Where to stay if you can't rent
How to find a place to stay in France when you're freelancing
Deciding to move to France is a life-changing event. Even with the right language and a French passport, life over there is completely different to what it is in South Africa, and getting in line with the admin is an entirely new skill that one needs to learn. Finding a place to stay for example, a headache that hadn't visited me in years, and that is proving more complex than I had envisaged !
As a long-time citizen of one country, one has all the paperwork ready for all sorts of necessities. Renting or buying a place to stay, usually involves a suitcase full of payslips or bank statements and tax returns, among other things. So here's the thing. What do you do when you arrive in France and you have none of those items ? In my case, I am arriving on my own with no children or spouse in tow, and that does make a big difference in where I decide to set down my suitcases. But the options are the same, only the expense is multiplied for multi-persons.
No job, no house
Inevitably I discovered that without a stable permanent full-time job with an indefinite contract of employment (CDI), your chances of landing a place to rent in France are close to zero. Even if you can put down two years rent in advance, as is often the case with returning highly-paid expats. Forget taking out a loan to buy a property. If you have the full amount of cash in hand, that should be ok, but for most of us in gen pop, it's not going to happen. So what do you do then ?
Friendly Face
If you do have comfortable regular freelance income and you're lucky enough to have family or long time friends in France who either have a property to rent to you and are willing to do so, or a good network to help you find a kind proprietor that will break the rules, you can draw on that resource and hopefully find a decent place to stay in the area of your choosing. Or make your home in whichever area you are lucky enough to find such a place. Problem solved, for now. But remember, doing business with loved ones can turn into a nightmare and ruin perfectly good relationships...
Camping
The next option is staying in permanent campsites. It happens quite a bit in France though it is not necessarily glamourous. You may end up in a run-down caravan for a rental close to that of a regular flat, if you can find one that's available. There are a lot of French people who can't make ends meet so this option is actually sought after, albeit reluctantly. If you can afford it, you can look for bungalows or mobile-home type setups in more upmarket touristy campings and stay there for while, until you can land a CDI. You'll be lucky to have good a wifi reception though and that could get in the way of applying to jobs, unless you spend a lot of time-consuming little cafés on street-side terraces.
Up in the Air
Luckily for us these days, there is a forest of Airbnbs available for month to month rental all over the world. If you're not totally skint. It's an expensive option no doubt, but if you can afford it, you are spoiled for choice of location, view, size, and price. Monthly rentals are usually reduced from the nightly rates, thankfully, and only about 50% more expensive than what you'd pay in a regular long term rental - plus they come furnished and you have the option of including regular cleaning. Come to think of it, you could pick a different spot every month and experience a variety of towns or quartiers, depending on where you need to be. If you're 100% location independent, why not try a different town every month ? In fact, you could become a digital nomad in this way ! Check out this great blog by Brent and Michael who have been doing exactly that for a number of years.
Living it up in an Apart-Hotel
The other option you have if you have to or can restrict yourself to main cities and hubs, is living in apart-hotels, specially geared for short term "mobility" rentals. Price-wise they seem to be a bit more affordable than Airbnbs, probably more reliable overall, but definitely less picturesque and location-flexible. They are quite abundant in Paris, where you can even rent them at yearly tariffs, something that seems to be quite common for executives who leave their family in the province and commute weekly to headquarters in the capital. The advantage of this arrangement is that you are (hopefully) guaranteed the hospitality industry's professionalism, full-service wifi, cleaning, maintenance etc, as opposed to dealing with lodgings run by regular people like you and me.
Complete Freedom
And then there's the fully nomad version. Rent, or buy a "fourgon aménagé" or have one custom-made for you and you can have a new view every night if you wish, and all the comforts of your own personal space. If you're not tied down to a particular location by choice, for work or family obligations, then what better way to explore your new country of residence while working your regular freelance career than by living in a van ? You could even travel all over Europe that way, and if you end up staying less than 183 in any country, avoid paying income tax. There's a lot to be said on this subject, many opinions, pros and cons to consider, lots of blogs and YouTube channels dedicated to the matter, but ultimately, the option is available, not uncommon at all, and yours to take. And that is the option I am choosing to go with.
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