Houses for rent in Ras Tabia

In Ras Tabia, a whole house to rent takes patience. The neighbourhood, one of the oldest in El Omrane, is made up of terraced townhouses that families have lived in for generations and have often extended by a floor. When a house becomes free, it is usually because its owners have moved to the suburbs, abroad or in with a child, and they are then looking for a family that will take good care of it.

Supply is therefore thin and variable, posted almost entirely by private owners you call directly. To widen the search to other streets of the delegation, the page for houses to rent in El Omrane lists all the area's listings.

The townhouse as you find it here

The usual model is a narrow house, joined on both sides, with a ground floor, one or two upper floors and a roof terrace. Rooms are arranged around a small hall or a covered courtyard. The oldest houses sometimes keep a patio; others have been redone, with new tiling and a fitted kitchen, and then rent for more.

Three options come up. The whole house suits large families. The ground floor alone, with the courtyard, appeals to elderly people and parents of young children who want to avoid stairs. Finally, the upper floor with its own entrance is close to a flat: for the studios and one-bedroom flats rented mostly by students, the page for homes to rent in Ras Tabia covers the whole sector.

Who for, and at what price

Applicants are mostly families who work in central Tunis or Le Bardo and want space without moving out to the distant suburbs. You also come across groups of employees renting a house together. The rent for a whole house stays well below that of a villa in El Menzah for a comparable number of rooms, but it exceeds that of a single floor, which limits the number of applicants. Condition, number of levels and a usable roof terrace account for most of the difference.

Houses become free mainly in summer, before the school year starts, which is also when competition is fiercest. An owner who has not found a tenant by September generally becomes more flexible in autumn, especially when offered a long lease.

The checks an old house calls for

Ideally, visit after rain: the waterproofing of the roof terrace and traces of damp on the party walls show up straight away. Look at the wiring, the plumbing and the water pressure upstairs. Ask whether the meters are in the owner's name and whether the bills are paid up.

The contract must be written and registered at the tax office, with the rent, the term, the deposit and who pays for minor repairs, a sensitive point in an old house. If a member of the owner's family keeps part of the house, have it specified what is being let: rooms, courtyard, roof terrace. And if you like the house so much you want to keep it, note that houses for sale in Ras Tabia are also posted by local families.