Shared flats in Mahdia

Sharing an apartment is a practice of the governorate capital. In Mahdia governorate, it is concentrated almost entirely in the town of Mahdia, where the higher education institutes, the university hospital and the hotels of the tourist zone are located. Elsewhere, in Ksour Essef, El Djem or Chebba, it exists mainly between colleagues: two teachers posted in the same year, three health workers assigned far from home, who take a floor together to split the rent.

Flatshare listings are posted by private individuals, owners or tenants looking for someone for a free room. The supply varies from week to week, with a peak at the start of the academic year and almost nothing in spring. You contact the person who posted directly.

In Mahdia: who shares, and where

Students make up the bulk of demand. They come from El Djem, Ksour Essef and Chebba, but also from Sfax or the Kairouan region, and share an S+2 or S+3 between two, three or four, ideally near their classes and the Sahel metro station. Junior doctors and trainees at the hospital arrive for a semester and look for quiet more than price. Finally, seasonal hotel workers move in during spring for a few months.

Each profile has its neighbourhood: Zouila and Erremal for students, the Rejiche road for young employees with a car, Hiboun out of season for a furnished flat let from October to May. The page for shared flats in Mahdia details these sectors and their rents.

In the rest of the governorate: a rare supply

Outside the capital, a flatshare listing is the exception. The formula does exist, though: a three room house floor in Ksour Essef, El Djem or Essouassi is easily shared between two civil servants, each with their own bedroom, the kitchen and living room in common. The total rent is low there, and once divided it becomes very light.

El Djem has one particular feature: its railway station links it to Sousse and Sfax, and many students from the delegation commute by train or share an apartment in those cities rather than in Mahdia. In Chebba and Salakta, seasonal workers sometimes rent an apartment together for the summer; these arrangements are made by word of mouth and rarely go through a listing.

The method that works is to look for a whole apartment and then suggest a shared let to the owner. Many agree, especially for tenants with a regular salary. The apartments for rent in Mahdia governorate are the right starting point, before talking it over with a colleague.

Splitting the rent and the bills

In a shared apartment, the bedrooms are not always the same size, nor do they all have the same access to the balcony or the shower room. Set each person's share from the start, according to the room, rather than splitting equally and arguing about it later. The STEG and SONEDE bills raise the second question: in summer, one person's air conditioning pushes up everyone's bill. A meter reading on move in and a written split avoid tension. The same goes for internet: a subscription in one flatmate's name is repaid every month by the others, and that should be written down too.

The deposit, often one month, is split by the same key, and must come back to each person at the end of the lease. If a flatmate leaves during the year, decide who replaces them and who pays their share in the meantime: it is the most frequent cause of conflict with the owner.

The contract, the viewing and scams

Ask for a rental contract that names all the flatmates, or at least a written agreement between you setting out the shares and the notice period. Visit the apartment in person, in daylight, and check the bedrooms for damp and the water pressure upstairs. Never pay in advance by transfer for a room you have not seen, even at the start of the academic year when everything moves fast.

If you are looking for a room in a family home instead, flatsharing in Mahdia governorate brings these formulas together, and the shared flats in Tunisia show the supply in the other university towns.