Accomodation in Lille
Upon the arrival :
* Youth hostels:
Most of the time, incoming students choose to stay in youth hostels for a while before
they can nd a permanent accommodation. Take a look of these options :
Auberge Stéphane Hessel ≈ 25€ per night (subway Porte de Valencienne)
Gastama ≈ 25€ per night (Vieux-Lille)
Eklo Hotels ≈ 25€ per night (subway Porte de Valencienne)
* AirBnB:
Like in many others cities in France, you can nd a lot of temporary housing options
suitable for all tastes on this website that oers private rooms/
accommodation for short periods of time.
* Couchsurng:
This website is designed to connect couchsurfers from worldwide that are looking for
an alternative way of traveling. How does it work? The hosts open their homes and
share their life for a few nights with the couchsurfer. The idea is that when the couch-
surfers goes back home, s/he will become a host and open her/his home for another
couchsurfer. The whole process is free of charge for the host and for the couchsurfer
and it is based on the principle of mutual benet, sharing and
solidarity. To nd a host, you have to sign in on the website (www.couchsurng.com)
and to start talking with members of the community in Lille.
For one semester or the academic year :
University accommodation – « CROUS »:
International students in exchange programs can apply for CROUS university
accommodation because the Direction of International mobilities has a number of
reserved rooms. The rooms in university campus are (sometimes but not always)
smaller and less comfortable than a studio in town. But they have nancial
advantages: they are cheap, are exempt from the housing tax, and for electricity,
gas or other, no need to deal with the contract.
International students outside the exchange program (freemovers) must follow
an individual housing application procedure by directly applying to CROUS
international service. Warning: places are limited!
The application for admission must be made on the website before May :
www.crous-lille.fr
Contact: [email protected] or [email protected].
The REEFLEX student hall:
The students can rent a at during few days to few months. The rooms/ats are fully
furnished with a kitchen, private bathroom and bedroom. The price depends on the
size of the room: 396€/month for 18m2 and 452€/month for 23m2.
A guarantor and the equivalent of one rent of security deposit are required at the
arrival, as well as the payment of the membership of the REEFLEX association (60€).
Contact: reeex@univ-lille.fr
Tél: +33(0)3 59 31 29 80.
Résidence REEFLEX: avenue Paul Langevin, Cité Scientique 59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq.
Renting:
International students can also rent a private accommodation in town. They can visit
the following websites:
Stud’Apart - University of Lille:
Studapart has become the on-line housing service of more than 150 schools and
universities, among the most renowned in France. More than 100,000 housing units
are present on the housing platforms of partner higher education institutions.
The University of Lille is part of this network to facilitate and secure the rental of a
housing. https://univ-lille.studapart.com/fr/
HousingAnywhere:
This service connects French students who are doing an exchange program and who
are willing to rent their room/at for the time of their stay abroad with exchange stu-
dents from abroad who are looking for a room/at
during their stay in Lille. It is a win-win situation! The French students can get their
room back when they return, and the foreign students can have access to authentic
French accommodation suitable for them.
In the frame of the partnership, the University of Lille maintains a permanent contact
with HousingAnywhere, that provides our students with a privileged access to all
oers and a scrutiny of special requests. In addition, if the room doesn’t comply
exactly with the advertisement, HousingAnywhere reserves the right to steer
immediately the students towards another at/room and to refuse to pay the rent.
Finally, the partnership we maintain with HousingAnywhere oers discounts on the
bookings fees. www.housinganywhere.com
GOTOO LILLE:
Gotoo Lille Real estate provides, housing services for erasmus students, and french
students. What makes the dierence is its customer service and our online assistance
before,during and after your stay . To get further information, please check its
website : https://lille.world/
For one semester or the academic year :
Take a look to other options:
www.bienici.com
www.leboncoin.fr (private individuals and/or real-estate agencies)
www.paruvendu.fr (private individuals and/or real-estate agencies)
www.pap.fr (private individuals)
www.ij-annonces.fr/category/logements/ CRIJ: Centre Régional Information
Jeunesse: The CRIJ is a regional network aiming at helping students and young
workers in dierent areas including housing.
2 rue Edouard Delesalle - 59000 Lille
07.72.18.61.07
http://www.lokaviz.fr/rechercher-un-logement/che-logement
(CROUS: Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires,
74 rue de Cambrai - Lille. )
Phone : 03 20 88 66 00
Students also can rent a room in a private student hall:
www.adele.org
www.nemea-residence-etudiante.com
logement.studyrama.com
Some general information:
Usually, a lease for a private student accommodation lasts for one year:
from September to August. If your lease doesn’t detail the date you have to leave the
room, you have to inform the accommodation service that you are leaving one month
before you go. The rent is also usually higher than regular university accommodation
or private housing, and booking fees can be applied. The rooms generally include a
tted kitchen, a bathroom, a desk, a closet and a bed. The student generally has
access to communal areas like living rooms, playroom and sometimes a gym.
House or at sharing:
It is a great way to meet locals or other international students in Lille. You can follow
these websites:
www.housinganywhere.com (for more information, see the section ‘renting’ above)
www.leboncoin.fr (private individuals and/or real-estate agencies, however real-es-
tate agencies rarely oer shared houses)
www.appartager.com (private individuals)
On Facebook: Lille: location d’appart, echange, colocation !
www.lacartedescolocs.fr (private individuals)
fr.chambrealouer.com/colocation/FR-France/lille (room in a local’s house)
www.colocatere.com (real-estate agencies)
Real-estate agencies can help you nd an accommodation as they oer a customized
support and have the monopoly on certain houses. They work as a mediator between
you and the landlord. You can go directly to the area where you plan to rent a at and
look for a real-estate agency (a lot of them are situated in the city center, subway
République) or you can use this website to nd locations:
www.pagesjaunes.fr
For one semester or the academic year :
Warning: You have to be aware that if you rent a private housing in town, you will
have to: apply for a housing insurance contract before you settle in the at (see the
section below), potentially pay for the electricity, gas or internet separately from the
rent, and if you are staying in the at on the 1st of January, pay the taxe d’habitation
(local tax) which can be pretty expensive (up to 2 times the rent, depending on the
size of the at and other items)
Alternative housing options:
Foreign students can also choose between various options to nd a cheap
accommodation in exchange for services or social commitment:
Many families from Lille oer a cheap room in their house in exchange for language
classes for their children, houseworking or babysitting. You can nd ads on usual
websites (ex: www.leboncoin.fr) or on the billboard in the hallways of the University.
« Kolocation à projets solidaires » (KAPS) by the AFEV
(Association de la Fondation Etudiante pour la Ville):
This project oers students and young workers (18 to 30yo) the opportunity to share
a house with others students taking part in the same program for a cheap rent
(depending on the location and the house, from 150€ to 330€ per month, + APL).
The accommodation is located in a working-class neighborhood and the tenants have
to commit to set up and/or participate in a social project in the neighborhood
involving the locals (3 to 5 hours per week). The tenants need a guarantor (see
below) but foreign guarantors are accepted as long as the documents are translated
in French.
Toit + Moi:
This website works as an intermediary between Erasmus+ students in France and
older people providing a room in their home. This housing option oers the Erasmus+
students the opportunity to live within a genuine French environment and to
rediscover some kind of a family setting even far from home.
As this solution is based on “cohabiting”, it is non-protable, which means that the
student will pay no rent but that s/he will participate in the daily costs (150€/month
maximum). To apply, the student has to sign in on the website (www.toitplusmoi.eu).
The association leading the project is in charge of approving the duos and to certify
the members’ proles.
Le Campus Vert:
This website oers the opportunity for students to rent a fully furnished at (kitchen,
private bathroom, furnished room) in a farm close to Lille. This housing options oers
the great opportunity for student to live surrounded by nature for a very competitive
price. http://www.campusvert.com/
For one semester or the academic year :
Youth houses:
Normally this kind of accommodation is meant to host young workers, but some of
them accept a small proportion of international students. The rooms are comfortable
but most of the time the kitchen and the bathroom are communal. Moreover, cultural
and social events are often organized in this kind of houses.
Résidence Arouet,
81 rue de Jemmapes, 59800 Lille,
03.20.63.16.80,
www.maison-jeunes-lille.asso.fr
This youth house oers monthly contracts for students between 18 and 25 and
doesn’t require students to have a guarantor. International students and refugees can
apply for a room as long as they have a residence permit on the French territory.
The rent for a room is about 442€ and the student can apply for the Aide
Personnalisée au Logement (APL, see section below).
Foyer Béthanie,
15 rue St Genois, 59800 Lille,
03.20.06.08.57,
www.bethanie-lille.com
This house hosts young workers and students (18-30yo) and requires a monthly
income of minimum 300€ (salary, money sent by family…). The tenants have to pay
a security deposit when they arrive, but they can be helped by the Loca-Pass service
(see below). The price for a fully furnished room is about 400€ per month, charges
included, + APL.
Maison d’Accueil du Jeune Travailleur,
17 rue de Thumesnil 59000 Lille, 03.20.52.69.75,
and l’Atrium,
60 rue du Faubourg d’Arras 5900 Lille,
03.20.53.66.22
www.majt-lille.org
Both of those youth houses are intended to help young persons in diculty. Foreign
students can apply for a room as long as their residence permits are in order. The
price for a furnished room (shared bathroom and kitchen) is 356€, + APL.
No guarantor is required.
Foyer de jeunes travailleurs Nazareth,
17 place Cormontaigne
access at 2bis boulevard Montebello), 59000 Lille,
03.20.17.07.17
This youth house is primarily intended for young workers (max 30yo), but they can
host up to 10 students. It requires a monthly income of minimum 500€ (salary,
money sent by family…) and a guarantee from the parents for the students.
It oers furnished studios and the prices range from 340€ to 450€.
What are the necessary steps to manage
accommodation in Lille?
In France, everytime you rent a room/at/house of any kind (private, student hall,
etc.), you will be asked to pay for a security deposit, to have a guarantor and to
have an insurance contract for the at/house. Students can also benet from a
nancial support by the Caisse d’Allocation Familiales (CAF).
a) The security deposit:
This is an amount of money (generally the equivalent of one rent) the landlord or the
real-estate agency will ask you to pay before you settle in the accommodation that
compensates the potential damages that could be caused during the person’s stay.
According to the French law, the deposit cannot exceed a monthly rent (free of
charge) for an empty at and 2 monthly rents (free of charge) for furnished ats.
When the tenant leaves the accommodation, s/he is called for an outgoing
inventory of xtures and if no damage was caused, s/he gets his/her security
deposit back. However if damages were caused, the amount of money the tenant will
get back depends on how much the landlord will have to spend to repair the
damages.
If they are signicant, the landlord can reserve the right to keep the whole amount of
the deposit. However, any deduction from the deposit must be justied and the tenant
has the right to ask the lessor to present proofs of the damage (photos, bills, baili’s
report, etc.). At the end of the contract, the lessor has to pay the security deposit
back to the tenant within 2 months or s/he has to pay late payment penalties.
Warning: We have been informed that several students have been abused by shady
landlords. If you have any doubt, please contact the incoming oce of the University.
Therefore, when you sign the lease, you have to be able to pay for twice the monthly
rent. For example, if you want to apply for the cheapest room in the CROUS, you will
be asked to pay 320€ for the rst month (160€ for the rst rent + 160€ for the
guarantee), and 160€ for the other months.
In case of nancial diculty to pay the security deposit, you can use:
The Loca-Pass guarantee by Action Logement: This service is managed by the same
association as the VISALE (see below), but it is an interest-free loan of maximum
500€ aiming at helping the student to pay for the security deposit asked by the
landlord at the moment of the lease signature. People who can ask for this loan are:
* employees of the private sector
* young people (under 30) in professional training
(apprentissage or professionnalisation)
* employed or employment-seeking young people
* grant-holding students
* working students with a 3-month-long contract (minimum)
What are the necessary steps to manage
accommodation in Lille?
The Fond de Solidarité pour le Logement (FSL):
This service oers a nancial help for people who face a dicult nancial situation
to pay for accommodation charges (security deposit, insurance, electricity bills, rent,
etc.).
Warning: international students a rarely eligible for this service because it
requires to have steady incomes but to be in nancial diculty and more
importantly, to stay in the accommodation for a great period of time (at least
several years). However, in case of great nancial diculty, some mediator
associations can facilitate the process (ABEJ Solidarité, GRAAL).
b) The guarantor:
Usually a parent, a friend or a bank who commits to pay for your rent if you cannot
pay. As an international student, it may be dicult for you to nd a guarantor as most
of the time, the landlord or the estate agents expressly ask for a French resident.
However, dierent options exist for you:
The international students in an exchange program at the Université of Lille can apply
for a CROUS room, as some of them are especially saved for exchange students, in
particular those from non-European countries as they need a proof of accommodation
to be granted their visa. In this case, the University becomes automatically their
guarantor. However, as stated before, the accommodation capacity of the CROUS
student hall is very limited, which means that all applications won’t be accepted.
VISALE guarantor by Action Logement:
This is a guarantor service for students and young workers under 30 who sign an
individual lease (bail individuel) and whose rent (charges included) doesn’t exceed
1300€. The procedure is entirely electronic; the student has to create an account on
the website before s/he signs the lease in order to get a visa certié by Action
Logement (the association in charge of this service).
Then, this visa will be used by the landlord as a guarantee.
(https://www.visale.fr/#!/principe)
The bank guarantee:
your bank can become your guarantor, in exchange for fees
that most of the time are rather high (usually 2% of total of the rents of the
covered period. Ex: 500€ monthly rent for 12 months. 500x12=6 000. 2% of 6000
= 120€ fees).
Moreover, most banks accept to become your guarantor only if you have enough
money to cover your entire stay. For instance, if you need a guarantor for one year
(twelve months), the bank will request you to have on your account at least 12x the
amount of your monthly rent.
examples of banks that oer this service: Caution Good Loc’ du Crédit Agricole,
Caution Locative de la Banque Populaire, Société Générale, CIC…
Other options :
Finding an accommodation that doesn’t require a guarantor.
For instance: Nemea (private student hall), Chez Nestor is a housing service that
oers fully furnished ats in the city center especially for international students.
http://chez-nestor.com/
Contact : +33 (0) 972 323 102
Warning: this kind of accommodation services are usually more expensive than the
options mentioned above.
If you arrive in France with an important amount of money, you can choose to pay all
the rents at once (for instance, if you plan to stay for 6 months, you can pay 6 times
the monthly rent at once when you settle). In this case the landlord cannot require a
guarantor.
You can contact associations that are specialized in housing support for young people:
ABEJ, Eole, GRAAL.
c) The home insurance:
This contract covers the house/at and what’s in it against risks like re, ood, etc.
You will need one on the day you settle in the accommodation as the home insurance
is always mandatory. There are plenty of insurance companies that oer this kind
of contract (ex: Axa, Maaf, etc.) and they remain quite cheap (the price depends on
the size of the at and the location but is usually doesn’t exceed 100€ for the whole
year). Many banks also include the home insurance in the account opening process.
d) Financial housing assistance:
The Caisse d’Allocation Familiale (CAF) is a French public service facility that is in
charge of distributing the social security benets and providing nancial housing
assistance. This nancial help depends on the tenant’s income, the location of the
apartment and the rent. All students are entitled to this help except the non-European
students who are only staying for 1 semester with a short-term visa. Foreign students
are asked to provide a translated version of a birth certicate issued within the last
three months and have to open a French bank account.
Two types of housing assistance can be provided:
Aide Personnalisée au Logement (APL):
Before signing the lease, the tenant needs to ask the landlord if the at has a contract
with the CAF (logement conventionné) because only those apartments are entitled to
the APL (most of student apartments are). If it is, you can use the simulator on the
CAF website which will give you an estimate of how much you are entitled to.
The application for the APL has to be done entirely online: www.caf.fr
Warning: The request is not retroactive, so you must do it upon your arrival.
Allocation de Logement Social (ALS):
People who don’t meet the requirements for the APL can be entitled to the ALS, once
again depending on their income. Just like the APL, the application has to be done
online on the CAF website.
Warning: The processing time of the applications is often very long (2 to 3 months),
so you should apply online as soon as you sign the lease. Also, you must take into
account that the rst month is taken out of the calculus of your nancial help, which
means that if you settle in the at on the 1st of September, you will not receive
money for the month of September but only from October on.
Therefore, you have to be able to aord the full amount of the rent, at least during
the rst months of your stay. Finally, as far as the CROUS rooms and some private
apartments are concerned, the nancial aid is directly transferred to the lessor, which
means that the tenant won’t receive any money but that the rent will automatically
be cheaper.
