Frequently asked questions

Yes. Our accommodation is officially declared furnished rental housing, which qualifies for French state housing benefit (known as APL or ALS, depending on your situation) paid by the CAF.

To build your CAF file, you will need:

- your signed lease agreement; - your rent receipts, which we provide every month on request.

The amount you receive depends on your income and personal situation. You can run your own simulation directly on caf.fr (French only, but the form is straightforward).

Visale is a free rental guarantee scheme run by Action Logement, a French state body. It replaces a human guarantor: if a rent payment is missed, Visale advances the rent to the landlord, then recovers the amount directly from the tenant.

It is open to students and apprentices under 31, **including international students**, with no nationality requirement.

We accept Visale for all of our accommodation. The application is done online, before the lease is signed, at visale.fr.

This is a very common situation for us: many of our tenants come from abroad. You do not need a guarantor living in France. Two options are available:

- the Visale guarantee, a free state-backed scheme open to international students under 31 (see the dedicated question above); - a guarantor based abroad: depending on your file, a guarantor outside France can be considered, with translated proof of income.

Tell us about your situation as soon as you first get in touch — we will point you to whichever option is simplest for you.

Under French law, landlords may only request documents from a statutory list (set by decree no. 2015-1437). Your application will typically include:

- a valid ID (national ID card, passport, or residence permit); - proof of your student status (student card, enrolment certificate, or proof of registration); - for your guarantor (if you are not using Visale): an ID and proof of income.

No other document can legally be requested from you — no bank details (RIB), no French health card, no ID photo.

Important: these documents are never sent through the website. We will tell you how to send them only after a first contact and, usually, once the visit has taken place.

We offer a furnished lease governed by the French law of 6 July 1989. Two formats are available:

- the 9-month student lease, non-renewable, matching a standard academic year; - the standard one-year furnished lease, automatically renewable, if you plan to stay beyond the academic year.

The security deposit equals one month's rent including utilities, whichever format you choose (the exact amount is shown on each listing).

Villeneuve-d'Ascq is located in a "zone tendue" (a designated high-demand housing area), which legally reduces the tenant's notice period to 1 month (instead of the standard 3 months), whatever your reason for leaving.

The notice period starts when we receive your termination letter (sent by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt, or handed over in person against a signed receipt). Plan your move-out date early so we can organise the check-out inventory together.

Yes, entirely. Your rent is all-inclusive: electricity, heating, water and internet (wifi) are all covered by the service charges.

In practice, this means:

- no separate bills to manage on top of your rent; - no subscriptions to set up when you arrive (no energy provider, no internet box).

You move in, plug in your devices, and you are set.

You do not need to be on site to get a feel for the place. If travelling to Villeneuve-d'Ascq before your arrival is not possible, a remote video visit can usually be arranged, at a time that works with your time zone.

Get in touch and let us know which accommodation you are interested in — we will find the best way to show you around the house and the shared spaces before you make any decision.