Houses for rent in Ras Djebel

In Ras Djebel, looking for a house to rent starts with choosing your calendar. From June to September, the delegation lives to the rhythm of Rafraf beach, the coves of Sounine and the families who come up from Tunis or Bizerte for the summer. The rest of the year, demand comes mostly from people working locally: staff of the clothing workshops, transferred teachers, local couples waiting to finish building their own home.

The supply of houses to rent in Ras Jebel stays modest: only a few listings online, nearly all posted by private owners, homeowners or emigrants who leave the keys with a relative. On Houni, you call the advertiser directly, with no middleman. If nothing fits in the delegation, all the houses to rent in the Bizerte governorate widen the search towards El Alia, Ghar El Melh or Bizerte city.

Rafraf, Sounine, Metline: the summer house

A beach house rental in Rafraf is the most common search in the delegation. The houses close to the sand are often family buildings on one or two levels, with a roof terrace, one floor let while the owners use the other. The further up you go towards Rafraf village, the quieter it gets and the lower the price, at the cost of a few minutes' drive down to the sea.

Sounine and Metline draw those fleeing the August crowds: hilltop villages, older houses, an open sea view from some terraces. Supply there is scarce and goes by word of mouth, hence the value of watching the listings from spring. A summer rental in Ras Jebel is negotiated by the week, the fortnight or the month, and the August rate is well above that of June or September.

The yearly house in Ras El Djebel Nord and the centre

Out of season, houses to rent are found mainly in the town of Ras Djebel and in Ras El Djebel Nord: town houses with a yard, ground floors with the owner living upstairs, village houses in Metline Ouest for those willing to commute. Yearly rents generally stay well below those of Bizerte city, which explains why families working in Menzel Bourguiba or Bizerte settle here.

These houses are rarely furnished. Expect minimal fittings, an unequipped kitchen and a water heater to check. If you want a smaller space that is easier to look after, the apartments to rent in Ras Djebel cover villa floors and the small buildings in the centre.

What to check before signing

For a summer let, ask for recent photos, the state of the cistern or the water pressure, which sometimes drops in high summer on the coast, and the exact number of beds. Put the dates, the deposit amount and the refund terms in writing. A house let for a fortnight with nothing in writing leaves the tenant with no recourse in a dispute.

For a yearly let, insist on a contract registered at the tax office, state who pays the water and electricity bills and draw up a dated inventory with photos. The deposit is often one or two months' rent: write it into the contract. Finally, visit after rain if you can: houses near the sea suffer from damp, especially in north-facing rooms.

When to search, and where to look next

For the summer, the right time is between March and May, before regular families book the same house as the year before. For the year, September and October are favourable: owners who let during the season want a steady tenant for the winter and are more willing to discuss the rent.

If you are torn between a house and a flat, the page of homes to rent in Ras Djebel brings both types of property together. And those who end up wanting to settle for good will find the houses for sale in the delegation on a neighbouring page.