Renting a Property in France: A Comprehensive Guide for Expats
Beautiful French House in Rural France
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on renting property in France! Discover the unique requirements of French landlords, essential documents like proof of income and residency, and the significance of crafting a personalised French letter. Navigate the complexities of securing a guarantor and opening a French bank account with ease. Explore popular rental listing platforms and understand the legal disparities between furnished and unfurnished apartments. Gain insights into French rental laws, including tenant protections and landlord obligations.
Renting a property in France
There is no credit system in France, so in effect landlords are judging a candidate’s ability to pay based on income. This means there is a long list of documents that potential candidates will be asked to submit for verification of resources.
You should have your dossier (meaning “paperwork file”) ready to submit, as soon as you find an apartment you are interested in.
The documents in your dossier should include:
Passports Residency or Visa Marriage certificate
Current proof of residence Letter of employment in France Payslips for the past 3 months
Personal income tax returns for 2-3 years Savings, investments, cash accounts in France
Prior rental payment slips
Guarantor attestation (explained below) French bank account IBAN
Current rental insurance attestation
Some rental agencies will ask for your dossier even before you have viewed the apartment to save time and weed out candidates.
Note, a driver’s license is not considered a valid form of ID in France, because in France the driver’s licenses don’t renew. France is moving to a new drivers’ license system, but for now most French people still have the same driver’s license they got when they were 18!
If you are not comfortable sending all that information, I would suggest preparing a one-page summary of the information, crossing out any sensitive information. So, for example, you can just note that you are an American/British citizen, without actually putting down your passport number. You can note on your summary the list of documents that you have ready, including if things like your your payslips are from France or from a job overseas.
Along with the documents you are willing to provide, write a short letter in French to make yourself more personable to the proprietaires (owners). This will also show your motivation in getting that apartment and put into context what documents you are providing.
In your letter, you should include:
Number of occupants
Approximate ages of everyone in the family
Marital status
Duration of lease you are looking for Profession and origin of revenues
Work contract and payslips
If you are working in France, most landlords look for a work contract that is a CDI (contrat à durée indéterminée). That is to say, a work contract proving that you are hired indefinitely, along with whether you are within your trial period.
As difficult as it is to kick a tenant out in France, it is also challenging to fire someone with a CDI after the trial period. So, this is why French landlords want someone on a CDI who has finished their période d’essai.
In addition, landlords are also looking for candidates who make a salary that is at least three times the rental charge. You may have to revise that downwards if you previously fixed your rental budget higher than 1/3 of your salary.
If you are not working or are still within your trial period at work, you must provide evidence of other sources of income such as investment income, pensions, savings, etc.
Getting a guarantor
If your income is below three times the rent, and even above, the landlord may require a guarantor to guarantee payment if the tenant has difficulty. Known as a caution solidaire, it is a legal document where a guarantor agrees to pay your rent if you default. Landlords usually want a guarantor who lives in France and, even better, a secondary guarantor.
The guarantor must also make 3x of the rent and provide their IDs, payslips, and recent tax declarations. If you do not have a guarantor in France, you can try one of the following insurance
companies that offer rental guarantees for a fee:
If you are in France on an expatriate work contract, you could also ask your company to provide the guarantee. If you are not eligible for any of the above, landlords will ask for 6-12 months of rent to be put in a bank guarantee deposit in a caution bancaire under certain circumstances.
Opening a bank account
For newcomers to France, one of the big conundrums of renting an apartment is that you can only open a bank account if you have proof of residence, and you can only rent an apartment if you have a local bank account. The chicken and egg conundrum, indeed. Welcome to the world of the Justificatif de Domicile. A Justificatif de Domicile is regularly required in France to get a visa, open a bank account, renew, get an apartment, get a telephone (cell or landline) to enter your kids into school, etc. It is one of the most valuable French documents in your arsenal.
Now, if you are preparing your dossier for a rental, you will not be asked for a justificative de domicile, but you will be asked for a French bank account. In this case, you must get your company or a friend to provide you with an attestation de herbegement to open a bank account in France. In addition, since this document is important, ensure that any apartment you get comes with a rental contract and is not a sublease under the table.
You can get a justificatif de domicile from your local electricity company (EDF) for all your other administrative tasks.
Where to search for apartment listings
In France, there is no centralized system of real estate listings, like the MLS in the U.S., So you have to look around a bit to find listings you can visit.
The leading websites to search for rental apartments are:
Seloger.com – listings by real estate agents
Pap.fr – listings direct by owner Leboncoin.com – the French version of Craigslist
Lodgis – a large real estate agency dealing with foreigners.
FUSAC – for listings in English for foreigners
Appartager.com – for apartments with roommates
Studapart.com – for students
Cité Université listings – for foreign students
The two most significant listing services are Seloger and PAP.
Furnished vs unfurnished
The legal protections are different for unfurnished apartments vs furnished for both the renter and the landlord. The unfurnished apartment is meant to be a longer-term lease, so the landlord and the renter must give a more extended notice period (usually three months) if they wish to end the lease.
For furnished apartments, the notice is usually one month. There are other minor legal differences, but this is the main one that concerns most people.
Know French rental protection laws
Other laws to keep aware of are:
The landlord cannot insist on automatic withdrawals.
You have the right to do so if you want to pay by cheque or initiate wire transfers.
Payment cannot be demanded at the start of the month; it is usually paid at the end.
The landlord cannot stop you from putting holes in the wall to put up artwork.
If you give proper notice (1-3 months) before breaking the lease, the landlord cannot charge you a "penalty".
The landlord is only allowed to visit the accommodation with your consent.
The landlord cannot stop you from having a pet.
The landlord cannot stop you from having guests over, even if they temporarily live with you.
The landlord has to give appropriate written notice in the designated period before the lease expires (depending on whether it is furnished or unfurnished). The landlord cannot insist on which habitation insurance you take.
In conclusion, renting a property in France presents unique challenges and requirements, but with our guide, you're equipped to navigate them confidently. By understanding the expectations of landlords, assembling a comprehensive dossier, and personalizing your application with a thoughtful French letter, you increase your chances of securing your desired rental. Remember the importance of securing a guarantor if necessary and opening a French bank account to streamline the process. With insights into popular rental listing platforms and knowledge of French rental laws, you're well-prepared to embark on your journey to finding the perfect home in France. Happy renting!