Apartments for rent in Sidi El Béchir

An apartment in Sidi El Béchir is first of all a practical address. The area borders the medina to the south, Tunis station and place Barcelone are not far, and the Bab Alioua bus station, with buses to the south of the country, is a short walk away. People who rent here rarely look for prestige: they want a contained rent and the chance to do everything on foot or by light metro.

Few apartments to rent appear online here, often none or close to none at any given time, posted by private owners. All the apartments to rent across the Tunis governorate remain the reference to compare with Bab Bhar, Le Bardo or El Ouardia, and the area's dars and house floors are on the page of homes to rent in Sidi El Béchir.

Old buildings rather than residences

The delegation's apartment stock is mostly old rental buildings, many built in the first half of the twentieth century or in the decades after independence, plus small newer blocks put up where houses were demolished. You find S+1 and S+2 flats with high ceilings, sometimes a family S+3, rarely parking.

New residences with a lift, caretaker and basement are almost absent. In return, floor areas are often more generous than on the outskirts for the same rent, and everyday shops are at the foot of the building. An apartment to rent in Sidi El Béchir suits a couple without a car, a civil servant working in the central ministries or students sharing an S+2.

Rents and season

Rents remain among the most affordable in the centre: an S+1 is often found between 400 and 600 DT, an S+2 rarely goes above 800 DT, with clear gaps between a renovated apartment and one left in its original state. Furnished flats exist, mainly for students and stays of a few months, but they are not the norm.

The university return and September postings push demand up for a few weeks. The best terms are usually negotiated between November and March, when demand falls and an owner prefers a reliable tenant to an empty flat.

What to check in an old building

The stairwell tells you a lot about the building: lighting, cleanliness, the state of the steps. Ask whether there is a managing agent or whether the co-owners organise themselves, and who pays for upkeep of the common parts. Inside the apartment, check the plumbing, water pressure on the upper floors, the windows and the wiring, which some owners have never redone.

Noise is the other criterion: an apartment on an avenue near Bab Alioua lives to the rhythm of traffic from dawn, while an inner street stays quiet. View it at the time you will come home from work, and go back on a Saturday morning, when the local markets and workshops are in full swing: you will know straight away whether the street life suits you or will wear you out within a month.

On the contract side, sign a written lease stating the term, the rent, the deposit, usually one to two months, and an inventory of equipment for a furnished flat. Do a dated check-in report, with photos, on arrival and on departure.

And if you are thinking of buying

Purchase prices in the area stay below those of the residential districts of Tunis, which draws investors who then let to students or families. The apartments for sale in Sidi El Béchir give an idea of this price to rent ratio. For a tenant settled for several years, comparing the yearly rent with the price of a neighbouring S+2 is often the first step towards buying.