Houses for rent in El Omrane

In El Omrane, a whole house to rent is something of a rarity. The neighbourhood grew house by house, each family adding a floor for a married son or for rental income, so you far more often find a floor to let than a complete house. When a whole house does come free, it is usually because the owners have moved to the suburbs, abroad or in with one of their children, and they would rather hand it to a settled family than leave it empty.

So there is very little online, and almost all of it is posted by private owners. On Houni, the advertiser gives the number of levels and rooms and says whether there is access to the roof terrace, and you call them directly. When nothing fits in the delegation, the page of houses to rent in the Tunis governorate covers Le Bardo, El Omrane Supérieur, Ettahrir and the capital's other districts.

El Omrane is not El Omrane Supérieur

The two names often get mixed up, and the difference matters. El Omrane Supérieur is a separate delegation, further north, with its own neighbourhoods such as Ibn Khaldoun or El Intilaka. El Omrane, the delegation on this page, covers Ras Tabia and the streets near Bab Saadoun and Le Bardo. Both areas have the same kind of houses and similar rents; many families search in both side by side. Read the location of each listing closely: for the children's school or the morning commute, a few kilometres count.

What kind of house you find here

The usual model is a terraced town house on a narrow plot, joined on both sides, with a ground floor, one or two floors above and a usable roof terrace. Rooms are often laid out around a small hall or a covered courtyard, with the kitchen at the back. Some older houses keep a patio, others have been fully redone with new tiling and a fitted kitchen.

Three set-ups come up. The whole house, over two or three levels, suits large families or house shares arranged by working people. The ground floor on its own, with the courtyard, appeals to older people and families with small children who want to avoid stairs. Lastly, the upper floor with its own entrance is close to a flat: if that is what you are after, the page of apartments to rent in El Omrane is a useful addition to your search.

Rent and timing

A whole house in El Omrane rents for a good deal less than a villa in El Menzah or Ennasr with a similar number of rooms, but for more than a single floor, which keeps the number of applicants down. Rents vary widely with condition, number of levels and distance to the light metro; compare several listings before making an offer. Owners are often willing to talk when the lease is long and the tenant agrees to look after the house.

Families prefer to move over the summer, before the school year: that is when houses come free and competition is fiercest. Starting your search in spring lets you spot the places about to come up, and an owner who has found no one by September tends to be more flexible in the autumn.

Checks before signing

An old house calls for a careful visit: is the roof terrace watertight after rain, are there cracks in the party walls, what state are the wiring and plumbing in, how is the water pressure upstairs. Ask whether the meters are in the owner's name and paid up. The lease should be in writing, registered at the tax office, with the deposit amount, the term and who handles minor repairs. If another member of the owner's family lives in part of the house, get it in writing exactly what is being let: rooms, roof terrace, courtyard, any garage.