Shared flats in Sousse Médina

In Sousse, a flatshare often starts with a message in a student group at the end of August: "one room free in an S+3 in Khezama, two girls already there". The delegation of Sousse Médina lends itself well to this way of living: the town centre, the railway station, the Sahel metro terminus at Bab Jedid and Boujaafar beach are all within walking distance, and the large flats in the older buildings are easy to share between three or four.

The Sousse flatshare listings posted here come from tenants looking for a flatmate, owners who let by the room and a few agencies. Volume varies from week to week, with a clear peak at the start of the academic year. You contact the person who posted directly. If nothing suits in the delegation, all the shared flats in Sousse governorate widen the search to Sahloul, Hammam Sousse and Kalâa Kebira.

Khezama: flatsharing in recent developments

Khezama holds a good share of the delegation's shared flats. The developments there are newer, with a lift, a fitted kitchen and often a living room big enough to serve as a common room. These are S+2 and S+3 flats (two or three bedrooms plus a living room) where each flatmate has a room with a door that closes and the kitchen and bathroom are shared. Flatsharing in Khezama mainly draws young workers: call centre staff, sales reps, nurses and technicians from the town's private clinics.

The rent is split by room, and the big bedroom with a balcony usually costs a little more than the others. Bills (water, electricity, internet, service charges) are paid separately, and they are what disagreements most often start over. Agree from the day you move in on how to split them.

Boujaafar and the centre: big flats, student budgets

Around avenue Habib Bourguiba and Boujaafar, the buildings of the 1970s and 1980s offer spacious flats, sometimes with four bedrooms, at rents that stay reasonable once divided. They often have no lift and need freshening up, but for a student who gets around on foot or by metro, the location makes up for it. A room in a shared flat in Boujaafar also suits junior doctors and medical students on placement at the Farhat Hached university hospital, who like walking home after a night shift.

On the Medina side, Ali Belhouane, Mohamed Maarouf and Bou Jaafar, the supply of shared flats is more irregular. What you see there is mostly house floors let by the room, closer to lodging with a family. For those options, the flatshare page for Sousse Médina brings together rooms in houses and flats.

September, June and the rest of the year

The calendar follows the university. Rooms come free in June, when students go home, and are taken again between late August and early October. Looking in July gives more choice, but many owners then prefer to let the whole flat to summer visitors, who pay more than flatmates over two months. The rest of the year, a place mostly comes free in January, after the first semester exams.

Listings often say "female flatshare" or "male flatshare": it is a requirement of the owner or the occupants, and it is better to respect it to avoid a wasted visit. A furnished flatshare is the norm in Sousse; if the flat is unfurnished, everyone brings their own bed and the appliances are shared.

What to settle before moving in

Ask who holds the lease. In most cases, a single flatmate signs with the owner and sublets the rooms: if someone leaves, he is the one who handles the deposit. A simple written agreement between flatmates is best, with each person's share, the deposit paid and the notice period for leaving.

Visit at the time of day you will be coming home, especially near the Corniche where the cafés stay open late in summer. Check the water pressure on the upper floors of the old buildings and the state of the water heater, shared by four people. If you finally decide to rent alone, the apartments to rent in Sousse Médina give an idea of the rents for a studio or an S+1 in the same districts.