From seeing a house to signing a contract, what are the precautions?

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What should I bring to an open house?

This problem has not been thought about when Xiaobian went to see the house several times before. First, because I am a student, in addition to the student card, I do not know what else to show to prove their identity, or economic strength. Second, I did not think that there are so many people to compete for the original high-quality housing, I did not expect that I thought I would pick someone else's house, and finally became someone else to pick themselves, the gap is really big.

Location : Notre pense-bête pour réussir la visite de votre ...

To get back to the point, when you go to an open house, be sure to follow one principle: try to prove to the landlord that you will not be late on the rent and that you will take good care of his house.

From the perspective of the landlord to think about the problem, the choice of housing must have a job and a guarantee, so if you have a pay slip or proof of work, try to bring it on the day of viewing the house, if there is a guarantor, it is better. Have all your personal materials ready, and bring a check and be ready to pay.

What are the main aspects of house inspection?

First of all, find out the identity of the landlord, in other words, is the real sense of the landlord who signed the contract with you.

The real landlord is the person or company that bought the property, and only he owns the title of the house, has the right to sign the housing supplement, and has to pay the property tax. Nowadays, many people subrent out their rented houses for profit at high prices, which is called the second landlord (sous-location). It is highly recommended not to rent such a house without legal protection!

Another kind of landlord is SCI (civil real estate Investment Company), which purchases real estate by a number of shares and then rents it to students in the form of a company, which is a more common formal rental method in France, in which the shareholder is the landlord.

Xiaobian to share a few house viewing tips:

Observe your surroundings. See whether the traffic is convenient, open the window to listen to whether there is noise (if the noise is large, see whether it is double or even three layers of glass);
Smell the room. The smell is very important, if the furniture or other places give off a strong smell, or there is a musty or damp smell, it may be the ventilation is not very good;
Look at the orientation of the house and the light. This is very important because if there is no sunlight for many years, it will certainly have a negative impact on the mental and physical condition of the occupants.
Check the condition of the furniture. Whether the table is stable, whether the refrigerator is cooling well, how is the state of the mattress, whether the switch can control the light, etc., if there is a problem, it should be pointed out to the landlord in time.

After viewing the house, if you are satisfied with the house, you can start to discuss a series of things with the landlord such as rent, deposit, insurance, guarantee and so on.

Here are some necessary questions to be clear when communicating with the landlord about the rent:

1. Documents provided by the other party (quittance de loyer)

2. Should I pay a deposit? (caution)

3. Ask if the rent includes water, electricity and heating fees

General housing rental is rent + incidentals or rent with incidentals (charge compris). Incidentals include property, elevators, garbage and water bills (even heating and hot water) and so on.

Water charges are generally included in miscellaneous charges and no additional charges are required; But some landlords will ask to check the meter once a year and collect the water bill. So save water.

Electricity and gas bills are usually not included in the rent, and tenants need to open an account with the energy company and keep their electricity and gas bills every month. These papers are very important, proof of legal residence in France, renewal of residence, opening a bank, signing a mobile phone, application for family visits are all needed, so it is best to take the trouble to apply for an electricity bill or gas bill in your own name.

If you really feel that the management of these papers is too troublesome, or do not know how to apply for an account, you can contact our service France, we provide professional services in this area. The energy company I work with is more affordable and has free Chinese customer service for life.

About heating, Paris is cold in winter, and the general house has heating, but there is a difference between central heating and electric heating. Central heating is generally included in incidentals, while electric heating is calculated according to electricity consumption, which is not reflected in the rent. Renting a house with electric heating must consider the heating cost.

Here's a reminder: Under no circumstances should you pay anything in advance!! Because many rental fraud is usually only leave an email address, after contact will use fake photos to defraud the trust of the tenant, and then ask the tenant to remit the deposit before looking at the house, we must be vigilant and careful.

Let's talk about a few important links: deposit, housing insurance, housing tax and guarantees

1 Deposit

It is mainly to prevent tenants from not paying rent or causing damage to the house, and to protect the interests of the landlord.

Before renting, tenants need to pay a deposit to the landlord when they sign a contract. The amount is usually more than two months and less than half a month's rent. According to relevant laws and regulations, the deposit can not exceed two months 'rent, excluding incidental expenses. For furnished houses, the tenant and the landlord can jointly negotiate the deposit number, generally 15%-20% of the rent, depending on the internal facilities, TV, wireless network and other equipment. If the landlord asks for a higher deposit, you can negotiate or even refuse to pay.

Within two months of returning the key, the landlord should return the deposit to the tenant. If the landlord does not return the deposit for more than two months, the tenant can send a letter by registered mail to urge the landlord to return the deposit as soon as possible, as a formal notice, and keep the registered letter receipt as evidence. The letter should mention the amount and maturity of the deposit, and state that interest will be charged on the deposit at the statutory rate from the maturity date. If the deposit is not returned after sending the letter, legal proceedings need to be initiated.

However, if the tenant fails to fulfill his obligations during the rental period, the landlord can withhold part or even all of the deposit under certain conditions. For example, during the rental period, the tenant is responsible for maintaining the normal condition of the house. If there are any problems such as broken light bulbs, the tenant needs to repair them by himself. If similar conditions are not resolved at the time of acquisition, the landlord is entitled to deduct the cost of repairs from the deposit.

In the event of unauthorized alterations to the rented property, the landlord has the right to deduct the cost of restoration from the deposit.

If you are in arrears on rent and miscellaneous charges during the rental period or even at the end of the contract, the corresponding amount will be deducted from the deposit. However, according to the law, the landlord must provide the necessary proof materials when withholding any deposit, so if the deposit is withheld, in order to prevent the landlord from abusing his power, he can ask the landlord for the invoice paid as evidence.

If the landlord cannot provide evidence that the damage to the house was caused by the tenant, the Etat des lieux (described in more detail in the following section) should be provided at the time of filing the lien. It should be noted that the landlord does not have the right to seize the money on the pretext of normal wear and tear over the years.

2 Housing Insurance

During the rental period, it is inevitable to encounter common problems such as water leakage resulting in losses, but also face force majeure factors such as burglary, fire, earthquake and so on. Therefore, renting a house in France must buy renters insurance.

This insurance is separate from the landlord's insurance, and the insurance follows the contract, so the insurance also needs to change the address when changing the house, so if you change the address or move to notify the bank or insurance company in advance, and it will be automatically renewed for a year. Usually, the landlord will not provide this insurance, you need to buy it yourself, and inform the insurance company that the student identity can enjoy preferential treatment when buying insurance, and the insurance price ranges from 45 euros to 200 euros per year, depending on the housing situation. Almost every bank has a home insurance business, of course, you can also buy from a specialized insurance company.

The next article focuses on how to buy house insurance and what to pay attention to. If you have any questions about housing insurance, you can also come to the customer service network at any time.

3 Housing Tax

It is also part of the cost that tenants should bear. According to the law, those who own or rent a residence must pay residence tax on January 1 of each year. The amount of tax is different in different regions, and the tax rate is determined by local governments at the municipal, provincial and regional levels.

4 Guarantee

In order to prevent the occurrence of rent arrears, rent in France requires a guarantee.

There are two types of rental guarantee, one is the bank freeze guarantee, and the other is to find someone who has income in France to do the guarantee.

The bank freeze guarantee is to freeze the rent of 6-18 months in the bank, and the bank will issue a certificate.

If you are looking for a guarantor in France, the salary of the guarantor must be three to four times the rent. In addition to the salary requirements of the guarantor, it is also required to produce a tax bill for one year, the last three months of pay slips, bank RIB, French ID card, EDF, and the last year of real estate tax.

Once all aspects have been settled and an agreement has been reached, the housing contract can be officially signed.

In France, a legal and standardized rental rental contract is very important and must be treated with caution. Any place that does not conform to the rules, any place that has questions, must be pointed out to the landlord in time.

In my personal experience, some Chinese landlords do not pay much attention to these rules and regulations when renting, and they themselves do not understand the terms of the contract, and the materials that come out are often questioned by French public institutions. This will bring great trouble to international students who rent a house. Therefore, I repeatedly suggest that you do not worry when signing the contract, carefully read the above terms, and raise questions in time.

Let's talk about what a formal housing contract should look like.

A valid housing contract requires:

Information on the parties to the contract: real names of the landlord and the tenant, dates of birth, the landlord's address and the tenant's original address
Special instructions: the address of the rental room, the area, the equipment in the room.
Use: For rental purposes, international students can fill in the residence, if it is commercial use, it should be stated.
Period: That is, the duration of the contract, including the start date and the end date, and also includes the notice period (the time to give the landlord advance notice before the tenant stops renting). It is usually 3 months and will be marked on the contract. If you do not comply with the terms of the notice period, you will have to bear the rent even if you move away. Therefore, when signing the contract, you can negotiate with the landlord to shorten the notice period, which is more advantageous.
Special conditions (look carefully)
Rental price and incidentals and payment method
Security deposit: The security deposit can not be used as rent, only for the purpose of renting a house.
Terms of work: When the tenant provides services to the landlord in exchange for housing, such as caring for the elderly, doing housework, etc. The amount of rent for the specific job and service exchange is usually indicated.
Special terms: how early to terminate or renew the contract.
Rights and obligations of both parties to the contract
One point that needs special attention!

Be sure to ask for a quitttance de loyer (rent receipt) every month after you pay the rent! This refers to the receipt issued by the landlord after payment of rent. The receipt shall be properly stored, as it is required as a proof document for many administrative procedures. They do not recognize the housing contract, as the housing contract cannot prove that you have taught the rent, and only the quittance de loyer can prove that you have paid the rent and the authenticity of the information you provide can be verified.

Signature and seal

Both parties to the contract must sign and indicate the date of signature, such as signing the contract with the housing management center, but also need to be stamped by the housing management center.

Term of contract

A formal rental lease is usually 1 to 3 years.

No furniture, required contract lease of at least 3 years
Equipped with furniture and complete facilities, the parties can agree on any time limit.
Tenants are free to leave at any time, but landlords must wait until the end of the lease before they have the right to end the contract and need to give a reason for quitting.

Usually before the contract expires, the landlord will require you to find another home before you can leave. There is also a special case that during the three months of winter, according to humane legal provisions, even if the tenant defaults on the rent, the landlord has no right to take back the house. Of course, it's best not to fall behind on the rent.