la belle vie Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Am I required to fill in a rental form with all the particulars, income, age, etc., just to view an apartment? The owner has written: "Please send us your complete file before scheduling a visit." Is this normal just to view the property? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Welcome to France !Shocking as it is, especially in the entire Paris region, this is VERY common. I'd say that, for us, about 90% of all owners or agencies wanted a complete dossier just to view a rental. That is a LOT of private detail and we absolutely hated giving it to them. I can assure you that if you don't send all the data - OR - if they don't like what they see, you will never view the rental. I can't tell you how many dossiers we sent and never heard back a word. We were staying well below the 30% threshold of income to rent and have a very strong dossier. If you are looking in the Paris region, good luck. It can be he**.Edit: I should add that if any of your documents are not in French, you will need to have them officially translated as no one would accept our foreign documents (unless the owner spoke and read English). Also, if the owner has an insurance policy (GLI) to cover him in the event of a tenant not paying rent, it is the insurance company that will have to accept your dossier (after the owner sends it to them - if HE was willing). These insurance companies RARELY ever accept any foreign documents - translated or otherwise). Just a warning so you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Also, if the owner has an insurance policy (GLI) to cover him in the event of a tenant not paying rent, it is the insurance company that will have to accept your dossier (after the owner sends it to them - if HE was willing). These insurance companies RARELY ever accept any foreign documents - translated or otherwise). Just a warning so you know.I can add that in some cases such insurances companies are unhappy to accept those whose income is not based in France, since they can't get their hands on it of the tenany doesn't pay...A couple of friends of mine who have a very good income in the UK were refused a rental by the insurance company for that very reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Completing Renter's Form Before Viewing Apartment/House Am I required to fill in a rental form with all the particulars, income, age, etc., just to view an apartment? The owner has written: "Please send us your complete file before scheduling a visit." Is this normal just to view the property? Thanks.Yes, it is normal .. scary, but as others have said you won't get anywhere without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTr@sh Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 If you don't have a permanent employment contract in France, you may sometimes (often...) be asked to provide a guarantor. This can be a problem if you don't happen to have a close friend or relative in France that you can ask to put their money on the line for you. However there are companies that will act for you, for example this onehttps://garantme.fr/en Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Yes, there are several as EuroT says. Be aware though that they too are very picky about the documentation they will accept. And they all charge various fees.Banks also have guarantee accounts for tenants. However, this process can take up to 60 days to complete with your bank and they too are quite picky. This would normally require you to deposit the equivalent of the first year's lease into this "special guarantee account" at your bank. And there are fees for this too. We had started this process with our bank, but ended up finding a landlord who didn't need this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Lori wrote the following post at 17 Sep 2020 11:19:This would normally require you to deposit the equivalent of the first year's lease into this "special guarantee account" at your bank. And there are fees for this too. We had started this process with our bank, but ended up finding a landlord who didn't need this.As we had no French paperwork at all we thought we might have to resort to this but, in the end, found a proprietor who, more or less, took us at our word.This can happen .. but it is extremely rare.We stayed there for 6 years .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la belle vie Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thanks so much Lori. Your information is very helpful. Do you know if renter's insurance is required or even common place? I'll be renting in Morbihan (if that makes a difference). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la belle vie Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thank you Sue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la belle vie Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thank you Norman! Good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la belle vie Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thank you ET. I'll look up the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 Renter's insurance (taken out by the tenant) is required in most all rentals. This is not the same thing as GLI, which is taken out by the owner to cover him/her if the tenant doesn't pay rent. Not sure if you mean GLI or Renter's insurance. Two separate things.Renter's insurance is relatively inexpensive in France. You can get free quotes from all the major companies in France online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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