"Looking for a Shared Apartment in Paris": A User Guide
That's it, it's done, you've received your job offer for a position based in Paris. Congratulations! Now, it's time to embark on the search for a shared apartment in Paris... let's get started!
Finding a shared apartment in Paris is no small feat, and the process involves numerous steps! From sifting through listings, sorting them out, submitting applications, attending viewings, to seeing if you click with potential roommates... It can sometimes feel like an obstacle course, so follow this guide! First, you need to ask yourself the right questions:
Do you want an apartment, a furnished room, to rent, or to buy?
How many rooms do you need?
Do you already have your favorite furniture, or are you looking for a furnished rental?
Do you have a preferred district, metro stop, or neighborhood?
Have you sought opinions from your mom, friends?
Île-de-France is vast, and not every price range includes a studio or room with a view of the Seine. And just when you spot a fantastic listing, like a three-room furnished apartment with two bedrooms and a nice kitchen right by the metro in your favorite district... It still needs to be available! Often, the search begins with finding the right keywords to type into Google: "recherche colocation Paris," "cherche colocation Paris," "trouver une colocation Paris"... But take a moment to ponder these questions before diving in :)
1 - Finding a Shared Apartment in Paris: Why?
Finding a shared apartment in Paris offers the chance to make new friends and explore the city. But what are your desires and needs? The type of lifestyle one seeks can vary greatly depending on whether you're a student, or if you grew up in Saint-Maur des Fossés, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, or Saint-Cyr-sur-Seine. If you're from Île-de-France and have experienced student life in Paris, you're likely more familiar with each district and arrondissement, and you navigate the metro with ease. You understand that every area has its focal point, and you're aware that Parisian apartments often come with high price tags. As soon as one becomes available, you need to act quickly to secure a room. To navigate through the prices of the types of furnished rentals available, consider asking yourself these questions:
→ Am I looking for a shared apartment in Paris to find a roommate or a group of friends to party with?
→ What budget do I wish to allocate to my rent? To my leisure activities? To my TV stand?
→ What are all the expenses to consider? Internet, student dining, transportation costs between my accommodation and the city center if I want to go for a walk along the Seine?
→ Am I seeking a shared apartment in Paris simply to split the costs?
→ Am I looking for roommates in Paris with whom to share moments together, or do I prefer roommates who are more independent?
→ Am I ready to share a bathroom? Toilets with other people?
→ Do I want a large room, a small room? In a large apartment or a small apartment?
→ Do I want to find a shared apartment in Paris to have people with whom to discover the city?
→ Do I desire to have a garden? A balcony? Do I prefer having students or young professionals in the apartments next to mine?
→ Am I looking for a shared apartment in Paris to have a quiet place for teleworking with good internet access and a comfortable desk?
→ Do I want to live in a student residence, in a smoking or non-smoking accommodation?
→ What type of residence do I wish to live in?
→ Am I searching for a shared apartment in Paris to be close to my workplace / gym / favorite cinema / a lively part of the center?
→ Do I want to be near my uncle, aunt, mom, or my usual group of student roommates?
→ Are the housing ads I see on roommate websites or roommate map services reliable?
→ Do I want to meet my future roommate before moving in, or is it okay for me to meet my roommate on the day I move in?
It might seem basic, but I promise, it saves time later on!
And if, after this introspection, you realize what you're looking for is a communal living experience, with included services, in a beautiful house with a garden... We're waiting for you at La Casa!
2 - Finding a Shared Apartment in Paris: How?
Typing "Recherche colocation Paris" into Google yields 4,740,000 search results... A dizzying number that can be daunting, so how do you sift through the results? There are many keywords to use when looking for shared apartments in Paris: some search by district or neighborhood, others search by type of room: furnished room, two-room with kitchen, or studio. Some consider furnished rentals with the future intention of buying an apartment elsewhere in Île-de-France. Property owners often use well-known listing platforms: PAP, Seloger, leboncoin, gens de confiance, appartager… where an already formed shared apartment or a friendly future roommate is likely waiting for you. Apps designed to help future tenants "match" with their dream housing (à la Tinder) are also proliferating: Luko Immo, bienici… All these tools allow you to specify a wide range of criteria related to your housing desires... Hence the importance of having thought it through beforehand.
At La Casa, the majority of our roommates are between 25 and 35 years old. So, students are not our typical roommate profile (although there are some :)) but rather young professionals. Being digital natives, they often found us by typing keywords into Google. However, in recent months, many new roommates moving in are actually acquaintances/friends/family of already settled roommates who have talked to them about La Casa! Our roommate community is thus growing day by day through word-of-mouth, and we are very happy about it. "Cherche colocation à Paris"... what if you were actually looking for a Casa Coliving to settle down, to enjoy a touch of the countryside at the gates of Paris?
3 - Finding a Shared Apartment in Paris: How Does the Recruitment Process Work at La Casa?
"I want to find a shared apartment in Paris, but I want to make sure I end up with the right people, have a nice place to live, and have good relations with my landlord..."
All these questions go through the mind of a tenant in search of their future home. At La Casa, all our tenants go through the same recruitment process to join a house. Here are the questions they ask, and the answers we provide ;)
"I want to find a shared apartment in Paris that matches my workplace location / that is close to my friends' places."
After submitting an application on La Casa's website, the candidate has a Zoom call with a member of the La Casa staff. This is the perfect time for them to ask all their questions. The staff is there to help them identify the Casa or Casas that meet their needs, taking into account their workplace location, budget, etc.
"I am looking for a shared apartment in Paris where people are as motivated as I am by community living."
Bingo! You're in the right place ;) At La Casa, the community is at the heart of our offering. An example? In most Casas, when a room becomes available, the staff approves the applications of several candidates who then go to meet the current roommates directly at their home. After the meeting, it's the roommates who choose the person who will join them. This system of co-optation ensures a healthy community life, where roommates have chosen each other and are happy to live together.
"I am looking for a shared apartment in Paris where I will have good relations with my landlord."
Once again, welcome to La Casa ;) In our team, we aim to rethink the landlord / tenant relationship. Gone are the days of landlords who only contact you to collect rent and don't respond when a maintenance issue arises. The roommates and the staff at La Casa form a daily partnership, working together to co-create the La Casa experience :)
