Houses for rent in Msaken

The query "houses for rent in M'saken" is by far the most frequent of those that bring people to this page, and it sums the town up well: here you rent a house, not an apartment. But supply runs opposite to demand. Most houses in M'saken are lived in by their owners or kept shut eleven months out of twelve by families living in France or Italy, who prefer an empty house to a tenant they would have to move out in August.

The result: at any given moment, one or two houses to rent, rarely more, posted by private owners. This page shows them and puts you in direct contact with the owner. For more choice, all the houses to rent in Sousse governorate cover Kalaa Kebira, Kalaa Sghira, Akouda and the rest of the region, and the page renting in M'saken adds floors and apartments.

What actually gets let

Three forms come up. The first is the ground floor or first floor of a family house, with a separate entrance, two or three bedrooms and a terrace: it is the most common offer, and it is often what advertisers call a "house to rent". The second is the whole old town house, in the El Gharbine and El Kebline districts, with a central courtyard and rooms opening one into another, sometimes in need of a refresh. The third, the rarest, is an emigrant's complete villa, furnished or not, let by the year because the family has given up on coming back.

The districts where you stand the best chance of finding a house to rent in Msaken are the recent extensions, Ettouara Sud, Ennour, Borgine and Habib Thameur, where houses are large and floors often unoccupied, and Messadine on the Sousse side. Beni Khalthoum remains a village, with lower rents and fewer shops.

Furnished lets mostly take the form of an emigrant's villa let with its furniture, sometimes for a few months to a family in transition or to a manager posted to a factory in the region. Weekly holiday lets, common on the coast in Kantaoui or Hammam Sousse, are not really a thing in M'saken, which is not a beach town: here, people rent to live.

Rents and tenant profiles

A house or floor of S+2 or S+3 type (two or three bedrooms plus a living room) with a courtyard often lets for between 450 and 800 DT (Tunisian dinars) a month; a complete villa with a garden and garage frequently tops 1,000 DT, especially furnished. Renting in Msaken stays cheaper than in Sousse, Hammam Sousse or Kantaoui for the same floor area, and that is what draws the families of employees from the industrial zones south of Sousse, managers transferred to the region and Msakni households waiting for their own build to be finished.

The calendar is the emigrants' one: almost nothing comes free between June and August, the season of homecomings and weddings, and the best opportunities appear in September and October, when the houses empty. Some listings say "let except summer": read them carefully, it is a reality of the local market.

Lease, deposit and checks

Ask who is signing the lease: an owner abroad must give a power of attorney to the relative managing the house. Have the contract registered with the tax office, note the deposit, usually one to two months, and the term. If the family plans to come back in summer, get it in writing, with the date and the arrangements.

At the viewing, look at the state of the roof terraces and gutters, the cistern or tank on the roof, whether the meters are separate, and whether there is a water heater. In an old house in the centre, check for damp on the courtyard walls in winter. If you are thinking of buying instead, the houses for sale in M'saken show what the same property sells for, which helps you judge a rent.