Offices and shops for rent in Carthage

Carthage is not a business district, and that is precisely what draws some tenants. There are no office towers here like in neighbouring Les Berges du Lac, but villas turned into discreet headquarters, local shops at the foot of recent residences and boutiques aimed at visitors in Sidi Bou Said. Consultancies, international organisations, representative offices, the liberal professions, neighbourhood shops: each comes looking for a calmer setting than central Tunis.

Listings are posted by owners and agencies in the northern suburbs, and supply is limited and varies from week to week. To compare with Le Lac, the city centre or Ennasr, all the offices and shops for rent in Tunis governorate give a complete view.

The office villa, between Byrsa and Amilcar

The typical Carthage product is the villa let for professional use: several rooms over two levels, a garden, a gate, parking in the courtyard. It suits a team of a few people up to a few dozen who want to receive visitors in a prestigious setting and stay a few minutes from the airport and Le Lac. You find them in Carthage Byrsa, in Amilcar and around the TGM stations.

The first thing to check is permitted use. A villa in a residential zone is not automatically authorised to host an office open to the public: ask the municipality, and have the business activity written into the lease. For the headquarters of foreign organisations, site security, access and a discreet neighbourhood count as much as the rent.

Local shops and ground floors of residences

In the recently developed sectors, the ground floors of residences host pharmacies, minimarkets, cafés, hair salons, agencies and medical practices. The clientele is residential and stable, and demand follows the arrival of new residents. A well-placed unit, visible from the road, with parking in front, lets quickly; a unit inside a residence, with no passing trade, can stay empty for a long time.

Near the TGM stations, from Salammbô to Hannibal, a few older units serve neighbourhood trade: grocery, bakery, dry cleaner. They are rare and often change hands without being advertised. Their customers are residents and train users, steady all year round, without the footfall peaks of the neighbouring village.

Sidi Bou Said, a trade built on visitors

In Sidi Bou Said, shops live off the flow of strollers: crafts, cafés, galleries, restaurants. The best spots on the streets climbing to the village are highly sought after, and footfall is strong in spring, summer and at weekends, quieter on winter weekdays. The village is protected, and anything affecting the facade, the sign or exterior fittings must comply with the site's rules. Ask before planning a terrace or a shop window.

If your business is seasonal, negotiate a rent that takes the quiet months into account, or look for a unit that keeps a local clientele all year.

The lease and hidden costs

A written, registered commercial lease is essential: term, permitted activity, rent reviews, the split of works and service charges. For an office villa, specify who pays for upkeep of the garden, of any pool and for the caretaker, costs that weigh heavily in the northern suburbs. Draw up a detailed check-in inventory with photos, and check the electrical power and the quality of the internet connection, rarely up to standard in older villas. Finally, plan for your visitors' parking: in some narrow streets near the archaeological site, it quickly becomes an issue with the neighbours.

Those who end up looking for a villa to live and work in will also look at the houses for rent in Carthage, and those who prefer an apartment in a residence for a small practice at the apartments for rent in Carthage.