Parents: how to help your children find a place to live

Find the perfect housing solution

Several possibilities are available:

• Sciences Po provides listings on its official housing offers website from landlords and homeowners who offer accommodation reserved for Sciences Po students (including homestays which can be great for new students). There is a something for every budget.
• You can also look for rooms in student residences. The rent is higher (usually between 700 and 900 euros) but they can be a reassuring solution for parents of very young students. Residences are listed on the Lokaviz (fr.), Adele and Studylease websites.
• You might like to explore the possibility of intergenerational housing: a room in a senior citizen’s home. It’s comparatively inexpensive. Useful website: Ensemble2Generations (fr.).
• Don’t forget the homestay option with a host family

Parents are sometimes required to act as a guarantor. Find more information about rent guarantor schemes.

Helping your son or daughter with formalities

Don’t hesitate to help your child through the formalities once they’ve found a place, particularly for the inventory of fixtures and signing the lease. The exit inventory sometimes leads to disputes which could be avoided with a little more vigilance before signing the lease.

Check for yourself which service charges are included in the rent and which ones are charged for separately. French legislation is very specific on service charges. Check out the Housing ABC for more information.

Try and make sure that the travel time between Sciences Po and your son’s or daughter’s accommodation is under 45 minutes. Studying at Sciences Po entails a heavy workload with a lot of hours of lectures and classes, some of which don’t finish until 9.15pm.

In Paris, don’t discount the near suburbs, especially south of the capital, which can be less expensive and just as convenient.

Find out more

• Admissions website: more information for parents