How to set up a shared apartment? Everything you need to know

How do you set up a shared apartment? It's true that this type of living arrangement is all the rage. But it's not all plain sailing. In addition to the administrative issues (guarantor, CAF/ APL, guarantee deed, signing the lease, outgoing tenant, private areas...), taking on a shared apartment raises many questions. How do you find an apartment if you've already chosen your roommate team? In which city? How do you find roommates if you already have an apartment? Do each flatmate have to have home insurance? And by the way, should we say "flatmate" or "flatmate"? To answer these questions, we've put together a short guide.

How do I find an apartment to share?

Shared accommodation is no longer just for young people or students. Employees, self-employed workers and even senior citizens... more and more people are interested in flatsharing. But what if you already have roommates, but no place to live? Don't worry: just follow these tips.

Start by assessing your needs. How many flatmates do you want to live with? Answering this question will help you determine the number of rooms in your future home. It saves you a lot of unnecessary research. Then ask yourself what kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in. And by the way, do you want furnished or unfurnished accommodation?

As a general rule, once you've answered these questions, all you have to do is keep an eye on online ads, use word of mouth, or use our platform for a 100% digital process.

You should also be aware that not all landlords are willing to turn their property into a shared apartment. If you come across this type of landlord, what can you do about it? The best way is to prove your seriousness. Put together a solid, complete and reassuring dossier. When you go through a traditional agency, this file must be provided in hard copy. In particular, it must include your last three pay slips, your last tax assessment, your identity papers, your employment contract, your previous lease... And all this for each flatmate and each guarantor.

But when you opt for Colonies, the procedure is 100% digital. All you need to do is provide an identity document, and your most recent pay slip for at least 2.5 times the net rent. For French or foreign guarantors, all you need to provide is a national identity card, the last pay slip or tax notice, and full contact details.

How do you find roommates if you already have an apartment?

Another case: you have the apartment, but no roommates (yet). At first glance, this situation may seem easier to manage than the previous one. But here too, you need to take a number of variables into account. Don't underestimate them: your future well-being could be at stake.

Bear in mind that there are two possible scenarios. The first is to move in with people you already know (friends, colleagues, acquaintances...). The second, as you may have guessed, is to move in with strangers. But which ones, and how do you find them?

Our first tip for finding roommates is to use your social networks. Spread the word! You might be surprised by the number of people you know who are looking for a new place to live. This is especially true today, at a time when people are moving, changing jobs or even getting divorced more often than ever.

Another option: place an ad on a dedicated website. In this case, there's no need to jump on the first applicants. Don't hesitate to discuss all the details, for example by telephone or private message, to determine whether you have enough chemistry. Don't lose sight of the fact that, to live in a shared apartment, you need to get along! Here too, you'll find plenty of proposals on our site.

What if you don't have an apartment or roommates?

It's not uncommon to start looking for a flat-share from scratch. If this is the case, you can follow the advice given in the previous paragraphs. But there's a third option, useful for people who don't have a lot of time on their hands: look for a flat-sharing already in place.

There are many flat-shares where only one of the housemates chooses to leave. In this case, all you have to do is bring your belongings and replace the outgoing tenant. This simplifies certain administrative procedures. For example, the landlord can opt for a simple amendment to the lease, rather than rewriting it entirely.

Another advantage of joining an existing roommate is that it saves time. Looking for an apartment and roommates can be time-consuming. That's why, at Colonies, we're here to help you every step of the way, from finding accommodation to moving in.

Sharing a student apartment and saving money

Should you live in a shared flat when you're a student? It's an option worth considering, because it has a number of advantages. As a rule, when you're a student, you live in a large city, to be as close as possible to your university. But as we all know, rental prices in big cities have been soaring for years. This is especially true in capital cities like Paris... or any city in the Île-de-France region.

Student flatsharing offers a solution to this problem. Rather than living alone in a tiny, overpriced studio apartment, students share the rent and benefit from a large living space. Another advantage: sharing a flat reduces the cost of accommodation by sharing the cost of food, gas and electricity... Not to mention, of course, the conviviality and solidarity inherent in this way of living together.

Do all tenants need to have insurance?

One of the questions most frequently asked by people wishing to move into a shared flat for the first time is: do all tenants need to have home insurance? The answer is simple, but beware: by law, there are only two choices.

First case: you live in a shared flat where a single lease has been signed by all the housemates, for one and the same property. This can happen in the case of a joint and several guarantee (a single lease with a joint and several clause and the consent of each guarantor to the signing of the lease). In this case, you only need one insurance policy. However, you do need to tell your insurer that you are sharing a flat.

Second case: you live in a shared apartment where each tenant has signed a separate lease. In this case, each tenant must take out a separate home insurance policy.

So, how about sharing a flat?

We hope this guide has helped to clarify things for you. If you're ready to start looking for a roommate, don't hesitate to browse the listings on our site. You'll find accommodation and flatmates to suit every situation. The homes we offer are all renovated from A to Z. With us, every aspect of the rental process is simplified as much as possible: payment, deposit, rules, council tax... Our aim? To create the homes of tomorrow.