About Renting Flats

If you decide not to live in university housing, you need to find an apartment (often referred to as ‘flats’ in Cairo). There are important pieces of information you should understand up front about the cultural context and expectations you will deal with.

1. Mixed gender living accommodations are strongly frowned upon. Many landlords are not interested in renting to tenants with a mixed gender make up.

2. Loud parties and alcohol driven boisterous behavior are also strongly frowned upon.

3. One bedroom flats are in very short supply. Most flats are 2-3 bedrooms.

4. It will cost somewhere from 3,500-4,000 LE per month for a decent 2 bedroom flat in a good neighborhood.

5. Apartment hunting in Cairo is something of an art.  There are brokers known in Arabic as samasra who will show you apartments and charge a fee if you take one. Some students have had good luck in dealing with samasra while others have not.For reliable samasra, you can request their contact information via email to ISA.

6. The fee for a simsaar, singular of samasra, other than those referred to by ISA is around 300-500 LE. Make sure you agree upon their fee in the beginning. Some will try to charge you a fee for each flat you visit, whether you take it or not, resist this.