When you rent in Paris, the landlord or the agency decides who gets the flat, and they choose among many applications. A complete, well-organised file is the first thing that makes a difference. When you arrive from abroad, the question I hear most is: “What exactly do they have the right to ask me for?”
Here is what the law allows, and where newcomers most often get stuck.
The list is fixed by law
For a main-residence lease under the 1989 law, a landlord or an agency may only ask for the documents listed in a decree of 2015 (décret n° 2015-1437). No other document can be required. For example, a landlord cannot ask for a criminal record extract or a full bank statement. A landlord who asks for a document that is not on the list risks a fine of up to €3,000 for an individual and €15,000 for a company (source: ADIL, based on Service-Public).
The same source adds two rules worth knowing: no money can be requested to reserve a flat before the lease is signed, and the landlord may ask to see the original of a document, not only a copy.
The four things they can check
The documents fall into four categories: your identity, your address, your professional situation and your income. For each category you provide one or more documents from the official list (same ADIL source, quoting Service-Public):
- Identity (one document): identity card, passport, driving licence, or a residence permit or EU/EEA card.
- Address (one document): your last three rent receipts, a declaration by the person hosting you, a certificate of domicile, or the last property tax notice if you own.
- Professional situation (one or more): employment contract or internship agreement, or any recent document proving your activity; a company registration extract if you are self-employed; a student card or school certificate for the current year.
- Income (one or more): the last or second-to-last tax notice, your last three payslips, the last two balance sheets if you are self-employed, proof of pensions or benefits received over the last three months, or other documents from the list.
Where newcomers get stuck
The list tells you which categories of documents a landlord may ask for. It does not describe every foreign situation, so here is my own advice from the files I handle:
- Foreign documents. The law does not list special rules for documents issued abroad. I suggest preparing a short summary in French next to the originals, so that the person reading your file can understand it quickly.
- Not yet in France. You may have no French tax notice and no recent French payslip yet. An employment contract and your most recent payslips from abroad are the natural documents to show your job and your income.
- Proof of address. In my experience, a recent electricity or internet bill, less than three months old, is often enough. The decree lists other options (see above); this is simply what I see work most often.
- Protect your documents with a watermark. I advise adding a watermark to every document, stating that it may only be used for a housing application. If a copy ends up in the wrong hands, it cannot easily be reused for anything else. DossierFacile also applies a watermark (see below).
- The guarantor. Many landlords also ask for a guarantor. This is a separate topic, which I explain in my guide on renting without a French guarantor.
When the list does not apply
The decree covers leases of a main residence governed by the law of 6 July 1989 (source: ANIL). Some leases fall outside that law and are governed by the Civil Code instead, a second home for example. In that case the list does not bind the landlord, and the documents requested can be different. For instance, for a lease signed by a couple, you may be asked for your marriage certificate. If this is your situation, ask which documents are needed before you send anything, and keep your originals.
DossierFacile, a free tool by the State
DossierFacile is a free service created by the French State. You upload your documents once, they are checked by State agents, a watermark protects your data, and you share the file with a secure link or a PDF (source: ADIL, above). Many agencies accept it, but not all, so keep your documents ready in both formats.
How I work on a file
When I look for a flat for a client, the file is part of the work:
- I check that every document matches the legal list, so nothing unnecessary is sent.
- I organise the file in the order agents read it, and I present it to the landlord or the agency.
- I answer questions from the agent in French, so you do not lose a flat because of a missing e-mail.
A simple checklist
- One identity document, scanned and readable.
- One proof of address (an electricity or internet bill under three months old is often enough).
- Your employment contract or other proof of activity.
- Income: payslips, tax notice or equivalent.
- A short summary in French of the foreign documents.
- Your guarantor’s documents, if you have one.
- A watermark on every document: “for housing application only”.
- Do not pay anything to “reserve” a flat before the lease is signed.
Rules summarised from an ADIL page published on 19 June 2026, itself based on Service-Public, and consulted in October 2026. Texts can change; check the current version.
Moving to Paris and want your file presented properly? Book a free 30-minute call and tell me about your situation.