The gaugeRenting · guarantor
Visale rent guarantee in France: who can get it, the 2026 rent caps and the steps for tenant and landlord
Visale is a free guarantor (caution) from Action Logement: it pays the landlord if rent goes unpaid, then recovers the money from the tenant. It covers tenants aged 18 to 30 inclusive, some employees over 30 and seasonal workers. In 2026, rent including charges cannot exceed €1,940 in Île-de-France, €1,575 in large urban areas and €1,365 elsewhere. The visa is requested before the lease is signed.
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Who can get the Visale guarantee?
Any tenant aged 18 to 30 inclusive, whatever their situation: student, work-study student, employee, civil servant or jobseeker. Over 30, a private-sector employee, farm work included, who applies within 6 months of being hired or transferred, whose job starts within 3 months or who earns at most €1,710 net a month; a seasonal worker; and, at any age, a tenant signing a bail mobilité (Action Logement fiche, January 2026).
Tenant and landlord must not be grandparent, parent or child of each other, and the home must be let under a lease with a termination clause (service-public fiche F33453).
Sources: Action Logement · Service-public F33453
What is the maximum rent for Visale in 2026?
Rent including charges cannot exceed €1,940 in Île-de-France, €1,575 in urban areas of more than 100,000 inhabitants, Corsica, the overseas departments and regions and Saint-Martin, and €1,365 in other towns.
For a student or work-study student, there is no income condition up to €1,000, €840 or €680 depending on these zones; above that, their income must exceed €2,000, €1,680 or €1,360. For other tenants, the rent must not exceed half of the income taken into account (fiche F33453).
Sources: Action Logement · Service-public F33453
What does the Visale guarantee cover?
In the private sector, up to 36 months of unpaid rent and charges during the first 3 years of the lease, and rental damage up to 2 months of the rent and charges in the lease. In social housing, up to 9 months of unpaid rent, housing benefit deducted. For a seasonal worker, 1 to 9 months of unpaid rent, plus 1 month of rent for damage to furniture (Action Logement fiche).
After the first 3 years, a new application is needed to stay covered (fiche F33453).
Sources: Action Logement · Service-public F33453
What happens when rent goes unpaid under Visale?
The landlord reports the arrears online; Action Logement pays the landlord what is due within the guarantee’s limits, then recovers it from the tenant under a repayment schedule, which the tenant can ask to adjust within 2 months of the repayment request (fiche F33453).
If the tenant does not keep to the schedule, Action Logement can ask the court to terminate the lease. Visale does not wipe out the debt: it only changes who is owed.
Source: Service-public F33453
Does your rent fit the Visale guarantee?
Give your profile, the zone, the type of home, the rent including charges and your monthly income: the gauge places the rent against the zone cap and the income test that applies to you. The example: a student in Île-de-France, €1,100 of rent and €2,100 of income.
Fictional example · Visale gauge
Rent accepted: your income exceeds €2,000, the threshold above the student flat amount.
- Zone rent cap
- €1,940
- Flat amount with no income condition
- €1,000
- Income to exceed above it
- €2,000
- Unpaid rent covered
- 36 months over the first 3 years, damage up to 2 months
- €1,000Student flat amount with no income condition
- €1,940Zone rent cap
Action Logement rules of January 2026. The landlord must not be your grandparent, parent or child, and the visa is requested before the lease is signed.
In which order do you request Visale and sign the lease?
Five steps, all online on visale.fr; the request comes before the lease is signed.
The tenant requests the visa
The tenant creates an account on visale.fr and provides supporting documents; a self-employed tenant adds documents specific to the activity.
Action Logement grants the visa
After checking the conditions, within a few working days: the visa proves to the landlord that the tenant is eligible.
The tenant gives the visa to the landlord
The tenant downloads and prints it from the personal account.
The landlord validates the guarantee deed
The landlord creates an account, enters the visa number, the tenant’s name and the home; the deed is generated automatically.
The lease is signed
With Action Logement as guarantor, instead of a private individual.
Which caps apply depending on where the home is?
Three zones, three rent caps, and a flat amount with no income condition for students and work-study students.
| Zone | Maximum rent | Student or work-study student, no income condition | Above that, student income higher than |
|---|---|---|---|
| Île-de-France | €1,940 | €1,000 | €2,000 |
| Urban area of more than 100,000 inhabitants, Corsica, overseas, Saint-Martin | €1,575 | €840 | €1,680 |
| Other towns | €1,365 | €680 | €1,360 |
For other tenants, rent including charges must not exceed half of the income taken into account. Two flatmates can share a visa as soon as one is eligible: their incomes are added together.
Sources: Action Logement · Service-public F33453
What do tenants and landlords ask about Visale?
Does the Visale guarantee cost anything?
No, it is free for both tenant and landlord (fiche F33453). The tenant does, however, have to repay Action Logement whatever it paid to the landlord.
Can the landlord ask for a deposit with Visale?
Yes: the ban on combining of article 22-1 does not cover the security deposit, capped at one month’s rent excluding charges for an unfurnished let (article 22 of the law of 6 July 1989).
Does Visale work for flatshares?
Yes: two flatmates can be covered by the same visa as soon as one of them is eligible, their incomes then being added together. From three, service-public recommends one lease and one visa request per flatmate (fiche F33453).
Why must the lease contain a termination clause?
Visale requires it, and every residential lease must in any case provide for automatic termination for unpaid rent or charges; it only takes effect six weeks after a formal demand to pay has gone unanswered (article 24 of the law of 6 July 1989).
Can you request Visale after signing the lease?
No: the request must be made before the lease is signed, with the landlord validating the guarantee deed before the lease is signed (fiche F33453).
What does article 22-1 of the law of 6 July 1989 say about guarantors?
The text that frames any guarantor of a residential lease, Visale included.
Le cautionnement ne peut pas être demandé, à peine de nullité, par un bailleur qui a souscrit une assurance, ou toute autre forme de garantie, garantissant les obligations locatives du locataire, sauf en cas de logement loué à un étudiant ou un apprenti. Cette disposition ne s’applique pas au dépôt de garantie mentionné à l’article 22.
In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): A guarantee may not be required, on pain of nullity, by a landlord who has taken out insurance or any other form of guarantee covering the tenant’s obligations, except for a home let to a student or an apprentice; this does not apply to the security deposit of article 22. A landlord insured against unpaid rent therefore cannot also require a guarantor, Visale included, except for a student or an apprentice; the deposit remains possible.
Which rules is this Visale gauge based on?
- Law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, article 22-1 (guarantee)Légifrance, in French
- Law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, articles 22 and 24 (deposit, termination clause)Légifrance, in French
- Visale guarantee: a guarantor for the tenant (fiche F33453)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 23 January 2026
- Visale tenant fiche, directive PP_VISALE_2_DIR of 6 January 2026Action Logement, in French · January 2026
Texts cited last checked: 26 September 2026