‘It is so hard’: Expats in France share warning about ‘tricky’ aspect of life in the European hotspot

Moving overseas demands careful planning, particularly when expatriates don’t speak the local language.

With thorough preparation, however, expats can smoothly navigate potential administrative hurdles and minimise stress.

A couple of expats who moved across the pond from the United States recently shared a cautionary tale about France’s rental market on their YouTube channel Roamaroo.

Without preparation, they warned that expatriates face distinct challenges while seeking accommodation.

“Americans will move 11 to 15 times in their life and the French move like four or five times, and part of that is because it is so hard to move,” the couple shared.

One of the most noticeable challenges that stood out during their property hunting was the unique room-counting system in French homes.

When searching for what most people would call a three-bedroom flat, French listings would describe this as a “four-piece” property, as both the living room and kitchen count as rooms.

This distinctive counting method may confuse expatriates during their property search, the couple cautioned.

Another notable difference the pair pointed out relates to furnished and non-furnished apartments in France.

Unlike rentals in the United Kingdom and the United States, French-furnished properties come fully equipped with appliances, bedding, towels and even kitchen essentials like plates.

The all-inclusive approach to furnished rentals stands in contrast to unfurnished homes, they pointed out. These are unlikely to include basic appliances.

France’s rental market also favours tenants when it comes to lease termination policies, the couple added.

For furnished properties, tenants need only provide 30 days’ notice to end their lease. Unfurnished properties, on the other hand, require a long notice period of three months.

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This tenant-friendly approach contrasts sharply with many other rental markets where landlords hold more power.

Naturally, the language barriers present a significant challenge for English-speaking expatriates in France’s rental market.

While the basic navigation of tourism may be manageable in English, formal procedures like flat-hunting may prove more complex without a command of the language.

“Not being fluent in French, it is easy to get around in the city, to go on vacation, to explore, but to live, and do things like go to the doctor, or to rent an apartment, that’s where things get tricky,” the expats noted.