Who is a guarantor in France and how to rent an apartment in Paris without a French guarantor
LetFlat / Rills OÜPublished 2026-07-12Updated 2026-07-12
Anyone who tried to rent a home in France was faced with a strict requirement from landlords to provide a Garant (guarantor). For foreigners and expats, this becomes a major barrier. In this article, we will look in detail at why owners are so obsessed with guarantees, what alternatives exist like the Visale system or bank collateral, and how to rent an apartment in Paris without a guarantor from French relatives, using the right search strategy.
Why do they require a guarantor in France?
French law protects the rights of tenants very strictly. Evicting a person who has stopped paying rent (especially in the winter - winter season) is legally extremely difficult and time-consuming. To protect themselves, the owners require that a person permanently residing in France and earning 3-4 times the rental price vouch for you. But what if you just moved?
How to rent an apartment in Paris without a guarantor: Working alternatives
If you do not have a French guarantor, this does not mean that long-term rental housing in Paris is closed to you. Here are three official ways to solve the problem:
Government Visale system (for youth and expats):
1. This is a free government program, where France itself acts as a guarantor to the owner. You can apply online before arriving in the country.
Commercial guarantors (Garantme, Unkle, etc.):
2. Private companies that, for a small percentage of the rental price (usually 3.5–4.5% of the annual amount), issue you a guarantor certificate, which real estate agencies readily accept.
3. Bank guarantee (Caution bancaire):
You block the rental amount for 6–12 months in a special account in a French bank. The owner is calm, but this method requires a lot of free funds at the start.
Smart search with LetFlat.net
When the issue of finding an alternative guarantor has been resolved, it is critically important to quickly find an apartment while the certificate or letter of guarantee is valid. With long-term apartment rentals in Paris resembling an auction, speed is of the essence.
The LetFlat.net platform was created to speed up and simplify this process as much as possible:
- All offers in one place: We aggregate current advertisements so that you do not waste time manually monitoring dozens of French sites.
- Smart filters: Customize your search to fit your parameters and select only those options that suit your budget and conditions.
- Information support: Our blog helps you understand all the intricacies of French bureaucracy so that you communicate with landlords in the same language.