Finding shared student accommodation in Toulouse for my daughter's third year

[TheMoreItSnows]

My daughter is doing her third year in Toulouse, starting at the end of August, has anyone got any experience of the best way to find shared student accommodation in the city?

@TheMoreItSnows I have no experience of Toulouse, but has her uni not given info about where to look? My DD went to Italy, and there were agencies that advertised student rooms. DD contacted the landlords and viewed. She stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights whilst doing this. You could go with her a few days early to suss them out. What does the French uni suggest? Do they have info for incoming students? Does her home uni have precious students there who could advise?

Shared student accommodation is far less of a thing in France than in England. Many students live at home or in small studio apartments. Student halls of residence can be grim and full of immigrant students on very tight budgets.

Catholic halls of residence can be a solution: https://www.etudiants-toulouse.catholique.fr/je-suis-nouveau/

@TheMoreItSnows Cities that have a big influx of students on exchange have landlords who offer accommodation! They really do. The agency web sites should give you an idea. Often the landlord will rent out a couple of bedrooms to students. If they didn’t, where would incoming students go? Just because most students live at home, doesn’t mean landlords don’t exist for exchange students. I’d see what comes up after reading the uni info. They might list web sites. My DD found it easy enough in Italy where there were no student halls.

It can be hard without a rent guarantor, my friend rented a room in a youth hostel

DS is doing a year in France at uni. He is renting a studio apartment on campus. Not Toulouse but may be worth contacting the uni.

Shared student accommodation is far less of a thing in France than in England. Many students live at home or in small studio apartments.

Very much agree.

There are, or at least were, quite a few agencies/immobiliers in/around Toulouse that can and do rent to students but not used their services recently so I've got no recommendations...it might need a visit and dropping into a few of them to get a feel for what's available.

At least one Fac has on campus flats so it might be worth checking direct with the uni.

Also agree with the comment about needing a guarantor.

This really helpful thank you, she has been issued with links and websites but I often find that personal experience adds value. We have a friend in France who is likely to be happy to act as guarantor so I'm not too worried abut that, but even understanding that most uni students in France live at home adds useful input regarding shared housing...

Thanks for the update..

I said I wouldn't provide recommendations but for info probably the biggest provider of student accom in/around Toulouse is an outfit called Promologis...

I've had dealings with them in the past, they can be good, sometimes not so much, but in any event their website might be worth investigating.

@TheMoreItSnows living at home is very standard in Europe and you find many universities don’t have halls of residence as we know them. DD was at Geneva and they did, but Italy have huge universities and commuting is normal. However any uni city with a big influx of international exchange students will have housing/rooms. My DD sorted out a short list and viewed rooms herself when she arrived in Italy. We didn’t go because it was her second semester and she was more than capable of sorting it out. She stayed in a hotel whilst she visited the accommodation and then chose her favourite. Parents can just view with dc but dc really should do the legwork or what are they learning?

My DSis did a year in Toulouse - I was out there all the time, amazing city, brilliant way of life, great people. I’m so envious ! I’d love to live those days again.

My DD has been in Rome this year and did as others said; she went out and spent 5 days in an Airbnb and looked for house shares. Hard to find any with Italians (so many live at home) but found some with Erasmus students. My DN has been in Montpellier this year - was in Uni halls for the first few months but didn't find them very friendly so moved to a flat share after Christmas.

The general advice is don't sign up on line from the UK - make sure you have viewed in person - unless of course you know the landlord or others in the flat.

DS stayed in Crous accommodation during his year in Toulouse. This was offered by Universite Toulouse Capitol. Is that an option? UK friends he made who were studying at Jean Jaure were in private accommodation but no idea how they found it. Another friend who only did second semester there, working, stayed in an Airbnb.
I find the earlier comment above about French uni accommodation being full of immigrant students on tight budgets quite distasteful. DS's accommodation was full of international students from all over the world, with him and his UK friends also being 'international' students. And on a tight budget for that matter. What is the problem with that? And not was it grim.

@mummyinbeds Well it’s standard from that poster! The OP’s DC just needs to find out about halls and/or private accommodation and apply or look for agency sites. Being with Erasmus students is perfectly normal but they always speak English!

When I spent my year abroad at a French university. I stayed in a catered uni hall of residence which was more basic and cheaper than a hall in the UK. During the week there were plenty of French students living there and most went home at weekends leaving a small group of international students or those that lived further away in France. I would suggest looking into the hall of residence option. If your dd really wants a house share I have a friend in Toulouse I could ask about websites for finding accommodation.

Seeing as discussion continues FWIW family members have used Toulouse student accom a lot so what follows is based on that

The two main student agencies are the aforementioned Crous and Promologis...don't know much about the former but the latter operates multiple flat complexes in places like Toulouse centre itself (e.g for Capitole) or out around the science tech area to the South of town (e.g. for Paul Sabatier).

Whilst it's obviously best to get RDVs before visiting to check facilities many of their sites have on duty admin/reception staff so it's sometimes possible to just drop in and get a no notice viewing...TBF many complexes,.not just the main agency run ones, will do the same.

I guess catered accomodation might/must exist but never seen it myself, the usual offering is a small single room flat with a cooking facilities and a bathroom.

We have utilised private rental but that was for a post grad who had established connections/knew the landlords.

A couple of final points maybe worth making is the locals will have already started flat hunting so time is of the essence, and in terms of a possible visit to check things out in person air fares to/from the UK start to escalate as we get into holiday season (BA, Easyjet and Ryanair all operate to from TLS from the SE UK).

Good luck .

Do you want more details of French halls of residence being filthy, full of cockroaches and not places where a girl would be safe spending a weekend on her own? Perhaps read the French media on this topic before being dismissive of warnings of really grim student accommodation. It Is fact that the international student population in France is mostly African and on a very tight budget and not necessarily culturally easy for European international students.

@Ceramiq I can only go on my experience of DS's Crous accommodation in Toulouse. No cockroaches, clean, a vibrant multinational community. I felt perfectly safe there as did DS and his female friends. As does my DD when she spends time in Africa. I find your comments insulting.

Go ahead and be insulted. I'd rather be upfront about issues (that have wide press coverage) so posters are aware of the risks.

There are absolutely loads of adverts for student rooms and residences in Toulouse. They cannot all be full of African students any more than uk ones are! If dc goes to the uni web site for incoming students, there’s bound to be advice too. Plus ask the home uni if a previous student there could advise.

There are absolutely loads of adverts for student rooms and residences in Toulouse. They cannot all be full of African students

They are not, I'm a bit puzzled by some posts TBH.

The several residences/flats I have direct knowledge of in around Toulouse are fine, the possible downside might be that they can be quiet at weekends because some students from the adjacent regions do often go home at weekends.

Those students that do remain are, as you'd expect, a mix of French nationals from all over, and foreign students from around the globe, not just Africa but the UK, Far East, US etc etc.......

I live in Toulouse. Which uni?
We have never had to look for uni accommodation but my understanding that as a city full of students it isn’t easy but doable. There are purpose built blocks but many live at home or live M-F as a lodger in a private house and go home for the weekend.

Let me know if I can be of any help!

Please take a look at the nationality breakdown of incoming international students to France: the statistics show a very different pattern to the UK. Comparisons between the two countries are not viable without the statistics. International fees at UK universities mean that there is selection by ability to pay in a way that just hasn't been the case in France until very recently, and we are still talking about fees for international students that are a tiny fraction of UK international fees. There are also lots of state grants for international students in France.

So this is from the uni web site. Lots to investigate