I am currently drowning in French paperwork. I seriously don’t know how people can move to France with just a basic GCSE French and work their way through the mountain of paperwork in order to live and work here.
It is immense.
I am so lucky as I have my boyfriend and family who are able to guide me through this process translating formal letters, explaining the bizarre doctor’s waiting room customs and keeping me sane when everything takes so long. Even with all their support it still feels like a losing hair-tearing out battle. Looking to come and live over here? Well get testing out that patience skill as you will need it.
I could post a whole series of how-to’s when moving to France as the medical, employment and housing system are all TOTALLY different to what I am used to back in England. But to spare you from my rants about how confusing and drawn out a lot of the processes are here (let’s just say I’ll never take the NHS for granted again) I’m just going to focus today on how I found renting an apartment.
Simple? No. Stressful? Yes. Worth it? Totally.
To rent an apartment the first thing you need to get in order is your dossier – basically a folder of paperwork with photocopies and original sheets of important documents (ID, bank details, job contract, bills, medical info etc) that have to be checked over by a solicitor. You also need two guarantors who must also provide all their personal details. When all these pieces of paper are compiled together your dossier begins to look like a short version of War and Peace.
You see a place you like. You ask for a viewing. You have the viewing. You have to make an appointment to register your interest, not just a quick phone call but a face-to-face chat with the estate agent.
You then have to prepare your dossier making sure everything is as it should be according to what they need to see proof of. You arrange another appointment to show and explain your dossier (like an estate agent version of the Apprentice persuading them why your credentials mean they should chose you as the tenant.) If someone else is interested in the same apartment you have to wait for them to present their details too, so you both have a fair chance of persuading those suits to pick you!
During this lengthy wait you stress and panic that you didn’t use the right coloured ink, forgot a form they asked for, photocopied the wrong thing or didn’t use the blood of a virgin unicorn to sign your name.
Then you wait.
If you’ve been chosen (a joint decision by the landlord, estate agent and solicitor) then you get the call telling you it is yours! Woo hoo. Finally it is celebration time!
You have to arrange another meeting to sign the documents and pay the deposit (as well as the first month of rent). You have another meeting to get the keys in your clammy little hand and do the inventory checking you won’t get screwed over when your lease comes to an end.
You move in, promising yourself that you will live here forever and ever so as not to go through this process again!
