How to rent in France: the Ins and Outs of a successful application file

It requires time and motivation to find a place to live in Paris! Not to mention that Parisian landlords are very demanding and that the market is suffering from an housing shortage. In other words, one has to maximize their chances to secure a highly coveted rental agreement.

This is where the dossier (rental file) comes in. To rent an apartment in Paris, candidates are required to provide a set of documents to the real estate agency and to the future landlord. This dossier is more than just an administrative formality: it represents the candidate and his/her project. The more thorough the dossier, the greater the candidate's chances of securing an apartment.

This article is dedicated to helping future tenants put together a successful dossier. Let's get started!

Put yourself in the landlord’s shoes!

This is the first step in the process, and surely the most important one: if you were the landlord, what guarantees would you want to have to entrust your property to a complete stranger?

This straightforward questioning makes it immediately clear that the landlord needs to be reassured, and that he needs to know you in order to trust you. In other words, you have to stand out from the crowd.

Introduce yourself and your project

Who are you? What is your current professional situation? This self introduction, as trivial as it may seem, is your first approach from which the landlord can determine what kind of candidate you are, and what your intentions are regarding the apartment.

When a landlord goes through a real estate agency like Book-A-Flat, the first person to discover your profile is the portfolio manager (by e-mail or telephone). Therefore, your presentation has to be as clear and precise as possible so that it can be properly conveyed to the landlord. Here is a list of useful elements to guide you in your self introduction:

• First and last name
• Desired rental dates (start/end)
• Your personal and professional situation
• Number of tenants (single, couple, family or roommate)
• Status (employee, student, self-employed, etc.)
• Guarantor(s) (especially if your income is less than three times the rent)
• Other information to speed up the application process (nationality, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.)

The ideal dossier

Once you have completed your self introduction, you can prepare for the rest of the rental process by putting together your dossier, preferably in a single document for a clearer presentation.

You may feel that you are being asked for too many documents. However, remember that in France, everything is different! More importantly, a complete application file ensures that both the landlord and the tenant comply with the rights and obligations set out in the lease contract. This means that the use of any incorrect or falsified documents used for the application and to sign the lease may be held against you.

Back to the application file: the structure of the dossier is generally the same, but it may vary according to the landlord's requirements. At Book-A-Flat, candidates must be able to provide the following documents:

1. A valid identity document

• Identity Card (ID)
• or passport
• or residence permit

2. Documents proving your solvency as a tenant of the property

• Last three months' salary slips (the candidate must earn three times the amount of rent, net before tax)
• Last two tax notices (the whole document, not just the first page)
• Certificate of employment (stating your monthly salary, seniority and, above all, that you are not on a probationary period)

If you cannot provide these documents, just talk to one of our colleagues at Book-A-Flat to specify your situation. We will sort it out!

3. Any other document that may help strengthen your dossier

• Property tax notices
• Rent receipts
• Letter of recommendation (from your previous landlord, for example, to vouch for your good behavior as a tenant)
• Cover letter/Resume
• Proof of address (proof of your current address, such as an electricity, gas, water or telephone bill less than three months old)

If the candidate is unemployed, he will be required to provide proof of this current status. For students, an up-to-date school certificate is mandatory.

It is important to note that married and PACSed (civil union) couples can combine their income (net before tax). In other words, it is the total gross income received by all members of a household that counts. Unmarried or non-PACSed couples, on the other hand, are considered as flatmates, and must earn three times the net pre-tax rent individually, or request the help of a guarantor.

Need a guarantor?

1. Why would you need a guarantor?

There are situations in which the candidate needs a guarantor because he is:

• A student, with no income
• Employees or housemates who, individually, do not earn three times (net before tax) the amount of the rent.
• An employee on a probationary period. Landlords rarely approve of this type of candidate who cannot offer the required rent.

2. The guarantor

This is where the guarantor comes in! The guarantor is usually a member of the candidate's family (parents, spouse, brother, sister, etc.). In terms of paperwork, the guarantor must provide the same documents as those presented above, i.e.: proof of identity, solvency documents and other documents if relevant.

Parisian landlords tend to favor guarantors. However, they are less enthusiastic when the guarantor is based abroad. There are two valid reasons for this:

3. Garantme

No problem! Candidates (especially from abroad) can turn to reliable, secure solutions such as Garantme.

Garantme is a company that acts as a guarantor for the tenant in the event of unpaid rent. Real estate agencies such as Book-A-Flat who recommend Garantme have had a positive experience with this service, which is highly appreciated by landlords for its rapid, straightforward procedures. What's more, the company is easy to contact in the event of non-payment.

How to apply to Garantme? Applications are made online via the Garantme website. Applicants have to provide proof of identity, academic or professional qualifications, and income. They will then receive a temporary Certificate of Eligibility, which they must include in their application file. Once the landlord has given his approval and the rental agreement has been signed, the applicant can return to the Garantme website and proceed to secure payment of the fees. The Garantme guarantee covers up to €96,000 of unpaid rent for the duration of the lease contract, and costs 4.5% of the monthly rent.

Please note that Garantme only covers unpaid rent and not damage caused in the apartment (water damage, etc.).

Example of a provisional Garantme Eligibility Certificate (short version)

4. Guarantee Visale

There are also other solutions, such as Visale. This guarantee scheme provides free rental cover for students, apprentices and young workers aged 18 to 30 looking for accommodation in Paris or mainland France.

There are, however, conditions regarding the rent. Applicants with no income are not eligible for Visale if the rent exceeds 800 euros in the Paris region, or 600 euros outside Paris. Applicants with income can only apply for the Visale scheme if the rent does not exceed half their income. Co-tenants have to apply individually.

The documents required are the same as for the Garantme Eligibility Certificate (ID, academic or professional documents, proof of income). The Visale guarantee is valid for six months for students and apprentices and three months for young workers. It can be combined with various forms of financial assistance, but it does not cover the security deposit, nor does it oblige landlords to accept it.

What about the corporate lease?

When a company is the tenant of an apartment, it is referred to as a corporate lease. Corporate leases are becoming increasingly popular, especially due to their reliability. Here is a list of the documents required to sign a corporate lease:

• The K-BIS (which is a document attesting to the legal existence of a company in France). For foreign companies, an official certificate of registration will be requested.
• Passport of the tenant and of the person whose name is on the K-BIS and who signs the lease contract (especially if they are not the same person).
• Power of attorney (for the company representative signing the lease contract if the person signing the contract is not listed on the KBIS)
• Letter from the employer (indicating the employee's mission in France)
• Last two balance sheets or tax returns (in order to analyze the company's financial health)
• Company bank details (also called “RIB” in French)

Note that a guarantor may be required if all conditions are not met.

Finally, pay attention to the way you submit your application! It must be submitted in digital format, and you can earn points if the documents are presented in a coherent order. We also recommend that you use a PDF format, which can be easily downloaded and forwarded to the landlord.

Different types of leases

Last but not least, it is essential to identify the different types of lease contracts that exist on the market.

1. Primary residence lease

The principal residence lease is the most commonly signed type of lease contract. It is ideal for anyone looking to rent an apartment as their permanent residence for a fixed period of time.

Primary residence leases are regulated by the French Alur law, which aims to guarantee a high level of transparency and sets limits in terms of agency fees. In accordance with these provisions, estate agencies are required to apply a fixed fee of €12 per square meter to be paid by the tenant. For example, if Book A Flat rents a 40m² apartment for €1,500 incl. VAT, the agency fee paid by the tenant would amount to 40x12 = €480 incl. VAT.

2. Secondary residence lease

A secondary residence lease corresponds to the rental of a residence in addition to one's primary residence. The rented property is also called a pied-à-terre. This type of apartment is particularly demanded by professionals who organize regular business trips in a specific geographical area.

3. Corporate lease

Corporate leases are becoming increasingly popular in the rental market as more and more companies are looking to rent accommodation in the name of their brand for exclusive use by the company or its employees.

Corporate leases covered 18% of Book-A-Flat rentals in the first half of the year, and up to 57% (of the corporate leases) for apartments with three or more bedrooms!

4. What do landlords want?

Most landlords accept all three types of leases. However, some landlords only accept secondary and corporate leases which are regulated by the French Code Civil. The reasons for this are as follows:

• Landlord rental fees: they are much lower for civil code leases than for principal residence leases.
• Contract clauses: they are more flexible than those for principal residences.
• Rent regulation: if rents are regulated by the Alur law for primary residence leases, it does not apply to secondary and corporate leases that are regulated by the French Civil Code.

Let us recap. When renting an apartment in Paris, we strongly advise you to focus on preparing a self introduction and putting together a complete file. Make sure you also provide a telephone number by which you can be easily reached, because once you have submitted your dossier, you really have to be reactive to anticipate what is going to happen next (signing the lease contract, paying the agency fees, rent, security deposit and Garantme fees if applicable, acquiring a home insurance policy, etc.). For international candidates, WhatsApp will be your best ally to facilitate exchanges between all the parties involved in the rental process!

Article publié le 01/09/2023, rédigé par Alexandre Couronne