The rental dossier in Paris: what landlords can ask for, guarantors and Visale

In Paris, apartments don't go to the first person who calls. They go to the strongest dossier, and that usually means French paperwork and a French guarantor that most new arrivals don't have.

The short version

• The document list is set by law. A 2015 decree lists what a landlord or agency may ask a tenant and a guarantor for, and they can't demand anything else [1].
• Everything has to be in French, in euros. Copies must be written in or translated into French, with amounts converted to euros [1]. That includes your US pay stubs and tax return.
• Visale is a free guarantee from Action Logement, mainly for people under 30 and for private-sector employees who've just been hired or transferred [2].
• Paid guarantor services exist, such as Garantme and Cautioneo, which charge the tenant a yearly fee [4][5].
• No money before the lease. A landlord can't charge you anything before you sign, not even to "hold" the apartment [1].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1163).

Why the dossier matters so much

Back home, a landlord runs a credit check and maybe calls your employer. In Paris, there's no credit score to check, demand is fierce, and French law makes it slow and hard to evict a tenant who stops paying. So landlords lean on paperwork: proof of stable income, often a solid multiple of the rent, and a garant (guarantor) who lives in France and earns enough to cover you if you don't pay.

That's where Americans hit a wall. Your parents in Ohio don't count for most landlords, and your US salary history is hard for an agency to read. The fix is to build a dossier that looks as French as possible and to bring a guarantee the landlord trusts.

What a landlord can legally ask for

The list comes from Decree No. 2015-1437 of November 5, 2015 [1]. Service-Public sums it up bluntly: there's a list of authorized documents, and the landlord is forbidden from demanding others [1].

From you, the tenant

From your guarantor

A guarantor who's a person provides ID, proof of address, and proof of work and income, such as their last three pay slips [1]. If the guarantor is a company, it shows a Kbis extract or articles under three months old plus the representative's ID [1]. If your guarantee is Visale, the only document the landlord gets is the Visale certificate (visa) [1].

What they can't ask for

Anything not on the list is out, which rules out the usual overreach: bank statements, a copy of your carte Vitale, a photo, a "deposit" check to reserve the place, and so on. A landlord who demands an unauthorized document risks a fine of up to EUR 3,000 (about USD 3,349), or EUR 15,000 (about USD 16,745) for a company [1]. Plenty still ask. You can politely say no, but in a tight market that may cost you the apartment. Pick your battles.

The security deposit is capped too: one month's rent excluding charges for an unfurnished apartment and two months for a furnished one [3].

Proving US income

This is the tricky part for Americans. The law says copies must be in French with amounts in euros [1], so plan ahead:

1. Pay stubs: your last three, with a French translation and the euro equivalent. If you've just moved with a French employer, a signed French contrat de travail and an employer letter carry more weight than anything from home.
2. Tax notice: in your first year you won't have a French avis d'imposition. Your last IRS return or an IRS tax transcript is the closest equivalent; have it translated.
3. Remote work or self-employment: a letter from your US employer or clients, plus your US return, translated.
4. Retirees and visitors: proof of pension and Social Security income, and statements showing regular payments, translated.

A sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) costs more but is hard to argue with. For pay slips, a clear, consistent translation is often enough. Put it all in one PDF.

Service-Public points to DossierFacile, a free government site where you upload your documents once and share a verified link with landlords [1].

Visale: the free guarantee

Visale is run by Action Logement and is free for the tenant [2]. It covers unpaid rent and charges, and some rental damage, so the landlord doesn't need a personal guarantor [2].

Who qualifies in Paris and the Île-de-France

Service-Public's page lists these main groups for the Île-de-France region [2]:

Visale can cover up to 36 months of unpaid rent in the first three years for most private rentals [2]. After three years, you need to ask again [2].

Service-Public's summary doesn't spell out nationality or residence-permit rules, so run Action Logement's eligibility simulator with your own details before you count on it [6]. For Americans, the strongest cases are people under 30 and anyone just hired by a French private-sector employer.

How it works

1. Apply before you sign the lease [2]. Create an account on visale.fr and upload your documents.
2. Get your visa. Action Logement issues it within a few business days [2].
3. Send it to the landlord, who creates an account, enters the visa number and validates the guarantee [2].
4. Sign the lease.

One catch: the landlord has to accept Visale. Some still prefer a personal guarantor, so mention it up front.

Paid guarantor services

If you don't qualify for Visale and don't have a French guarantor, private companies will act as your guarantor for a fee. Two we checked:

• Garantme acts as a guarantor for tenants without one, with a fee renewed each year at lease signing [4].
• Cautioneo offers a tenant guarantee at 4.1% of the rent including charges, plus EUR 12 (about USD 13) a year in brokerage fees, with a lower rate for students and civil servants [5].

The tenant pays, not the landlord. Each service sets its own eligibility rules, and neither homepage says how it treats foreign income, so ask before you pay. Some landlords accept these services, others don't. This is a market of private companies, and we're not recommending one over another.

Other options

• A bank guarantee: some French banks will block a sum (often several months' rent) in an account as a guarantee. It ties up cash but works.
• Your employer: larger companies sometimes guarantee leases for staff they relocate. Ask HR.
• Pay several months up front: some private landlords accept it. It isn't a guarantee under the law, and it's a lot of money to hand over, so get everything in writing.
• Furnished short-term rentals and a bail mobilité: easier to land while you build a French paper trail, and a bail mobilité allows no deposit at all [3].

Lining up a guarantor is one of the most common questions in our community group for Americans in France. Housing law is general information here; a French lawyer or your local ADIL can check your situation.

Sources

1. Service-Public: documents a landlord can ask a tenant and a guarantor for (in French)
2. Service-Public: the Visale guarantee (in French)
3. Service-Public: security deposits in a residential lease (in French)
4. Garantme: official site (in French)
5. Cautioneo: official site (in French)
6. Service-Public: test your Visale eligibility (in French)

Keep reading

• Renting in Paris
• Banking in France as an American
• Cost of living in Paris
• Keeping a US bank account and US address