Real estate – Why the price of rents in Creuse is one of the lowest in France

La Creuse takes on a cream color on the map. Paris, on the other hand, takes on a dark red, almost disturbing. The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion recently published a rent map in France. Not surprisingly, Creuse is one of the departments with the lowest rents. With an overall price of €8.60 per m², residents of Creus place themselves below the national average of €9.38 per m². “It’s a real advantage,” explains Delphine Testard, rental advisor for Marcon Immobilier Guéret.

Why settle in the Creuse?

“I have seen several people arriving from Toulouse or even from the Paris region who are really not used to these prices”. While buildings costing more than €10 per m² are rare in the department, Parisians beat all records with more than €20 per m² in several arrondissements. Prices even reach €30 per m² in neighborhoods under pressure.

The Creuse prices are distinguished by their attractiveness. Affordable, the Creuse real estate market is not apathetic for all that. Creuse rental consultants are unanimous on the subject: the sector is very dynamic and will probably remain so. Delphine Testard counts a hundred rentals recorded by the Marcon real estate agency in 2022.

Creuse real estate professionals, however, return to the gap between supply and demand on the rental market. Jeanne Thuilliez, of the agency Human immobilier Guéret, describes these tensions: “Many people push the door of the agency in search of a property to rent but opposite, the rental offer remains weak. Access to home loans is proving increasingly difficult, especially for the middle classes. They then turn to rental rather than ownership. »

For the Citya real estate agency, Mathis Favalessa also testifies to new customers from Guéré arriving every month. The rental negotiator mainly met students during the summer and at the beginning of the year.

Students, tenants and galleys

The nursing training institute (IFSI), the IUT Carrière sociale or the home automation BTS at Jean Favard high school are all training courses that attract students to the Creuse lands and therefore new tenants. Anthony Tachaud, director of a real estate agency in the heart of La Souterraine underlines the attraction of the design center of the Raymond-Loewy school complex, which encourages students to settle near the site.

“For a studio in Guéret, the rates are around €250 per month without charges,” explains rental consultant Delphine Testard. “If it’s a two-bedroom apartment in Guéret, it takes around €320. Inevitably, so-called “complete renovation” housing offers better insulation, therefore better quality and is more expensive. »

Why is Creuse the French department with the most thermal sieves?

The testimony of Carla Blangarin actually reveals it. Three years ago, this IFSI student arrived straight from Béziers:

The young woman quickly becomes disillusioned when she sees her bill. After a refusal to deliver the Energy Performance Diagnosis (DPE), its owner also ruled out the launch of renovation work, the rent not being high enough to justify the restoration of the accommodation according to her. The student, however, pays 330 € per month for 30m2, or 11 euros per m2, the upper range of Creuse prices. In Carla’s entourage, there are many students who have moved because of these energy sieves, but finding a roof at a low price and within their criteria is always difficult. Carla resigns herself: “In fact, to find a well-insulated apartment you have to pay more”.

Jeanne Thuilliez and Elsa Bernard, real estate consultants, mention another option: “For students, shared accommodation is also particularly interesting”. The Human Immobilier agency team is betting on this way of life even if it remains rare on the Creuse rental market: “It’s both profitable for the owner, who often earns a little more, but it’s also and above all profitable for the roommates who share the costs. Generally, it reduces the charges and the rent.

Private tenants

The profiles of Creuse tenants are not limited to students. Changes in the public service also bring their share of new inhabitants. Teachers, gendarmes, administrative agents… many are present temporarily on the territory. In search of housing, these families in transition are not looking for the acquisition of a property in the long term. They then have the option of renting.

The city of Guéret selected to welcome civil servants from Bercy

Tenants may also turn out to be retirees or people in difficulty. If the property is often the prerogative of older people, renting retains the advantage of avoiding some hassle. Paul Parsejoux, owner of a 70 m2 in Courtille, rents his property to a retiree of almost 70 years old. The tenant has occupied the house for 19 years for a rent of €455 per month. Long-lasting tranquility.

Barriers to renting

The new energy standards imply new needs for work and therefore new investments by owners. Investments that can quickly discourage… Branch manager Anthony Tachaud observes similar phenomena:

However, there are many properties in need of work in Creuse: on online rental sites, advertisements follow one another and look alike for accommodation rated F or G at the level of the DPE, i.e. thermal sieves.

Elsa Bernard recalls a recent case of acquisition: “I have the fresh example of investors who bought a property with a DEP level D so as not to have to do too much work and rent it out in complete peace of mind. . It was an essential criterion for them. »

While tenants’ rights are at the heart of the anti-squat law debates, Creuse retains its quality as a financial haven while taking the place of the department of France with the most energy sieves.

Justine Grollier