You have just got an appointment to visit your next place to rent? Great! You will now need to prepare it. In this article, we will see what you need to have for your application (documents, guarantor, etc.) so you can be on top of the landlord’s list, and maybe get the apartment of your dreams. Let’s go!
📂 The Documents Needed for Your Application
In order to rent an apartment in France, you will need to gather the following documents:
- 🪪 ID document: copy of the ID card/Passport
- 🧾 Payslips from the last 3 months/Employer certificate if you are an employee
- 🧾 Financial statements from the last 2 years if you have your own company
- 🏠 Proof of residency in France (Electricity, internet bill)
- 💸 Last tax notice
- 👨🎓 Student card
- 🇫🇷 Residence permit
- 🧾 Rent receipts (“quittance de loyer“) from the last 3 months
- 🏦 EU IBAN
As you may be new in France, you may not have all the documents listed above. Try to gather the documents you can have in this list.
Moreover, I think it is more than okay to send these documents by email after you visit an apartment.
Now, you gathered all the documents needed. It is great, but it is not enough. Indeed, landlords want to be backed because they don’t want to have a default. So they usually require an additional guarantee. Let’s see all the different options possible to improve your application.
🔏 Get a Guarantor
In order to have a rock-solid application, you may need to have a guarantor in France. Here are the different options to have one:
🤑 Earn 3x the monthly rent
💰 Free
The landlord can subscribe to insurance to protect them against a tenant’s default if the tenant earns more than 3 times the monthly rent.
This insurance is usually subscribed to by landlords who have their apartments managed by a real estate agency.
👴 Individual/company guarantor
💰 Free
It is usually a person (family member, friend, etc) or your company who is in France and wants to back you as your guarantor. You can have multiple guarantors.
If you choose this option, each guarantor needs to provide the same documents you need to provide for yourself (see the list in the previous section).
🇫🇷 Garantie VISALE
🌐 visale.fr
💰 Free
Action Logement is an organization that can back you as a guarantor for free thanks to the Garantie VISALE. You are eligible if you follow one of these conditions:
- You are between 18 and 30 years old
- You are an employee of 30+ years old (under conditions).
To check if you are eligible for Garantie VISALE, you can do the following test.
🌐 smart-garant.com
💰 From 3% of your rent
💡 Can help you stand out
Smart Garant is a paid guarantor, which is paid on a percentage of your rent as monthly or annual fees:
| Yearly payment: | 3% of your rent |
| Monthly payment: | 3.5% of your rent |
Having a paid guarantor can really help your application stand out, as this type of guarantor usually works in partnership with real estate agencies.
🌐 cautioneo.com
💰 From 2.9% of your rent
💡 Can help you stand out
Cautioneo is a paid guarantor, which is paid on a percentage of your rent as monthly or annual fees:
| Yearly payment: | 2.9% of your rent |
| Monthly payment: | 3.5% of your rent |
Having a paid guarantor can really help your application stand out, as this type of guarantor usually works in partnership with real estate agencies.
🌐 garantme.fr
💰 4.5% of your rent
💡 Can help you stand out
Garantme is a paid guarantor, which is paid on a percentage of your rent as monthly or annual fees.
Having a paid guarantor can really help your application stand out, as this type of guarantor usually works in partnership with real estate agencies.
🏦 Bank guarantee
💰 1k+€ in custody + fees each year
A bank guarantee (“caution bancaire“) is the ultimate solution if you don’t have access to the previous kinds of guarantors. Here are the different steps to explain to you what implies a bank guarantee:
- in agreement with the future landlord, the future tenant deposits an amount of X € in a bank, which keeps it in custody, in exchange for annual fees
- the bank will send a letter of confirmation to the tenant
- the tenant will give the letter from the bank to the landlord
- the tenant signs the lease contract with the landlord
- when the tenant lease, after the check-out, the landlord can give back the letter to the tenant
- The tenant gives the letter to the bank, which will release the money.
💡 Choosing a paid guarantor can help your application stand out to get an apartment more easily as they are usually working in partnership with real estate agencies, so they will be more keen to select your application as the agencies will earn commissions.
Conclusion
Now, your application must be completely set, with all your documents, and eventually with a guarantor. I hope that your application will stand out now.
To know more about the process of renting an apartment in France, you can check this article:
