Your rental dossier : Urban Index

During the process of applying to be a landlord’s next tenant, you will be asked to submit your dossier. Your dossier is designed to give all the information about you in a select few documents, which will confirm if you are legally able to become a tenant and in the position to finance your tenancy.

What is a Dossier?

A dossier is a collection of documents about yourself and your personal situation. It covers everything from your finances to your employment and rental history, and any contingencies your landlord must know about you.

What do you need for a Dossier?

The most commonly requested documents are the following:

ID / Passport
Job Contract
Last 3 payslips
Last year’s tax return
Bank Account number
Guarantor(s)
Last 3 rent receipts

Good to have for a Dossier:

CDI
Earn 3x the rent

Good to know: Normally, once successfully catching a landlord’s attention, these documents will be requested, however in highly competitive areas such as metropolitan Paris it is a good idea to send the documents directly with the first application – apartments can be rented in the space of 30 minutes so you want to be quick.

Let’s break it down:

Document	Purpose	Good to Know	????
ID / Passport	To verify your identity.		Make sure it’s valid!
Job Contract	To prove you are employed, what type of contract you have and your income.	Landlords prefer having tenants with a CDI and that you have passed your probation period. They also prefer if you earn 3x the rental amount.
Last 3 Payslips	To prove you have an active income.		Your payslips should be consecutive and consistent.
Last year’s tax return	To prove you are following the law and paying your taxes.		If you have not paid your taxes yet, proof of having a tax ID number should be enough.
Bank Account Number (RIB)	To prove you have a bank account and the means to transfer the rent.		Some landlords verify with the bank if you are a reliable customer.
Guarantor(s)	To cover the rent if you are not able to.	Some landlords request that the guarantor has a French bank account. Also be aware that your guarantors will need to provide all these documents to the landlord.	If you don’t have a guarantor you can explore options such as the Visale (scroll down) or paid services such as https://garantme .fr/en
Last 3 rent receipts	Proof that you have been a paying tenant.		This is not a common request, you can negotiate this.

How do I create a Dossier?

You can use Microsoft Word or Google Sheets, however my preferred method of sending my dossier is using Dossier Facile – not only do they check that I have the correct documents, but also watermark them, so potentially rogue landlords or criminals who just want access to your private information cannot steal it. It’s also completely free to use.

The alternative is to submit a file with paper copies of all your documents directly to the landlord, or in digital form as email attachment or with a WeTransfer file.

I don’t have a Guarantor

This is a big topic, especially for foreigners moving to France. You have several options, the most sought after guarantor is a French citizen who earns 4x the amount of your rent, with a bank account in France, preferably related to you.

Nothing in the law says that the garant must be a family member, own property in France or anything. The garant can be a person (friend, family), a company, or even the State.

It’s reassuring for a landlord to have the parents of the tenant as garant. That’s why most of the garant are family members and the landlords will mainly contemplate familt members as garants.

Other options are using a company such as Garantme to pay them to act as your Guarantor. It’s easy to sign up and depending on your rent, you’re looking at 200€ – 500€ a year for their services.If you have no funds or connections and are under 30 years old, there is the Visale. The Visale is a free service by Action Logement for young people in France who do not have a guarantor. Simply visit their website and see if you are eligible, if you are, apply and get confirmed in sometimes less than 15 minutes – it’s very easy and can be a lifesaver for some.

Fun Legal Facts:

Sometimes the listings you apply to are fake, to collect personal data such as the contents of a dossier – protect yourself by using watermarks and keeping track of where and to whom you send your info. Here are the documents a potential landlord CAN NOT ask you for by law since June 6th 1989 and January 17th 2002:

A copy of your Carte Vitale
A copy of your bank account
Any documentation relating to your bank account status
Any documentation relating to your loans
A direct debit authorisation
Your marriage contract or PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) contract
Your medical file
Your criminal background

Your rental dossier