What is a T1 bis apartment?

In your search for student accommodation, you quickly understood that the concepts T1, T2, T3, T4 etc. indicate the number of rooms in the proposed apartment. But suddenly, you discover a slightly different attribute: the T1 bis. Why bis? What can it correspond to?

 

A student looking for accommodation often opts for the cheapest and most practical solution. The residence is only temporary, it lasts only the time of a stay in a given establishment. In the rental sector, the cheapest options are the studio or the T1 apartment, but the T1 bis can also be interesting. This is still a one-room apartment, but it gives a little more space to its tenant. And it usually offers an equivalent rent.

 

What is a T1 bis? Definition

 

A T1 apartment is an accommodation in which there is only one room. This is intended to serve as a living room and bedroom. The kitchen is separate as are the toilets and the bathroom. Some T1 apartments offer an additional room, a hall, a corridor, a small room without a window, etc. They are then designated with the attribute T1 bis. It also works with a mezzanine or alcove, which is extra space that you can't really refer to as a “room” or living space.

  

 

An alcove is a kind of recess in a room that allows for a bed or at least part of it. You can also create an office area or a storage space. The mezzanine is an intermediate floor in a room. In an apartment, this mainly helps to raise the bed and save floor space.

 

 

 

 

 

What is the difference between a T1 and a T1 bis?

 

 

As we have seen, the difference between a T1 and a T1 bis is quite thin, just like that between a studio and a T1. And it is the same between a T1 bis and a T2. In short, it is time to come back to the different types of accommodation available for rent (The T is generally used for apartments. The F is more used for houses).

 

• The studio contains only one room which serves as a bedroom and a living room, in which the kitchen area (or kitchenette) is integrated. The toilets and the bathroom are separate.
• Apartment T1 (or F1) contains only one bedroom / living room. The kitchen area is separate, separated by a wall or a partition. The toilets and the bathroom remain separate.
• Apartment T1 bis (or F1 bis) contains a single main room, with a closed kitchen and separate toilet and bathroom, but also a small additional room, a mezzanine or an alcove.
• Apartment T2 (or F2) contains two rooms, usually a living room and a bedroom. The water rooms (kitchen, bathroom, WC) are closed.
• Apartment T3 has three rooms, Apartment T4 has four, etc.

To summarize, T1 bis is located halfway between T1 and T2. We could have called it the “T1 and a half” or the “T1.5”. It was the T1 bis term that prevailed.

 

 

Why choose a T1 bis as student accommodation?

 

The big advantage of the T1 bis, compared to the studio or the T1, is of course this additional space which can be used for storage. In particular, you can create a wardrobe for clothes. Depending on its configuration, you can also install your desk, or even your bed. This of course depends on the size of this bis section and the apartment itself. The bis part makes it possible to isolate certain elements liable to clutter the main room.

 

What is the living area of ​​a T1 bis?

 

 

 

 

Living space is a concept put forward by the Carrez law, which in 1996 was passed to limit abuses in the rental sector. The area of ​​the accommodation was in fact announced as a whole, without taking into account the spaces that could not be really occupied. An advertised apartment of so many square meters in fact only had a third for its occupants because of too thick walls and too small rooms. From now on, the living area includes the floor area of ​​the dwelling, to which we subtract the square meters occupied by the walls, cupboards, steps and all the parts where the ceiling is less than 1.80 meters from the ground. The area of ​​balconies, garages and parking spaces is also excluded from the count.

 

How to fit out your T1 bis apartment?

 

A T1 bis remains a one-room apartment, that is to say, the bedroom must be combined with the living room. If it is not possible to put a bed on the mezzanine or in an alcove, you should opt for a bed that disappears when you need it most. Either it turns into a sofa (the sofa bed), or it is stored in a cupboard (a foldaway bed or cupboard bed).

 

 

The problem is the same for the office. The ideal would be to place it in an alcove or on the mezzanine, but it must still be possible, and above all practical. Remember, the office should be very comfortable. You are likely to spend a lot of time there, especially since the spread of distance learning courses requires you to stay in front of the screen most of the day. Make sure that you have room for your computer and mouse, that your arms can move freely, that your eyes are in front of the top of the screen, that the chair is comfortable in order to adopt a posture that does not not break your back. Also make sure you have enough light.

 

 

Should you opt for a furnished T1 bis?

 

 

 

 

Some ads offer you to rent an apartment that is already furnished, which is often practical: no need to bring your furniture, you can get in directly, sleep, wash and eat. Warning: one or two pieces of furniture are not enough. To assign the term furnished to an apartment, the landlord must provide a bed, a table, chairs, an oven, a refrigerator, light fixtures, hotplates, sheets, blankets, plates, glasses, cutlery, storage furniture, maintenance equipment… The complete list is available on the public services website. The presence of each object, and its condition, must be specified in the inventory.

 

How to find your T1 bis apartment with Studapart?

 

Finding an apartment that suits you is a tricky exercise. However, you can use the services of Studapart to facilitate your research. Our site provides you with a large number of T1 bis housing advertisements available throughout France.

 

The announcements are serious and controlled. It also allows you to quickly get in touch with the landlord if you are interested in an ad, thanks to the chat functionality. If you have not yet found a guarantor, Studapart can take care of it, offering you the Studapart Guarantee. It is much more convenient to find accommodation. The landlord you contact knows that you are a serious tenant with a reliable deposit.

 

That's not all ! Once installed, you can always call on Studapart to solve the small daily rental concerns. We remain available until the end of the lease. Studapart is for better or for worse.