Shared flats in Bab El Bhar

The large old apartment in central Tunis lends itself naturally to flatsharing. An S+3 on Avenue de Paris or in Lafayette, with high ceilings off a long corridor, is easily shared by three or four people who each have their own bedroom and meet in the kitchen. This type of home makes up most of the flatshares in Bab El Bhar, far ahead of the newer residences of the Lac.

The listings on this page are posted by flatmates looking for someone to fill a free room, or by owners renting their apartment room by room. Supply is modest and changes fast: to look wider, the shared apartments in the Tunis governorate also cover El Manar, Ennasr and nearby Ariana.

Who shares an apartment in the city centre

Three profiles meet in the delegation's flatshares. First, students, especially those at the language schools in the centre and at institutions reached by light metro from Place de la République or Place Barcelone. Then interns and young graduates hired by the banks, firms and government offices of the centre, who want to walk to work during their first months in Tunis. Finally, workers from inland regions, from Sfax, Gafsa or Le Kef, who share a rent while they settle in.

Girls only and boys only flatshares remain the rule, and many listings say so upfront. Mixed flatshares exist, mostly among foreign students, but owners accept them less readily. State your situation from the first call: it saves pointless viewings.

City centre, Lafayette or Lac: what each area offers

In the city centre and Lafayette, a flatshare in Tunis city centre almost always means an old building: built between the 1930s and the 1960s, often with no lift, spacious bedrooms but a single bathroom for the whole apartment. The share of rent per room is among the lowest in the capital for such a central address, which explains the demand at every start of the academic year. The metro, Tunis station and the buses on Avenue de Paris make life without a car possible.

Flatshares in Berges du Lac are rarer and pricier. They usually bring together young executives sharing a recent S+2 or S+3 in a residence, with parking and a caretaker, for a share of rent that often exceeds a studio in the centre. The upside is comfort and closeness to company headquarters; the downside, shopping and going out by car.

Before taking a room: what to settle

The question that comes up most is the contract. In many flatshares, only one occupant has signed the lease with the owner and sublets the rooms to the others. Ask to see that lease and make sure the owner accepts flatsharing: if the leaseholder leaves, the others may end up with no right to the home. The ideal is still a written contract, even a simple one, setting your share of the rent, the deposit and the notice period.

Then go over the bills. Electricity, water, internet and gas are split equally or by room, and STEG bills climb fast in summer with the air conditioning. Agree on it before moving in rather than at the first meter reading. Think about timing too: rooms free up in June and are taken again in September, when students and new hires all arrive at once. Searching in July or January gives more choice.

If living with others does not suit you, apartments to rent in Bab El Bhar include many studios and S+1 flats on the same streets, and the flatshare page for Bab El Bhar adds rooms in private homes.