Students in France, make settling in easy
Alpaca Immobilier and the French lycées abroad go back more than twenty years. We know how daunting the move to France can be, for students and for their parents, so we built a service made to measure that carries you through every formality.
Wara and Antoine answer you personally, Monday to Friday.
How it works
Arriving in France to study means stress, and paperwork you may never have dealt with before. The rental market in Montpellier is tight: knowing it from the inside makes all the difference. We view every home in person, we check who the landlord really is, and we read the lease before you sign it. Alpaca Immobilier stays with you from the search for a home to opening a bank account, by way of ordering a SIM card so you are never out of touch with your children.
Our agency therefore offers two services: help finding a home (Montpellier and the surrounding area only, for now) and a concierge service so that you arrive with a clear head, every formality done and a flat furnished and equipped for your child to study in comfort.
The team
Behind the screen, two people
When you write to us, one of the two of us answers. No call centre, no chatbot: the same people from the first message to the handover of the keys.
Wara Fiorilo
Co-founder · former pupil of the French lycée
Wara is Bolivian and went all the way through the French lycée before coming to study in France: your child is making a journey she has already made. She switches from French to Spanish or English in the same conversation, and she is the one who follows your file and answers you on WhatsApp.
Antoine Dematté
Co-founder · estate agent in Montpellier
Antoine knows Montpellier by heart: the districts, the rents, the landlords. He is the one who organises the searches and the viewings, builds the rental applications and argues for them - the same work we do for any client of the agency, this time for your child.
The home
Finding a home
Three packages, depending on how many properties you would like us to view.
Essential
€590
Up to 3 properties viewed
- · Shortlisting the listings and booking the viewings
- · Viewing the property with you there or from a distance, with photos and videos
- · Help putting the application together and advocacy with the landlord
- · A review of the lease before you sign: who the landlord is, rent and charges, deposit, compulsory reports and clauses, all gone through by a professional holding the French estate agent's licence
- · Assistance with signing the lease remotely
- · A WhatsApp line: to help your child once they are there, whenever they have a question
Comfort
€690
Up to 5 properties viewed
- · Everything the Essential package includes
- · Support at the check-in inventory: we go with your child when the keys are handed over and make sure any reservations are written down
Serenity
€890
Up to 10 properties viewed, over at least two days
- · Everything the Comfort package includes
- · Two days of viewings organised on the ground, to compare more homes before you make up your mind
What you pay, and when
Our search fee falls due only when the lease is signed. If the home you choose comes from the Alpaca Immobilier portfolio, it is not charged at all. Our fee stays separate from any agency fees owed to another agency when the home you choose is managed by a different professional.
The paperwork
Setting up in France
Along with the home come insurance, internet and an energy contract. We take care of all of it for you, one formality at a time or all together.
The most complete
Complete setup pack
The six formalities below, bundled and coordinated with each other.
€169
instead of €235 separately
French mobile line
Taking out and activating the plan we have selected, as a SIM card or an eSIM. The plan is billed by the provider, directly in your name.
€30
Landline and fibre box
Checking that the address is eligible, taking out the contract and following it through to the engineer's visit. The subscription is billed by the provider, directly in your name.
€30
Opening a bank account
Putting the file together, the appointment and the follow-up until you have your account details. Bank charges are paid directly to the bank.
€55
Electricity or gas
Opening the meters with EDF, on a market offer, timed to your move-in date. Consumption is paid directly to EDF.
€45
Visale guarantee
Preparing and filing your Visale application, the free rent guarantee backed by the French State. The guarantee itself costs nothing.
€40
Home insurance
Taking out the GALIAN-SMABTP policy, certificate delivered on the day you sign. The premium depends on the home and is paid directly to the insurer.
€35
Arrival day and after
Arriving, and living here
The day you arrive
Airport or station pick-up
€100
We meet your child, we drive them to their home and we take the time to explain how everything works here: the transport, the neighbourhood, the first things to sort out.
Support at the check-in inventory
€90
Outside a search package: it is already included in Comfort and Serenity.
Welcome kit
€149
Sheets, pillows and kitchenware for one person, delivered and set up before you arrive.
Furnishing the flat
By quote
Buying the furniture, mostly at IKEA, delivery and assembly on site.
Transport, bike or gym
€25 per formality
We complete the registration in your place. Public transport across the Montpellier metropolitan area is free for its residents: there is no pass to pay for, only an application to file. For the bike and the gym, the subscription is paid directly to the operator.
The end of your stay
Moving out and check-out inventory
€190
Cancelling your services, attending the inventory and following up the exchanges with the landlord.
End-of-lease cleaning
By quote
Putting the home back in order before the check-out inventory.
Storage between two homes
By quote
Collecting, storing and returning your belongings over the summer or between two leases.
We defend your interests at the check-out inventory. Returning the deposit is your landlord to decide.
The journey
Step by step
You fill in your application online
Your details, your city, your arrival date and the services you need. The form saves at every step: you can come back to it later.
We search and we view
We shortlist the listings, book the appointments and view the properties for you, on a video call with you or by sending you photos and videos.
We build and defend your application
We put the rental application together, submit it to the landlord and argue your case. You sign the lease remotely.
We take care of the formalities
Insurance, energy, internet, mobile line, bank account, inventory, furniture, airport pick-up: everything is done by the day your child lands.
Frequently asked questions
When do we pay for the property search?
You pay nothing towards the property search until the lease is signed. It is a legal obligation and we apply it strictly: no application fee, no selection fee is asked of you when you sign up.
What happens if the home comes from your own portfolio?
If you rent a property managed by Alpaca Immobilier, no search fee is charged to you. You never pay twice for the same home.
Do we have to be in Montpellier to view?
No. We view the properties for you, on a video call if you wish, and we always send you photos and a video. You decide from a distance, with everything in front of you.
Do you read the lease before it is signed?
Yes, every time, and it is included in every search package. We go through the contract point by point: who the landlord is and their right to let the property, the rent and the charges, the deposit, the length of the lease, the compulsory reports and any special clauses. That is the job of an agency holding the professional licence, and it is what lets you sign from a distance, in confidence, knowing exactly what you are signing.
Are the setup services compulsory?
None of them. You put your own support together, one service at a time. The complete setup pack brings the six administrative formalities together for €169, against €235 if you take them separately.
Which cities do you work in?
The administrative formalities (bank, mobile line, internet, energy, insurance, Visale) are handled anywhere in France. The property search itself is limited to Montpellier and the surrounding area for the 2026 intake.
Can the parents fill in the application?
Yes. The form is built for it: the parent enters their own details and the student's, and remains the person we deal with.
Ready to start your application?
The form takes a few minutes and saves at every step. We come back to you quickly.