Student Housing in France: Crous, Visale, Rental File, Deposit

Students in France usually rent a Crous room (a public student residence), a private studio or a room in a shared flat. Crous rooms cost about €200 to €500 a month and open to international students from early July. For a private flat, most landlords want a guarantor: the state's free Visale guarantee can play that role. A landlord may ask only for documents on an official list — never a bank statement or a photo — and the deposit is at most one month's rent for an unfurnished flat and two months for a furnished one. Home insurance is compulsory for tenants.

Crous residences

The Crous have more than 175,000 places in student residences. A traditional room (9 to 14 m²) or a studio (15 to 20 m²) costs about €200 to €500 a month. More than 155,000 students had been housed by 1 September 2026, and demand rose about 5 % on the year before, so apply early.

The calendar for the 2026 intake:

1 March – 31 May: fill in the student social file (dossier social étudiant, DSE) on messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr.
May – June: main phase on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, with grant holders first; you can list up to 10 wishes.
From 7 July: the remaining rooms are open to everyone, including international students.
When you are offered a room, you pay a €70 booking fee within 48 hours; it is taken off your first rent.

Visale: a free guarantor

Most private landlords want a guarantor in France. Visale is a free guarantee from Action Logement:

It covers up to 36 months of unpaid rent during the first three years of the lease, and damage up to two months' rent. Anything Visale pays for you, you must pay back.
Apply on visale.fr before you sign the lease, then give the landlord your Visale certificate.
Students under 30 can use it. In Île-de-France it covers rents up to €1,000 a month with no income condition; elsewhere the limit is €840 or €680 depending on the area (higher with enough income).
International students need a valid student visa or residence permit; check the current conditions on visale.fr.
It doesn't cover the deposit itself, and the landlord must not be your parent, grandparent or child.

Your rental file: what a landlord may ask for

A landlord may only ask for documents from an official list (decree 2015-1437):

Identity: one document — passport, ID card, driving licence or residence permit.
Address: one proof — your last three rent receipts, a letter from your current host, or similar.
Studies: your student card or certificate of enrolment.
Resources: for example your grant notice, tax notice or payslips.

Documents in another language must be translated into French, with amounts in euros.

A landlord may not ask for: a photo, a bank statement, a direct-debit form, your medical file, your criminal record, your French health insurance card, or money to "reserve" the flat (landlords can be fined up to €3,000, or €15,000 for a company).

DossierFacile, a free state service, builds a checked and watermarked rental file you can send to landlords.

The deposit (dépôt de garantie)

Unfurnished: at most one month's rent, excluding charges.
Furnished: at most two months' rent, excluding charges.
Return: within one month if the move-out inspection matches the move-in one, otherwise within two months. Late return adds 10 % of the monthly rent for each month started.

Do the move-in inspection (état des lieux) carefully, with photos: it is what decides how much of your deposit comes back.

Insurance, local tax and the student fee

Home insurance is compulsory for tenants (at least fire, explosion and water damage). You show the certificate when you get the keys, and each year.
Housing tax (taxe d'habitation) on a main home was abolished in 2023.
CVEC: every student pays the €105 student life contribution for 2026–27, except grant holders, refugees and asylum seekers.

Rent control

In Paris, Lille, Lyon and Villeurbanne, Montpellier, Bordeaux, parts of Grenoble, the Basque Country and parts of the Paris suburbs (Plaine Commune, Est Ensemble), rents for new leases are capped — furnished flats included. The experiment is due to end on 24 November 2026; Parliament was debating an extension in October 2026, so check service-public.gouv.fr for the current rule.

Housing aid and scams

Housing aid (APL): since 1 July 2026, most non-EU students on a study permit can't get it unless they hold a Crous grant, work or are apprentices. Read our guide to CAF housing aid for international students.
Scams: never pay or send your ID before you have visited the flat (or had a live video call) and signed the lease. If you are scammed, report it online (the THESEE platform) and call Info Escroqueries on 0 805 805 817. Our guide to renting safely lists more warning signs.

Compress your scanned documents for online forms with the free image compressor.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the official pages below before you sign or pay.

Frequently asked questions

When can international students apply for a Crous room?

From 7 July in the 2026 calendar, when the remaining rooms open to everyone. Students who filled in the social file (DSE) between 1 March and 31 May could apply earlier, in the main phase.

What is Visale and is it free?

Visale is a free rent guarantee from Action Logement that replaces a personal guarantor. Students under 30 can use it, including international students with a valid student visa or permit. Apply on visale.fr before you sign the lease.

Can a French landlord ask for my bank statements?

No. Bank statements are on the list of documents a landlord may not ask for. They may ask for proof of resources such as a grant notice or payslips.

How much deposit can a landlord ask for in France?

One month's rent without charges for an unfurnished flat, two months for a furnished flat.

Is home insurance compulsory for students in France?

Yes. Every tenant must insure the home at least against fire, explosion and water damage.

Sources

Calculators in this guide

Enter your own sizes for an exact answer.

This guide in other languages:Français

Student Housing in France: Crous Rooms, Visale, Your Rental File and the Deposit