How to get a rental property in Marseille...

It is really difficult to do anything in a timely fashion in France
and it is practically impossible to do anything without a lot of paperwork and hassle. Renting a house here is no exception. I think someone needs to give out some real advice, so before you decide to rent a house in Marseille - read on...

People are snapping up rentals before they are even on market - most houses get rented out by word of mouth and are never ever with an agent or in a paper. By the time the property gets on any on websites - it is usually already let.

I spent a few weeks viewing, I would see a house in the morning and be told that I must say yes or no by 12 midday or there would be no chance etc etc

THEN when we have finally found somewhere thats ok..
there is the dreaded paperwork:

These are the documents they want:

copy of passports for all adults to live in house
letter of reference from existing landlord
receipts of last years rent from existing landlord
copy of all tax documents
proof of last three years salary
copy of electric bill
copy of insurance
bank details
direct debit order
big three page form

and the dreaded - can only be a french thing -
BANK CAUTION* this i will explain in more detail:
to get the bank caution alone,
i have to handwrite some two page document and we both sign and send to the bank
the new landlord has to write a project plan for it and a long handwritten letter also which we both have to sign and send to the bank - then i give them a years rent (yes more than 15 grand) and they put it in a holding account at the bank in case we do a runner or dont pay for some months. AND its not free, they are likely to charge us a few hundred euros per annum for the pleasure of letting them have our money in a blocked account - i really dont like it! On top of this there is also a caution - a deposit of two months rent. AND WE STILL HAVE TO PAY THE RENT ON TOP OF THAT

Its madness - its like buying a place - to put 15 grand down in an account and be unable to use it?!? Only the french.

This is just to secure a new place to rent in france - headache mad paperwork - its taken me a few whole days to get this lot in order, copy it all and I will still wait a further week or so to find out if it will be accepted by the landlord's insurance company. It was quicker and easier and less paperwork to buy all of the houses we have ever had here. Much!

Meanwhile the current landlord is getting didgy and wants to be sure we will comply to french law, which we of course will, not by paying the 3 months notice, but by telling him that we can reduce the 3 months to just 1 (some loophole in french law that thankfully I have been able to find) as long as hubby has lost his job and got a new one, which thankfully he has!

Phew! - got to go and do a bit of filing now - all this paperwork creates a whole heap of paper and needs a fair few minutes of filing!

Fingers crossed for getting the bank caution and getting into the new house!!!