FAQ - Toolbox

Before beginning your search

Demand for housing in Paris and the surrounding area outstrips supply

It can be difficult to find housing that meets all of your requirements (including price, size and location). The range of monthly rent amounts for a studio measuring 18 sq. m,, available below, will help you calculate your budget.
 

Source : réseau Paris accès Ile-de-France

Securing housing without using the Housing Department

What services are offered by the Housing Assistance Office?

When you register with the Housing Department, our team commits to finding you a place in a student residence for the duration of your academic year, and to assisting you with the various formalities required for you to access housing. Using this service also lets you obtain:

• Access to the listing of residences offered
• A confirmation letter to help you secure a visa (if necessary)
• Advice on housing insurance and securing a rental bond
• Help in setting up a French bank account, if necessary
• And information on various sources of housing assistance (e.g. CAF, the family welfare agency in France), as well as how to receive it.

If I register with the Housing Assistance Office am I guaranteed to find housing?

Our teams’ goal is to offer you a housing solution in Paris or the surrounding area and in all cases within 45 minutes by public transport from campus. But it is important to react quickly to secure this type of housing. The faster you react when creating your application the better your chances of finding housing.

It is also important to note that the vast majority of our housing options are in Saint Ouen. 
If there are no availabilities at the time of your request, we will place your application on the waiting list and contact you as soon as a place becomes available.

Note that assignments are made mainly according to social and geographic criteria, and we give priority to younger students (first and second year of Bachelor’s degree), Crous scholarship holders and students whose tax household is far from the place of learning.

I am a Crous scholarship holder, how do I access housing?

If you are a Crous scholarship holder, we highly recommend making a housing request in parallel via your DSE (student social form) directly to the Crous. Level 5 to 7 scholarship holders take priority but the number of housing units assigned remains very low.

For information, last year only around 10 Dauphine students secured housing through this system. We therefore recommend also applying through the Dauphine Housing Department to secure a low-rent housing option. Special attention is given to Crous scholarship holders in requests handled by the Housing Assistance Department.

What is the lease term for a studio in a Dauphine residence?

For housing in our residences, the lease is for one year. It can possibly be extended provided that the student answers a return housing questionnaire and proves that he/she will still be enrolled at Dauphine the following September.

Can I choose my residence?

You can express special requests in the choice of residences listed. Assignments are subject to availability in the housing inventory at the time of the request and according to the student profile. Our housing offers are located mainly in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine with close access to public transport, so that you can reach your school quickly. 

What happens if you have no housing to offer me at the time of my request?

Last year we made housing offers to all students who contracted our services. If we have no housing to offer you at the time of your request, your application will be placed on standby until our team can make an offer.

Can I request a housing share with my friends?

The form to be completed at your registration with the Housing Department gives you the option to make special requests in terms of sharing, and you can tell us who you wish to be housed with.

What type of housing do you offer and at what price?

Most housing options are individual studios with a kitchenette and private bathroom. We also have shared apartments where each tenant has their own bedroom but the bathroom may be shared by two people. The kitchen is shared. A few units with shared bedrooms are also offered. Heating, electricity and wifi are generally included. Note that the resident is responsible for upkeep of the bedroom. Rent in our residences is between 500 and 750 euros, from which APL can be deducted.

What will be included in my housing unit?

All housing units offered come with a bed, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, kitchenette with hot plates and a fridge. Sheets, covers, bathroom linens, kitchen utensils and dishes are not provided, except at Saint-Ouen Louis Dain.

Which documents do I need to submit when I make my housing request?

To complete your housing assistance application, you must be enrolled at Dauphine, or must have been accepted after the application procedure if this will be your first year. This proof is required. If you are a scholarship holder, you must also provide a decision letter for the current year, or a conditional one for the next year, your ID, your latest tax notice if you reside in France and a Visale or Garantme certificate.

When and how do I make rent payments?

Before you arrive you must pay the 1-month deposit and the first month’s rent.

Securing housing without using the Housing Department

Securing housing in a student residence without using the Dauphine Housing Department

If you do not wish to use the Housing Department, you can contact the landlords below yourself. In this case you won’t need to pay housing assistance fees, but you cannot access housing spots assigned by Dauphine.

These residences offer furnished housing (laundry, general security, wifi), which give access to ALS benefits (housing aid). Information and reservations directly with the housing provider:

• Adele : student housing search site
• Espacil : subsidiary of Habitat d’Action Logement
• ALJT : Young workers housing association
• ARPEJ : Association of residences for students and young workers
• CLLAJ Local committee for independent housing for young people in Paris
• La Cité Universitaire de Paris : the CIUP houses French and foreign students from the first year of the Master’s degree, researchers and artists, year-round.  CIUP admission request form.

You can also consult the following private residence offers:

• Estudines
• Twenty-campus
• You first campus
• Cardinal Campus

Housing with a private landlord

Managed by Crous, the LOKAVIZ portal lets you view ads from private landlords (individuals or residences) whose housing is certified by CNOUS and CROUS according to criteria of location, general condition, rent amount and landlord/tenant relations. Contact is with the private landlords directly without involvement of the Housing Department in relations between tenants and private landlords.

Apartment shares

You can find an apartment share through the following options:

• The Wellow House platform offers apartment shares in high-prestige apartments within Paris.
• The kaps project (Kolocation à Projets Solidaires) offers student apartment shares in a working-class neighborhood, connected to a social project conducted with and for its residents.
• CoopColoc : innovative system for student apartment shares in Paris, whose housing units come from Paris social housing inventory.

Or through these sites:

• Appartager
• Ma Piaule
• Student rental

Affordable housing

Several associations place students in contact with individuals offering a room in their home. Registration online:

• Ensemble2generations
• Le Pari solidaire
• Student Housing

For short-term stays, CROUS offers students studying in Paris stays by the night through its Bed & Crous site.

Housing with a host or inter-generational family

If you are interested in this option, contact us.

Practical housing information

Housing aid

In France there are special subsidies for students of all nationalities to help them access housing.

• CAF (France’s family welfare agency): If you pay rent for your primary residence and you have a modest income, you may be entitled to APL or ALS housing subsidies depending on the type of residence. You can complete your application online and estimate the amount of your subsidy.
• AILE (housing assistance for students) charges a flat fee of €900.
• Paris Logement: monthly subsidy from the city of Paris for tenants with modest incomes.

Housing deposit

The housing deposit is a sum that is paid when a lease is signed. It is normally returned at the end of the lease except if there is damage to the premises. The amount may vary between one and two months’ rent depending on the type of residence and lease.

If needed, you can access the Avance Loca-Pass which lets you immediately pay the deposit requested by the landlord and pay it back in increments, without interest, for a maximum period of 25 months. The amount is €1,200 maximum.

For those in need of emergency housing

The Housing Department does not manage emergency situations. Contact the Crous social department by scheduling an appointment online with the social worker. Also consider contacting the university’s social services.

Financial hardship

The FSL (a housing assistance fund) grants financial aid for housing-related expenses (bills, rents, etc.). Contact them at: action.sociale@dauphine.psl.eu

Legal aid

The ADIL (Paris housing information agency) is an association that gives legal advice on housing issues. Free consultations are available by appointment in all Paris town halls.

Rental terminology

Lease (bail)

This is the rental contract which specifies the rights and duties of the landlord and the tenant. Some notices and information are mandatory. The rules depend on whether the housing is furnished or unfurnished.

Guarantor or bond (garant/caution)

The guarantor is a person who guarantees to the landlord that they will pay the tenant’s debts. He/she is therefore required to pay the rent and rental costs if the tenant defaults on their payment. This can be a legal person or corporation.

Two different bodies can issue the certificate of bond:

• Visale is a free bond for housing from the private  sector, social housing or collective structure (student residence). Visa requests are made online
• Garantme is another possible bond option. However it has a fee

Costs (charges)

Rental amounts are given with costs (HC) and/or with costs included (CC pr TCC). Monthly rental costs usually include building upkeep and rental taxes. These costs generally include cold water (ask for confirmation) and sometimes heating - referred to as “chauffage collectif” - and wifi.

Notice period (délai des préavis)

When you move out of your housing, you must inform your landlord within a legally stipulated period, known as “délai de préavis”. This period is 1 month for rentals in Paris and its suburbs. The letter indicating your departure from the housing must be sent by registered letter with confirmed receipt. The landlord is entitled to claim the month’s rent if a tenant does not give the required notice.

Housing deposit (dépôt de garantie)

The housing deposit is a sum that is paid when a lease is signed. This amount is normally returned at the end of the lease except if there is damage to the premises. The amount may vary between one and two months’ rent depending on the type of residence and lease.

Inventory (état des lieux) 

This document is drafted when you move in and out of the housing, with the tenant and landlord in attendance, when the keys are handed over. It involves precisely noting the general state of the apartment (cleanliness, electrical installation, heating, wall paint, floors, WC, etc.). Note that these two documents will be compared to conclude on any damages and establish liability. The landlord will decide based on this whether to return all or part of the deposit when you move out.

m2 (square meters)

This is the unit used to measure housing surface area. The term “loi Carrez” refers to the law on measuring surface areas in France.

• Housing Department
• Foreign student office
• Student housing insurance
• Visale Guarantee
• Garantme Guarantee