Flatshare in Sfax

Who shares a home in Sfax? Mostly students, from the south and centre of the country or from sub-Saharan Africa, attending the public and private universities. But also interns staying a few months, nurses and technicians in their first job, construction workers, and in summer a few seasonal workers. They are all looking for the same thing: a decent roof for a reasonable share of the rent, not too far from where they study or work.

This page gathers every flatshare listing in the governorate, rooms in family homes, shared flats and shared houses, posted by owners and flatmates. The supply changes from week to week and is heavily concentrated in the city and along the roads near the faculties. In the rural delegations it is almost non-existent, and rooms are found through connections instead.

Three options, three profiles

A room in a family home suits someone who arrives alone and for a short time: a first year student, an intern, a young employee who wants a family setting. You often pay between 180 and 350 DT a month, sometimes bills included, and the owner sets the house rules.

A flat shared by two or three, an S+2 or S+3, appeals to more advanced students and young professionals who value their independence. Details by area are on the page for shared flats in Sfax. Finally, the shared house brings together larger groups, often friends from the same region, who rent a house on the outskirts together.

Sfax Ville, Sfax Ouest and the rest of the governorate

In the centre, the delegation of Sfax Ville offers rooms and older flats near the station, the hospitals and the public offices, popular with those who have no car. The page for flatsharing in Sfax Ville describes its neighbourhoods.

To the west, the Soukra, Teniour and airport roads concentrate the faculties and engineering schools. This is where student flatsharing is densest, on villa floors as well as in residences, and where landlords are used to nine or ten month leases. The page for flatsharing in Sfax Ouest covers this area in detail.

Elsewhere, the supply is more scattered. Sakiet Ezzit and Sakiet Eddaier offer a few cheaper rooms, at the cost of longer journeys. Thyna and the Gabes road appeal to those who work in the factories to the south. In Kerkennah, rooms are let in summer to seasonal workers in catering and fishing, rarely the rest of the year. As for land and farms, flatsharing makes no sense there: for a move to the countryside, it is better to look at a standard rental or at buying a plot.

Spotting a genuine listing

The start of the academic year is also the season of fake listings. Never pay anything in advance before you have seen the room and met the person letting it, and be wary of very low rents paired with overly polished photos. A genuine landlord agrees to a viewing, gives a precise address and explains what is included.

For students coming from far away, ask a classmate already there to visit for you, or book a first week in a hostel while you search. International students should check that the landlord agrees to fill in the proof of accommodation required for the residence permit.

What the agreement should say

Even between flatmates, a simple written agreement avoids unpleasant surprises: the amount of each share, the deposit and how it is refunded, how bills are split, the planned length of stay and the notice period for leaving. If the lease is in one flatmate's name only, that person answers to the landlord; the others should at least get a monthly receipt.

Think about the summer months too. Many students leave in June and do not want to pay for July and August. Negotiate this when signing, or the landlord will claim the full year. Some agree to keep the room over the summer for half the share, a useful solution for anyone coming back in September who does not want to start all over again.