Homes for rent in Sidi El Béchir

Sidi El Béchir is the part of Tunis that stretches south of the medina, around the old gates of Bab Jedid, Bab El Fellah and Bab Alioua. The streets have kept the scale of the old faubourgs: low patio houses, small two or three storey buildings, workshops and shops on the ground floor. People rent here to be a few minutes' walk from the medina and the city centre without paying city centre prices, and the nearby Bab Alioua bus station makes it a base for anyone who often takes the bus to the south of the country.

Online supply is very thin: only a handful of listings at any time, mostly posted by private owners, because many lettings are still agreed by word of mouth in the neighbourhood. If the page is empty on the day you search, the homes to rent across the Tunis governorate cover the neighbouring delegations, from the Medina to Séjoumi and El Ouardia.

What you can rent between Bab Jedid and Bab Alioua

The most typical home is the dar, a traditional house built around an inner courtyard. Some are let whole to one family, others have been split over the decades between several households who share the entrance. The rooms are generous and the ceilings high, but comfort depends entirely on the work the owner has done: look closely at the kitchen, the bathroom and the heating.

Next come house floors, reached by a shared staircase, and apartments in the more recent rental buildings that line the main avenues. These are grouped on the page of apartments to rent in Sidi El Béchir, useful if you want a standard S+1 or S+2 rather than a house.

Who rents here, and at what price

The area mainly draws modest households, traders and craftsmen who work locally, civil servants posted to Tunis who want to stay close to the ministries, and students ready to share a house. Rents are among the lowest in central Tunis: a small home often lets for under 500 DT, and a whole dar in good condition rarely goes beyond the price of an S+2 in the residential districts. Differences depend on the state of the building far more than on the floor area.

Demand rises with the September return, students and new postings, then eases after the end of year holidays. Winter is when you view with the most relative choice and when owners are most willing to negotiate.

Checking an old home before you sign

Old buildings have their weak points. Look at the ground floor walls, where damp rises, the vaulted or beamed ceilings, the state of the roof terrace and the wiring, sometimes original. Ask whether the home has its own water and electricity meters: in a house shared by several households, shared bills are the first source of conflict.

Insist on a written lease, even for a small rent, stating the term, the deposit and who pays for repairs. For a dar let whole, agree in writing who handles waterproofing the terrace before winter: it is the question that comes back every year with the first rains. For a room or a home shared between students, it is better to have a lease in each name, or at least a signed document setting each occupant's share of rent and deposit.

Rent before you buy

Many tenants in the area end up looking to buy, drawn by prices per square metre below the rest of Tunis. The homes for sale in Sidi El Béchir let you compare the rent you pay each month with the price of a house or a floor in the same streets.