"Paris is not for single people. Alone, you won't find anything. Go to Leroy-Merlin [home improvement retailer] or Tinder, and find yourself a partner!" Marine, a 28-year-old developer earning €2,700 a month, couldn't believe it when a real estate agent dared to give her that advice to make the search for a home in the capital easier. It took her four months to find decent accommodation in Courbevoie (Paris region) on her own, unable to find anything within Paris itself.

The conditions imposed by landlords are particularly unfavorable to young people. "Substantial deposits, advance payment of several months' rent... The deterioration in young people's entry into the job market, along with the multiplication of precarious employment, is increasing landlords' demands, making young people even more vulnerable when it comes to finding independent housing," explained sociologist Emmanuelle Maunaye, a specialist in the evolution of migration and the social integration of young people. In the center of Paris and its inner suburbs, a real estate agent can get up to 300 responses to an online ad in just a few hours, as the market is so saturated. In this context, it's hard not to consider pooling expenses.

Lola (who preferred to stay anonymous), a 23-year-old freelance journalist, recently realized that life would be more comfortable if she moved in with her partner. While she had been living alone in what she described as a "yard shed" in the 14^th arrondissement of Paris, her partner of four years left his 9-square-meter maid's room in the 16^th arrondissement, with a rent of €600 a month, to join her. In times of inflation, Lola discovered the "luxury" of sharing the costs of her 18-square-meter studio with a mezzanine (€900 per month), splitting bills, and shopping. Since then, the couple has found a much more comfortable one-bedroom apartment in Boulogne-Billancourt (Paris outskirt): "It was either living together or living an hour from Paris!"

Lola explained that she thought long and hard before deciding to live with her partner, as she has seen many couples break up after moving in together: "I've seen them split up with bailiffs and gendarmes, it's scary!" If she and her partner had had the choice, perhaps they would have stayed apart a little longer. This law graduate fears that if they broke up, she would lose her quality of life and have to give up her Parisian lifestyle.

Floriane (who wished to remain anonymous), 26, from the Paris region, and her partner quickly fell into a routine. During her end-of-study marketing internship with a broker, intended to complete her course at Skema business school, Floriane met her current partner, an intern with the same company. She was hired. Without a job offer, he returned to Luxembourg, his country of origin. Floriane found her first place, a 20-square-meter studio in the 17^th arrondissement of Paris. "Some time later, my partner got a permanent contract with our company. In the meantime, he moved in with me for a transitional period. Eventually, things went well, and the business was profitable. With charges, we were paying €900, which is €450 per person."

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