Finding a flat in Paris – dossier, guarantor, Visale and rent control

Documents you need

• One identity document

  required

• Employment contract or employer certificate

  required

• Last three payslips or other proof of income

  required

• Latest tax notice (French or foreign)

  optional

• Proof of current address (e.g. rent receipts or hosting certificate)

  required

• Home insurance certificate (when you move in)

  required

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Set your budget and area

   Compare adverts on the rent including charges (charges comprises, CC), not only the basic rent (hors charges, HC), and add electricity, internet and home insurance. Landlords and guarantors often look at whether your income is comfortably above the rent; keep a margin. Check commuting times, since one monthly Navigo pass covers the whole region.

2. 2

   Step 2: Prepare your dossier within the legal list

   A landlord or agency may only ask for documents on an official list. For you this means one identity document (a foreign passport or ID card with photo is accepted), one proof of current address, proof of your professional situation (employment contract or employer certificate, or a student card) and proof of income (for example your last three payslips, your latest French or foreign tax notice, or a CAF housing aid simulation). Copies are fine, but they must be in French or translated, with amounts converted into euros. Bank statements, a photo or a certificate of good account management may not be requested; asking for documents outside the list can cost the landlord a fine of up to €3,000 (€15,000 for a company).

   The state service DossierFacile lets you build a verified digital dossier to share by link, and FiligraneFacile adds a watermark (recipient, purpose, date) to any copy you send.

3. 3

   Step 3: Line up a guarantee

   Many landlords want a guarantor (garant, a person who agrees to pay if you do not) or an institutional guarantee. A personal guarantor provides a similar but separate list of documents. Without one, check Visale, a free guarantee from Action Logement covering unpaid rent and damage. In 2026, tenants under 30 generally qualify, as do private-sector employees aged 30 or over who apply within six months of being hired, or who earn up to €1,710 net a month. In Île-de-France the rent must not exceed €1,940 (€1,000 for students without proof of income). You request a Visale "visa" on visale.fr before you sign; the landlord then accepts the guarantee on the same site.

   For the deposit itself, eligible employees and young people can ask Action Logement for the Avance Loca-Pass, an interest-free loan of up to €1,200, repaid over up to 25 months.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check the rent against Paris rent control

   For a lease signed or renewed in Paris since July 2019, the basic rent excluding charges may not exceed the increased reference rent (loyer de référence majoré) for that type of home, unless a justified rent supplement applies. The lease and the advert must show these amounts. Use the City of Paris rent check tool or the simulator on Service-Public.fr. A supplement is forbidden since August 2022 if the flat has, for example, toilets on the landing or an energy rating (DPE) of F or G.

   Deadline: the current scheme covers leases signed up to 24 November 2026. An extension was under discussion in Parliament in October 2026 but had not been adopted; check Service-Public.fr or ADIL 75 if you sign after that date. Separately, because Paris is a tight market, the rent for a new tenant generally cannot exceed the previous tenant's rent for leases signed until 31 July 2027, with some exceptions.

5. 5

   Step 5: Know the limits on money you pay

   No money can be demanded before the lease is signed, and "reservation fees" are not allowed. The deposit (dépôt de garantie) is capped at one month's rent excluding charges for an unfurnished flat and two months for a furnished one, and is forbidden for a bail mobilité. Agency fees for visits, the dossier and the lease are shared with the landlord, and the tenant's share is capped; Paris is in the "very tight" zone (zone très tendue), where the cap is €12.10 per m², plus €3.03 per m² for the move-in inspection (amounts on Service-Public.fr, checked January 2026). The agency cannot charge you for the move-out inspection.

6. 6

   Step 6: Visit and protect yourself from scams

   Visit in person or send someone you trust. Be suspicious of a landlord who cannot meet you, a rent well below the area, requests to pay by money transfer service or to a foreign account, or a request for your full dossier before any visit. Ask for proof that the person owns the flat or is mandated by the owner, and check that the landlord named in the lease matches the bank account you pay. See the rental scams guide for warning signs and what to do if something goes wrong.

7. 7

   Step 7: Choose the right lease

   An unfurnished lease (location vide) runs for at least three years, save special cases, and a furnished lease (location meublée) for at least one year (nine months for a student); both can be renewed. A bail mobilité is a furnished lease of one to ten months for people in temporary situations such as students, trainees or employees on assignment; it cannot be renewed and the landlord may not ask for a deposit. Leases signed from 1 October 2026 follow updated official models. Service-Public.fr has an official comparison of the three lease types.

8. 8

   Step 8: Sign, inspect, insure and set up the home

   Read the lease and its annexes (energy and safety diagnostics), check that rent and reference rents are stated, and complete a detailed move-in inspection (état des lieux d'entrée) with photos and meter readings; you have ten days to add defects you notice later. Before you get the keys, take out home insurance covering at least fire, water damage and explosion; tenants are legally required to have it. Then open an electricity contract, order internet and apply for housing aid in the same month, because it is not backdated.

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Sending documents that are not on the legal list, such as bank statements; you do not have to.
• Sending unwatermarked copies of your passport and payslips to unverified advertisers.
• Forgetting to apply for housing aid straight after moving in; it is not backdated.
• Not checking the reference rent before signing, then having to contest it afterwards.

Tips

• ADIL 75 gives free, neutral advice from housing lawyers on leases, rent control and deposits, by appointment.
• If you think your rent breaks rent control, you can report it to the City of Paris or go to the conciliation commission; a rent supplement must be contested within three months of signing.
• Keep your dossier ready as a single shareable link and answer adverts quickly; good flats often go within days.
• City of Paris housing aids, such as Paris Logement, usually require several years of residence in Paris, so newcomers rely mainly on CAF housing aid at first.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Build your rental dossierAdd to plan
• Sign your lease and insure your homeAdd to plan
• Request a Visale guarantee if you have no guarantorAdd to plan
• Shortlist the areas of Paris and the inner suburbs that suit youAdd to plan
• Gather and translate your work and housing documentsAdd to plan
• Estimate your Paris budget, including move-in costsAdd to plan
• Apply for student housing earlyAdd to plan
• Book somewhere to stay for your first weeksAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 6 Dec 2026.