mobilité geographique et professionnelle | Sofime le blog

2021 –> 2022 = a new year in numbers 🎉


🇫🇷 Toute l’équipe de SOFIME Relocation (Sophie, Agathe, Alexandra, Mariam, Bérengère et Armance) vous souhaite une belle année 2022, en vidéo, via notre désormais traditionnel film de fin d’année ! Après les montagnes russes de 2020, puis le petit train de la mine de 2021, à quoi va finalement ressembler 2022? Pour l’instant chez SOFIME Relocation, nous sommes bien engagées sur la grande roue! En effet nous prenons de la hauteur doucement mais surement. Et la vue est très appréciable!
 
Vous souhaitez voir la vidéo de 2021? Alors c’est par ici ! Et celle de 2020? C’est par là!
🇬🇧 The whole team of SOFIME Relocation (Sophie, Agathe, Alexandra, Mariam, Bérengère and Armance) wishes you a happy new year 2022, through our traditional end of the year video ! After the rollercoaster of 2020, and then the small mine train of 2021, what will 2022 eventually look like? For the moment, SOFIME Relocation is well embarked upon the big wheel! Indeed we rise slowly but surely. And the view is rather pleasant!
 
You wish to see the 2021 video? Here it is ! And the one from 2020? Just right there !

Happy New Year 2021 ​🥳 !

🇫🇷 Une année 2020 particulière, particulièrement chez SOFIME Relocation! Evidemment nous avons maintenu la barre coute que coute. Et nous avons tenu le cap. L’occasion ici de féliciter toute l’équipe de SOFIME Relocation. Car nous nous en sortons haut la main!  Cliquez sur la vidéo, pour un petit aperçu de notre année, et de l’atmosphère qui règne dans notre équipe.
Nous sommes experts de la relocation à Paris et en France depuis plus de 10 ans. Par conséquent, nous assurons tout service en lien avec la mobilité professionnelle. Et cela toujours avec le sourire!
 
🇬🇧 2020: a particular year, particularly at SOFIME Relocation! Undoubtedly we maintained the helm no matter the difficulties. Hence we stayed the course. As a consequence, we seize this occasion to congratulate the full team of SOFIME Relocation for their efforts. Because we came out on top! Please click on the video, in order to see a small preview of our year, as well as to get an idea of the atmosphere that prevails in our team.
We are experts in relocation in Paris and in France for over 10 years. Hence we offer any type of service linked to professional mobility, and always with a smile on!

🇬🇧 Costs to foresee when relocating

During a relocation, one does not necessarily realize that there will be a lot of payments to make at the same time. So as to prevent bad surprises, you need to foresee all the costs. And you need to have sufficient funds in your bank account on the D-Day ! SOFIME Relocation helps you get a better idea of how much you will have to spend upon arrival.

     → 1st rent

Depending on when your lease starts and how the rent is calculated, you will have to pay either a full month rent, or a prorated rent. The latter will be based on the amount of days covered by the lease in the first month.

     → Deposit

For a primary residence personal lease (which is the most common lease), the deposit is 1 month rent (charges deducted) for empty apartments. On the other hand it is 2 months rent (charges deducted) for furnished apartments. If the rental lease is a company lease, or a secondary residence lease, it might be even more! (see our article about the different types of leases, as well as the one about furnished / unfurnished apartment, for better understanding).

     → Agency fees

For a primary residence personal lease, the agency fees are regulated by law. Hence it can be maximum 15 euros per sqm (incl. administrative + check-in fees). However, for company leases and secondary residence leases, there is no maximum. As a result they can rise up to 13% of the annual rent. But if you rent your apartment directly with the owner, there are no agency fees.

     → House insurance

In France, having a house insurance is mandatory. As a consequence you need to subscribe to a house insurance as soon as you have signed the lease contract. The estate agency will ask you to provide an insurance attestation on the day of the checkin in the apartment. Importantly, if you do not have it, you will not get your keys… So make sure your housing insurance is valid starting the 1st day of the lease! The insurance contribution depends on the size of the apartment, how much protection you want against risks and on the value of your belongings. Count for a small 2 room apartment around 150 euros.

     → Moving costs

If you move with your furniture, do not forget to foresee the cost of moving. From one country to another, it can be very expensive.

🇬🇧 Rentals in France: what are you signing for?

When you sign a lease contract, there is an agreement between the tenant and the landlord. Indeed the tenant commits to paying the rent as fixed in the contract whereas and the landlord commits to giving the tenant private tenure of the property.
In France there are several types of lease contracts. SOFIME Relocation gives you all the details about those:     
 
→ Personal lease for primary residence called “Bail loi Alur”
It is the most common lease in France. First it is a lease contract you sign in your name. And secondly, it applies to the situation where the apartment / house will be your primary residence. This contract is defined and controlled by the law in order to protect the tenants. As a consequence, there can be no tricky clauses. Of course as long as you see written on the contract “loi Alur 1989”
Agency fees are regulated by law (maximum 12 euros per m2 for the lease writing, and 3 euros per m2 for the check-in process).The deposit is limited to 1 or 2 months rent. Moreover the rental length in time is regulated, as well as the rules applying in case of departure. Those conditions depend on the fact that the apartment comes furnished or not.     
 
     → Company lease, called  « Bail Code Civil – Bail société” 
This type of lease applies to situations when the company rents the apartment / house for its employee. This type of lease is not regulated by law, which means anything can basically be written. That is why it is important to read carefully all the details of the contract, so that you are fully aware of all special conditions.     
 
       Secondary residence lease called “Bail Code Civil – résidence secondaire”
This type of lease applies only when you rent an apartment / a house as a secondary residence. It means you own or rent another place as your primary residence. The terms of the contract are freely defined between the landlord and the tenant, just as for the company lease: rent, notice period, rental length etc.

🇬🇧 THE RENTAL MARKET IN PARIS


What you need to know to start your home search
with the right mindset !

     Renting an apartment abroad is not a simple matter, especially if you do not know the country you are moving to… You have to ask yourself the right questions about what would fit you better. 

You also need to be aware of the real estate market of the city you chose to live in, so that your expectations match reality. From one city/country to another, you do not have the same standards for a similar budget. Especially in Paris, which often comes as a surprise for foreigners! Here is SOFIME Relocation insight about that:

     Demands exceed the offers

     France being a very centralized country, Paris has become the densest market for rentals. In Paris only, 2,2 millions people are living, and Ile de France (the administrative area comprising Paris) has more than 12 millions inhabitants, which corresponds to almost 20 % of the full French population (living on 2% only of the area of France). As you can understand, the housing market is constantly under pressure, and very dynamic.

Paris architecture is protected by law, and new constructions are scarce. The pool of available apartments is not growing, and hence is not following the demand. In the end, it means that there is a lot of competition: for every apartment available, there will be several applicants. And when an apartment is put on the market, it is usually rented in the next two days. So there is no time to think or ask for a second visit! This is less true for big apartments i.e more than 90 m2, and furnished ones.) 

     Rent prices are skyrocketting

     Because of the high demand, prices for rentals have massively increased in the past years. It reached a point where the government had to intervene, and implement rules. Now, in Paris and its close suburbs, there is a maximum price per square meter that cannot be exceeded. Now it is fixed by law depending on the district the apartment is located in. You can find here the detailed information.

This is theory. In reality, things are not as clear. If an apartment has something more than the average, landlords are allowed to exceed the price limit. (i.e high ceilings, amazing view, luxury furbishment etc.). And it seems in the facts that every apartment in Paris is exceptional, because this rule is constantly twisted!

     What is a typical parisian apartment?

     Because new constructions are rare, there are not that many modern buildings. A typical flat in Paris is around 45 m2, comes in a 19th century building and has wood floors that crack when you step on them. It will almost never have an air conditioner. Nor several toilets for instance ! Also, if a lot of old buildings have been equiped with elevators in time, most of the ones in the heart of Paris do not have one, as the staircases are far too narrow to welcome one!

 → Our piece of advice: 

Prioritize your criteria, because the perfect apartment does not exist. Hence you will always have to  make concessions! Therefore be sure of what you want and what you need before the visits are planned. You will have to make up your mind the same day in order to send your application! And do not  worry, with SOFIME Relocation, you always find the perfect place !

CHANGER DE REGION POUR TROUVER UNE ALTERNANCE ?

Avec MOBILI-PASS®, la recherche de logement ne vous coûtera rien !

Saviez-vous que les étudiants en alternance sont éligibles à l’aide MOBILI-PASS® ?

Bon à savoir quand on sait à quel point il est difficile de se loger lorsqu’on démarre sa vie professionnelle ! Cette aide prend la forme d’une subvention. Elle permet de financer une part substantielle des frais liés à la prestation d’une agence de relocation. Cela vaut pour la recherche de logement, mais aussi pour la réalisation de démarches administratives et l’assistance à l’installation.

     Chez SOFIME Relocation, nous faisons appel au MOBILI-PASS® pour nos expats qui arrivent de l’étranger, pour les salariés mutés d’une région à l’autre. Mais cela marche aussi pour les alternants ! Grâce à notre réseau et notre expertise, les dossiers des alternants sont valorisés et plus facilement acceptés 😉

     Les conditions pour en bénéficier ? C’est simple !
– L’entreprise doit faire partie du secteur privé, et employer plus de 10 salariés.
– La nouvelle résidence doit se situer à plus de 70 km de l’ancienne / ou bien l’ancienne résidence doit se trouver à plus d’1h15 du nouveau lieu de travail.
Les cases sont vite cochées dans le cadre d’un changement de région / département, pour les étudiants qui montent sur la capitale afin de bénéficier de son dynamisme et mettre le pied à l’étrier !
Alors gardez-le bien en tête, les frais de relocation de vos alternants sont couverts par l’aide MOBILI-PASS® !

 →TIP: Et l’aide MOBILI-JEUNE®, vous connaissez?
     C’est une aide au logement pour les – de 30 ans qui permet de prendre en charge une partie du loyer (à hauteur de 100 euros) pendant la durée de l’alternance!

     Des questions ou interrogations sur ces aides?
L’équipe de SOFIME Relocation se fera un plaisir d’y répondre: contact@sofime.com !

Et si SOFIME Relocation poursuivait sa transition « verte »…

… en comptant sur ses gambettes?

     
     C’est officiel, Paris est en train de devenir le paradis des piétons… et le cauchemar des automobilistes ! A plus ou moins brève échéance, les places de stationnement dans Paris vont être réduites de moitié. Paris refoulera les véhicules à essence. Le périphérique sera transformé en boulevard urbain limité à 50 voir 30 km/h…
Victoire pour les uns, pilule difficile à avaler pour les autres, il faut prendre acte de cette nouvelle donne. Bientôt, nous ne pourrons plus circuler en voiture. Chez SOFIME Relocation, nous prenons les devants afin de composer avec cette dynamique, et rebondir pour accélérer notre transition vertePourquoi ne pas profiter de cette opportunité (et du réseau déjà bien fourni de pistes cyclables) pour emmener nos expats en visite à bicyclette ou trottinette et faire travailler nos gambettes ?

Il y aura bien sûr un certain nombre de cases à cocher avant de se lancer dans l’aventure : accord de l’entreprise et du client, météo favorable, distances acceptées entre les visites d’appartements.

     Et les non sportifs?! SOFIME Relocation y pense. Au-delà du fait que le vélo ou la trottinette électrique font des miracles sur les cuisses non entrainées, nous pourrons nous appuyer sur le réseau de transports en commun. Car Paris est quand même la ville la mieux desservie au monde selon un classement de 2016 de l’Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP, basé à New York); ou bien sur les innombrables chauffeurs et taxis que compte notre belle capitale. Ou encore, pourquoi ne pas faire confiance à nos pieds, qui sont les plus naturellement placés pour se mouvoir d’un point à un autre ?!

     Chez SOFIME Relocation, il n’y a pas de problème, il n’y a que des solutions !

Votre avis compte ! N’hésitez pas à nous faire part de vos suggestions !