Although the university year starts in a few days, it is rather rare, at the end of August, to see young people accompanied by their parents pushing open the doors of real estate agencies in the city centre of Châteauroux.
Overall, there were fewer people looking for accommodation this summer, as explained by Barbara Maury from the Era Chapelot agency, which manages nearly 150 studios. “It’s quieter this year than last summer because in 2023 we had rented a lot. There is less movement, less notice. There is also a gap compared to last year when things went crazy from June. This year, the requests were spread out over the whole summer.”
“It’s quieter this year. There’s less movement, less notice.”
Despite everything, with nearly 2,000 students in the Indre prefecture, the most popular apartments went quickly. “Châteauroux is not a very university town. There is a particular lack of studios. As soon as the first apartments are rented, there are immediately not many left,” says Patrice Meunier, owner of the Citya agency. “There is more demand than supply in Châteauroux and that is the case every year”underlines Barbara Maury. An increase “about 5%” rents should also be noted. Patrice Meunier, who admits to having made fewer rentals, particularly in August, hopes for an improvement just before the start of the school year. “Requests are likely to increase with the latest responses from Parcoursup.”
A popular Crous
In addition to the accommodation offered by agencies or individuals, students can turn to the Crous in Châteauroux, even if the structure fills up quickly. Of the 42 accommodations that make up the residence at 4, rue Saint-Luc, “only two are free”, explains Virginie Laurière, director of the Crous in Châteauroux. “We mostly have 20 m2 studios2 or shared accommodation with a maximum of two bedrooms. There is a lot of demand, people are asking all the providers. If there are no more places with us, we advise young people to contact other landlords such as Scalis or Opac.
Anyone under the age of 30 and enrolled in a higher education establishment can benefit from it. We sometimes have a few last-minute changes with young people who leave Châteauroux because they have been accepted in another city.”
Contact: Crous de Châteauroux, tel. 02.54.22.95.06 or [email protected]