Renting a home in France: the papers a landlord may ask for
The list is closed. Before the lease, a private landlord may require from you, and from your guarantor, only the papers on the list set by decree. A landlord who asks for others can be fined by the préfet: up to €3,000 for a person, €15,000 for a company. The papers may be copies; the landlord may ask to see the originals.
What the official texts say, for information; not legal advice.
From you, the candidate tenant
Identity · one, valid, with a photo
- ID card, French or foreign
- passport, French or foreign
- driving licence, French or foreign
- if you are a foreign national, a residence permit or EU/EEA residence card
Home address · only one
- your last three rent receipts, or else the previous landlord's statement that rent is paid up
- a certificate of postal address from an approved body
- your host's sworn statement that you live with them
- the last property tax notice, or else the title deed of the main home
Work or studies · one or more
- employment or internship contract, or else the employer's statement (job, pay, start date, trial period)
- for a business: company register extract (K or K bis) or national business register record, under three months old
- for the self-employed: the INSEE identification certificate or the professional card
- any recent paper proving the work, for other professionals
- student card or certificate of enrolment for the current year
Income · one or more
- the last or second-to-last income tax notice (or the foreign equivalent)
- the last three payslips
- proof of internship pay
- for the self-employed: the last two balance sheets, or an accountant's statement of income
- proof of benefits, pensions or allowances for the last three months
- a housing-aid estimate
- a study grant notice
- a title deed or the last property tax notice
- proof of income from property, life annuities or securities
From your guarantor (a person)
Identity · one, valid, with a photo
- ID card, passport or driving licence, French or foreign
Home address · only one
- the last rent receipt
- a water, gas or electricity bill under three months old
- a home insurance certificate under three months old
- the last property tax notice, or else the title deed
Work · one or more
- the same papers as yours, without the student card
Income · one or more
- the last income tax notice
- the last three payslips
- a title deed or the last property tax notice
- for the self-employed: the last two balance sheets, or an accountant's statement of income
- proof of benefits, pensions or allowances for the last three months
- proof of income from property, life annuities or securities
What may not be required
- any paper that is not on the list above: for example a bank statement, a photo of you, a medical file or a criminal record extract
Le propriétaire a interdiction d’en exiger d’autres.
- that your parent or child co-sign
ne peut imposer la cosignature d’un ascendant ou d’un descendant du candidat
Sources
- Décret n° 2015-1437 du 5 novembre 2015, annexes I et II (consolidées) · last amended on 1 January 2023 (décret n° 2022-1014)
- Loi n° 89-462 du 6 juillet 1989, article 22-2 · in force since 27 March 2014 (loi n° 2014-366)
- Service-public.gouv.fr, « Futur locataire d’un logement privé : justificatifs à donner au propriétaire » · page checked on 10 April 2025
Checked on 19 October 2026.
Make a safe copy of your ID, marked for one landlord
Need these papers from someone? Colshare, coming to Android, sends this list as an ask link: they add photos or PDFs in their browser, and only your phone can open them. See how it works