To rent private housing in France, it is essential to have a guarantor (un garant in French). Its role is to reassure landlords about your ability to pay your rent every month.
Usually, landlords require a guarantor that lives in France and earns at least 3 times the rent amount. But what can you do if you do not know anyone ? Here are our tips to find student housing without a local French guarantor.
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Use Visale as a guarantor
If you’re between 18 and 30 years old and if your monthly rent is less than 600€ (or 800€ in Ile-de-France), you can benefit from the Visale service, which is provided by the French governement.
What is Visale, you ask? Well, It’s a service that acts as a guarantor and commits to paying your rent if for any reason you are not able to pay anymore. By reassuring tenants, the service helps young people find an apartment easier when they don’t have a lot of resources.
⚙️ How you can apply for Visale?
- First, you need to fill out an online form and provide the required paperwork (outlined below)
- Receive written proof that VISALE can be your guarantor
- Look for a flat. You can show potential landlords the written document in order to prove VISALE can be your guarantor.
- When you find a flat, the landlord will just need to register and create an account in order to activate the service.
💸 Price : Free
🧾 Paperwork required : 2 pieces of ID (eg : passport & identity card), Visa, proof of school enrollment, proof of income for you and for your legal guardian (more details here)
👍 Pros :
- The service is completely free.
- The fact that the French government provides the service gives it extra credibility.
👎 Cons :
- The application is only available in French.
- After 3 years, the service will no longer act as a guarantor for you.
- You can not get any flat you want with VISALE because of the rent limit. However, you can get this limit waived if you can prove that you have more than 1200€ to live each month (1600€ in Île-de-France). If your parents support you financially, it also counts.
💻 Website : www.visale.fr
Use Garantme as a guarantor
Like Visale, GarantMe is a service that acts as a guarantor and commits to paying your rent if for any reason you are not able to pay anymore.
The main difference? Unlike Visale, GarantMe is a private company, not a service provided by the government, and for this reason, it is not free.
How you can apply for GarantMe?
- First, you need to fill out an online form and provide the required paperwork (outlined below)
- Receive written proof that GarantMe can be your guarantor
- Look for a flat. You can show potential landlords the written document in order to prove that you have a guarantor
- When you find a flat, you’ll receive a secure payment link by email to activate the service. As soon as you pay, GarantMe automatically sends your landlord a confirmation.
Price : 3,5% of rent
Paperwork required : Visa, ID, proof of school enrollment, proof of income for you and for your legal guardian (more details here)
Pros :
- You do not have to pay upfront
- The service and customer support is available in English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese & French.
- They accept foreign documents.
- GarantMe has partnerships with several student residences & several agencies such as Campusea, Adele, ParisAttitude…
Cons :
- The service is not free.
- Not all landlords use the service.
Website : garantme.fr
Use Unkle as a guarantor
Like GarantMe, Unkle is an online guarantor service, and it works pretty much the same way.
Price : 3,5% of rent
Paperwork required : ID (identity card or passport), employment contract or proof of income.
If you are student with few resources, you can also provide information about your parents’ financial situation, as it will strengthen your application. (more details here)
Pros :
- You do not have to pay upfront;
- The service and customer support is available in English & French
- Documents in English are accepted
Cons :
- The service is not free.
- Not all landlords use the service.
Website : unkle.fr
