Rental dossier checklist
✓ Last verified 13 August 2026
French law sets an exhaustive list of the documents a landlord or agency may request from a prospective tenant. Anything not on it is prohibited, and asking for it exposes the landlord to a fine of up to €3,000 — €15,000 for a company.
You need one document from each category, not all of them.
Your rental dossier — the documents a landlord may legally ask for
- IDENTITY (one): valid ID card, passport or driving licence — French or foreign — or a residence permit
- PROOF OF ADDRESS (one): three recent rent receipts, a landlord's attestation, a host's attestation d'hébergement, an attestation d'élection de domicile, or a property tax notice or title deed
- PROFESSIONAL STATUS (one or more): employment or internship contract, K/K bis extract, artisan registration, INSEE certificate, professional card, or student card or enrolment certificate
- RESOURCES (one or more): last two tax assessments, three recent payslips, company balance sheets, benefit statements, proof of property income, a housing-aid simulation, or a scholarship notice
- FOREIGN DOCUMENTS must be in French, or translated, with amounts converted to euros
- This list is CLOSED — a landlord asking for anything else risks a fine of up to 3,000 EUR, or 15,000 EUR for a company
Foreign documents are acceptable. They must be in French or translated, with amounts converted to euros.
If you have no French guarantor, the free state-backed Visale guarantee replaces one — and when Action Logement is your guarantor, the visa certificate is the only document the landlord may ask for in their place.
Full context in how to find an apartment in France.