit for more than four months.
Places where you can find assistance :
The Students Welcome Desk (SWD)
Welcomes new students to Lyon and helps with residence cards, housing, transportation and cultural activities from September 5 to October 27 ; 92 rue Pasteur 69007 Lyon. click here
The CROUS manages university residences and offers a list of lodgings in private homes on this website : Lokaviz
Reception desk : 59 rue de la Madeleine 69365 Lyon Cedex 07
Monday to Friday, continuously from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tel. 04 72 80 17 70
CLLAJ
www.cllaj-rhone-alpes.com
The local committee for independent lodgings for young adults (CLLAJ) provides free files and models to download, including those for lease, deposit, inventory and notification documents
The CRIJ : Centre Régional d'Information Jeunesse (regional information center for young adults). Housing offers throughout the year.
Address : 66 cours Charlemagne - Lyon 2, 04 72 77 00 66
Open to the public: Mon. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. / Tue., Thu. and Fri. from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
To learn your rights and obligations and those of the owner : contact ADIL (the departmental agency for information and housing) for free advice. 9 rue Vauban, 69006 Lyon. Tel. 04 78 52 84 84. www.adil.org/69
Consultation by appointment only, Monday to Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
> Have a look also at the chapter on housing in the guide
Transportation: Travel time between the university and your place of residence is another important criterion. Take the time to explore communities near Lyon because rental rates are lower there and the TCL lines provide a good connection to the city.
Google maps
www.tcl.fr
To help students pay their rent, the Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) provides financial assistance for housing. This assistance is calculated according to the characteristics of your lodgings and your personal financial situation. Foreign students may benefit from these allowances. Click here to request financial assistance for housing.
• If you come from a European Union country, you follow the same steps as a French student.
• If you are from a country outside the European Union, you must simply send your CAF a photocopy of the front and back sides of your currently valid residence permit for more than four months.
Places where you can find assistance :
The Students Welcome Desk (SWD)
Welcomes new students to Lyon and helps with residence cards, housing, transportation and cultural activities from September 5 to October 27 ; 92 rue Pasteur 69007 Lyon. click here
The CROUS manages university residences and offers a list of lodgings in private homes on this website : Lokaviz
Reception desk : 59 rue de la Madeleine 69365 Lyon Cedex 07
Monday to Friday, continuously from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tel. 04 72 80 17 70
CLLAJ
www.cllaj-rhone-alpes.com
The local committee for independent lodgings for young adults (CLLAJ) provides free files and models to download, including those for lease, deposit, inventory and notification documents
The CRIJ : Centre Régional d'Information Jeunesse (regional information center for young adults). Housing offers throughout the year.
Address : 66 cours Charlemagne - Lyon 2, 04 72 77 00 66
Open to the public: Mon. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. / Tue., Thu. and Fri. from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
To learn your rights and obligations and those of the owner : contact ADIL (the departmental agency for information and housing) for free advice. 9 rue Vauban, 69006 Lyon. Tel. 04 78 52 84 84. www.adil.org/69
Consultation by appointment only, Monday to Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
> Have a look also at the chapter on housing in the guide
Rental insurance and taxes
When you sign a lease, the law requires you to insure your lodgings. If you do not do so, the owner may cancel your rental agreement. Special insurance packages enable combining civil liability, housing and car insurance. Ask your parents for information. They might be able to add your lodgings to their insurance contract. Otherwise, you can take out a personal insurance policy. Remember to compare prices. Insurance prices vary according to the number of rooms and the amount of insurance. The mutual insurance companies for students (LMDE and SMERRA) provide solutions costing between €20 and €100 per year on average.
LMDE
SMERRA
The GRL plan (rental risk guarantee) insures owners against rental non-payment risks and helps renters find a place to stay, on the condition that their monthly rent, including charges and taxes, is not more than 50% of their monthly resources. For more information.
The residence tax is a local tax you must pay if you occupy lodgings on January first of a given year. Ask your lessor if this is included in the charges. In principle, a student must pay the residence tax unless he or she occupies a CROUS apartment or lives with a private owner.
Students who fill out an income tax declaration at their university address can benefit from a ceiling, depending on their reference fiscal income (the last number on the French income tax notification form under the “Complementary Information” heading).
For students who are included in their parents’ declaration, the reference fiscal income to be used to calculate the ceiling is the parents’ fiscal income. These students may request a tax allowance without losing the allowance for family expenses corresponding to the parents’ main residence.
LMDE
SMERRA
The GRL plan (rental risk guarantee) insures owners against rental non-payment risks and helps renters find a place to stay, on the condition that their monthly rent, including charges and taxes, is not more than 50% of their monthly resources. For more information.
The residence tax is a local tax you must pay if you occupy lodgings on January first of a given year. Ask your lessor if this is included in the charges. In principle, a student must pay the residence tax unless he or she occupies a CROUS apartment or lives with a private owner.
Students who fill out an income tax declaration at their university address can benefit from a ceiling, depending on their reference fiscal income (the last number on the French income tax notification form under the “Complementary Information” heading).
For students who are included in their parents’ declaration, the reference fiscal income to be used to calculate the ceiling is the parents’ fiscal income. These students may request a tax allowance without losing the allowance for family expenses corresponding to the parents’ main residence.
Glossary
BAIL (lease) : a required document listing the rights and obligations of renters and owners.
Minimum duration = 3 years with renewal.
A renter must give notice three months before leaving an apartment. The letter specifying that the renter is leaving should be sent by registered mail.
BAILLEUR (lessor) : Owner of the lodgings.
CAUTION (deposit) : This is requested when the rental contract is signed. It should not be more than two months rent, excluding charges. It should be refunded within two months after the keys have been handed back, excluding any amount due to the lessor and sums for the necessary repair work noted upon inventory.
CHARGES LOCATIVES (rental charges) : These are expenses such as building upkeep, elevators, heating, water, electricity and taxes.
CLLAJ (local committee for independent lodgings for young adults): This organization provides counsel and assistance in finding lodgings and in rental management.
3 avenue de l'Abbé Rozier, 69001 Lyon, Tel. 04 72 07 87 17
www.cllaj-rhone-alpes.com
EDF : Electricité de France, the French electricity supplier : www.edf.fr
Remember to ask for a meter reading when you enter and leave your lodgings.
ETAT DES LIEUX (inventory) : When you move out of the lodgings, you will draw up an inventory with the owner or an agency.
The comparison between the state of the lodgings when you enter and leave serves as the basis for determining if repairs are needed and, above all, if you must pay for them. A proper inventory is thus essential to avoid litigation. It is almost impossible that there will be no wear and tear, even in a new apartment. All imperfections or damage, even minor, must be mentioned on the descriptive document (a spot on the rug, a cracked window, a lock that doesn’t work well, etc.).
GARANT or CAUTION SOLIDAIRE (third-party guarantee or deposit ): This is an individual (parent, friend), association or organism that commits to paying your rent to the lessor in case you are unable to make payment.
GRDF : Gaz réseau distribution de France, the French gas supplier: the web site
HLM : This is low-income housing.
LOCA PASS :
AVANCE LOCA-PASS (Loca-Pass loan):
This is a refundable, no-interest loan to cover the deposit requested by the owner or lessor of lodgings for possible repair work to be done when the renter vacates the premises.
It is available to all students.
The loan corresponds to part of the total deposit amount requested by the lessor. It represents a maximum of one month’s rent and is limited to €2,300. It may be refunded over a maximum period of three years with a three-month payment deferral.
GARANTIE LOCA-PASS (Loca-Pass guarantee):
The organism acts as a guarantor to facilitate rental access.
This guarantee is a commitment by a third party to pay the lessor any rental and charges that you are unable to pay.
GRL (Garantie des Risques Locatifs) is a plan that insures owners against rental non-payment risks and helps renters find a place to stay, on the condition that their monthly rental, including charges and taxes, is less than 50% of their monthly resources. For more information on GRL.
LOYER (rent) : Every month, you pay a fixed amount by bank transfer or check. The amount is re-evaluated annually. You also pay charges in addition to rent.
OPAC du Rhône : This is the Rhône public office of development and construction. It provides assistance for low-income renters. www.opacdurhone.fr/
QUITTANCE (receipt): The lessor should provide you with a receipt, free of charge. This is a document that proves you reside at a certain location. It may be requested for TCL, library or other registrations. Your EDF invoice also serves as a receipt.
T1, T2, T3 or F1, F2, F3: T signifies “type” of lodgings and F signifies “function”. They are used indifferently.
The living room, dining room and bedrooms are counted as rooms. The kitchen and bathroom are not included in the total.
A T1 has one room; “bis” signifies that the room is large and could be separated into two rooms.
Minimum duration = 3 years with renewal.
A renter must give notice three months before leaving an apartment. The letter specifying that the renter is leaving should be sent by registered mail.
BAILLEUR (lessor) : Owner of the lodgings.
CAUTION (deposit) : This is requested when the rental contract is signed. It should not be more than two months rent, excluding charges. It should be refunded within two months after the keys have been handed back, excluding any amount due to the lessor and sums for the necessary repair work noted upon inventory.
CHARGES LOCATIVES (rental charges) : These are expenses such as building upkeep, elevators, heating, water, electricity and taxes.
CLLAJ (local committee for independent lodgings for young adults): This organization provides counsel and assistance in finding lodgings and in rental management.
3 avenue de l'Abbé Rozier, 69001 Lyon, Tel. 04 72 07 87 17
www.cllaj-rhone-alpes.com
EDF : Electricité de France, the French electricity supplier : www.edf.fr
Remember to ask for a meter reading when you enter and leave your lodgings.
ETAT DES LIEUX (inventory) : When you move out of the lodgings, you will draw up an inventory with the owner or an agency.
The comparison between the state of the lodgings when you enter and leave serves as the basis for determining if repairs are needed and, above all, if you must pay for them. A proper inventory is thus essential to avoid litigation. It is almost impossible that there will be no wear and tear, even in a new apartment. All imperfections or damage, even minor, must be mentioned on the descriptive document (a spot on the rug, a cracked window, a lock that doesn’t work well, etc.).
GARANT or CAUTION SOLIDAIRE (third-party guarantee or deposit ): This is an individual (parent, friend), association or organism that commits to paying your rent to the lessor in case you are unable to make payment.
GRDF : Gaz réseau distribution de France, the French gas supplier: the web site
HLM : This is low-income housing.
LOCA PASS :
AVANCE LOCA-PASS (Loca-Pass loan):
This is a refundable, no-interest loan to cover the deposit requested by the owner or lessor of lodgings for possible repair work to be done when the renter vacates the premises.
It is available to all students.
The loan corresponds to part of the total deposit amount requested by the lessor. It represents a maximum of one month’s rent and is limited to €2,300. It may be refunded over a maximum period of three years with a three-month payment deferral.
GARANTIE LOCA-PASS (Loca-Pass guarantee):
The organism acts as a guarantor to facilitate rental access.
This guarantee is a commitment by a third party to pay the lessor any rental and charges that you are unable to pay.
GRL (Garantie des Risques Locatifs) is a plan that insures owners against rental non-payment risks and helps renters find a place to stay, on the condition that their monthly rental, including charges and taxes, is less than 50% of their monthly resources. For more information on GRL.
LOYER (rent) : Every month, you pay a fixed amount by bank transfer or check. The amount is re-evaluated annually. You also pay charges in addition to rent.
OPAC du Rhône : This is the Rhône public office of development and construction. It provides assistance for low-income renters. www.opacdurhone.fr/
QUITTANCE (receipt): The lessor should provide you with a receipt, free of charge. This is a document that proves you reside at a certain location. It may be requested for TCL, library or other registrations. Your EDF invoice also serves as a receipt.
T1, T2, T3 or F1, F2, F3: T signifies “type” of lodgings and F signifies “function”. They are used indifferently.
The living room, dining room and bedrooms are counted as rooms. The kitchen and bathroom are not included in the total.
A T1 has one room; “bis” signifies that the room is large and could be separated into two rooms.
