Accomodation

What sort of housing is for me? How do I find it? Can I get help paying my rent? Do I need a guarantor? A lot of questions come up when you start thinking about where to live while studying at TAFL Center Alexandria University. We do believe that safe, comfortable and nice housing will help our students to better concentrate on their studies and get the maximum benefits of the study-abroad experience.

Here are the options that we advise our students to choose:

A.Living with a family or an elderly resident:

Students wishing to refine their Arabic often choose to live with an Egyptian family. It’s a practical and economical solution. You get your own room in an apartment while taking part in Egyptian daily life, sharing delicious homemade meals and enjoying the comfort and facilities of a permanent home. Main risk: watch your calories! This option is easier to provide for female students. Rare are the families who are willing to receive male students for cultural and/or religious reasons. So, if you are a male student and you are keen to live in a host family, you need to share with us this desire at least 2 months before your arrival. Based on consistent feedback that we’ve received from students over the past years, we propose a network of host families that will contribute to our students’ language and cultural learning experiences.

B. Private apartments and shared rentals:

Many students choose to rent an apartment. Those who want to live alone generally ask for a studio (a one-bedroom apartment), which is not the standard accommodation in Egypt. It’s often easier to find large apartments (2 to 3 bedrooms with 1 or 2 bathrooms) to share with other TAFL students. To find notices of apartments offered by the individual property owner, follow these Facebook pages and groups for Foreigners and Francophone in Alexandria:

- Foreigners (Etrangers) in Alexandria
- Alexandrie francophone

Similarly, you can check websites like:

- Airbnb
- Booking.com

Few tips when you look for accommodation in Alexandria:

• * Don’t wait until you arrive in Egypt to start searching for housing.
• * Beware of rents that seem too good to be true. In Alexandria, count on spending 300 to 500 USD monthly in a private flat and 250 to 400USD in a shared flat. These prices may be increased during summer, as Alexandria is one of the favorite destinations for internal tourism.
• * Look for furnished rentals.
• * Safety comes first. Avoid living in slums or in popular neighborhoods where the people are not used to foreign students.
• * Never send money remotely until you’ve signed a rental agreement and had a direct exchange with a property owner or agent.

If you need assistance, TAFL can help you!

- Our dedicated staff members may help you by introducing (before your arrival) a few landlords and agents/brokers that you may contact via email/phone and ask for photos of the flats as well as all other details. All you need is to choose the option “need TAFL assistance” in the registration form.

- Our dedicated staff members may also accompany you during your housing visits. (Another free service. You will only be asked to directly pay for the transportation.)

- We can also assist you by reviewing the contract clauses before you sign it.

Although housing is NOT TAFL’s responsibility, it is a free service that we are glad to offer upon your request and with pre-arrival coordination.

Signing the lease or rental agreement:

The following are among the provisions in the rental agreement:

- The amount of the rent and charges (if charges are assessed).

- The amount of the security deposit. (The security deposit is a sum that your landlord may require you to advance to cover any damage to the property that may occur during your tenancy.The amount is generally equal to a month’s rent (by law, it cannot be higher).The security deposit will be refunded to you if you leave the unit in the same condition in which you found it when you moved in. That’s why you should make sure that the flat is well equipped and that all the equipment is in good condition as well as the furniture. So, while visiting the flat, take your time, inspect the premises and pay particular attention to the bathroom and kitchen utilities.

- The notice period. If you decide to leave your lodging, you must notify your landlord in advance - generally, a month in advance (this also should be written in the rental agreement. For example, if you plan to leave on July 1, you must give notice no later than June 1, and you must do it by written (registered email with a confirmation of receipt or SMS/ WhatsApp message and make sure to get a reply to your message)

- You should be prepared to pay – in cash - the first month’s rent and security deposit upon signing the rental agreement.