Visale is a free rental guarantee service in France, provided by Action Logement, that acts as a guarantor for tenants to secure housing. It covers unpaid rent and property damage for landlords, making it easier for tenants, especially young people (18–30) or those with unstable employment, to rent without needing a personal guarantor. It applies to primary residences with rent up to €1,500 (Île-de-France) or €1,300 (elsewhere) and is valid for the lease duration (up to 3 years for furnished rentals).
1. Criteria to Check If You Are Qualified
- Age 18–30 (any professional status)
- Over 30: a private-sector employee hired within 6 months, seasonal workers, or self-employed
- With net income < €1,500/month
- Housing is primary residence in France (mainland or overseas territories)
- Rent (including charges): ≤€1,500 (Île-de-France) or ≤€1,300 (elsewhere)
- Lease not signed with family members (grandparent, parent, child)
- No other rental guarantee (e.g., personal guarantor or GLI)
- For shared housing: Individualized lease required
2. Documents You Need to Prepare
- Valid ID (passport, identity card, or residence permit)
- Proof of income (e.g., payslips, scholarship letter, or employment contracts)
- For students: School enrollment certificate or student card
- For employees: Employment contract or promise of employment
- For non-EU students: Long-stay visa (VLS-TS) or residence permit
- A tax notice or tax identification number
- Proof of accommodation (if already found, e.g., lease draft or landlord details)
- Translated documents if non-French (by a sworn translator)
3. Website to Submit
- Go to visale.fr to create an account
- Complete the questionnaire and upload documents
- For the “Civil Status” Section, if you are not a resident of the EU, and you have a VLS-TS visa, you select “Outside the EU with a valid residence permit.”
- For the question “Applicant’s tax regime,” you should answer “Yes” if you stay more than 180 days in France, even if you don’t have income.
4. Processing Time
- Application review: 2–15 working days
- Visa certificate issuance: Within 2–15 days if approved
- Lease must be signed within 3 months of visa issuance
5. Next Steps
- Receive Visale visa certificate by email or SMS
- Download the visa (this is not your French visa) from visale.fr account
- Present visa to landlord before signing lease
- Landlord creates visale.fr account and validates guarantee contract
- Sign lease within 3 months of visa issuance
Garantme – Alternative to Visale
Visale requires proof of income. Bank statements alone are generally not considered sufficient evidence of financial resources. In addition, some visa types (such as the VLS-TS visiteur) are not explicitly listed as eligible unless they are linked to specific employment or income.
An alternative option is Garantme, a private, paid guarantee service in France. It is generally more flexible than Visale during the application process and is particularly suitable for international tenants. It covers unpaid rent and damages up to €36,000 during the lease term. However, it is not as widely accepted by landlords as Visale.