( your situation · freelancer )
RENTAL APPLICATION AS A freelancer IN FRANCE :
CONVINCING A LANDLORD without a permanent contract
You are a freelancer or self-employed, your income is real, but you have no payslip and no employment contract to show. French landlords hesitate because they do not know how to read your situation. A good rental file (dossier de location) does that work for them: it proves your income is regular with the right documents and explains your activity in a few lines. Here is exactly what to provide, what actually reassures a landlord, and how La Maraisienne prepares it for you in 10 minutes.
Why landlords hesitate with freelancers
It is not you, it is the grid they use. A French landlord or agency is used to three figures: a net salary, seniority, and a contract type (the famous CDI, permanent contract). A freelancer fits none of these boxes: no employer to call, income that varies from month to month, sometimes an activity too recent to have two tax notices.
There is also a hidden obstacle: unpaid rent insurance (GLI, garantie loyers impayés). Many landlords have one, and many policies require the tenant to be on a permanent contract past the trial period, or to have been self-employed for at least two years with regular income. When your file does not meet these criteria, the agency rejects it before reading it, to keep the landlord’s cover valid.
The good news: none of this is a ban. A landlord cannot reject a file solely because you are self-employed. They can, however, pick the file that reassures them most. That is where everything is decided.
Documents to provide as a freelancer
The list of documents a landlord may ask for is fixed by decree no. 2015-1437 of 5 November 2015. Nothing else can be required. For a self-employed applicant, here is what applies.
| Document | Status | Why it reassures |
|---|---|---|
| Valid ID (passport or ID card) | Required | A verifiable identity is the basis of any file. |
| Proof of address (last 3 rent receipts, host certificate, last property tax notice…) | Required | Shows you already have a housing history and that you pay. |
| Proof of activity: Kbis or K extract less than 3 months old, or SIRENE registration certificate, or professional card for a regulated profession | Required | Proves your activity officially exists, and since when. |
| Last two balance sheets (bilans), or failing that an income certificate for the current year issued by a chartered accountant (expert-comptable) | Required (one or the other) | This is the equivalent of your payslips. The accountant’s certificate is the strongest document a freelancer can provide. |
| Last or second-to-last tax notice (avis d’imposition) | Required | Confirms your declared income over a full year. |
| URSSAF payment certificate, or monthly turnover declarations for the last 12 months (micro-entreprise) | Recommended | Shows month-by-month regularity, which an annual balance sheet does not. |
| Proof of previous rent payments | Recommended | A freelancer already paying a similar rent on time reassures more than a good turnover figure. |
What a landlord may not ask you for: bank statements, a certificate of no outstanding credit, a direct debit authorisation, medical records, a criminal record extract, or a reservation cheque. If asked, you can politely decline and cite the decree (service-public F1169).
What actually makes the difference
Having the right documents is necessary, not sufficient. Freelancer files that get accepted share five things.
An income certificate from a chartered accountant. A one-page document, dated and signed, stating your average net monthly income over the last 12 months. It is the document agencies understand instantly, because it looks like a payslip. If you do not have an accountant, an online accounting service can produce one for a few dozen euros.
An average, not a curve. Do not let the landlord add up twelve URSSAF declarations themselves. Present an average monthly income, calculated over 12 or 24 months, and show the calculation. The ratio they look at is simple: your average income should cover about three times the rent including charges.
A presentation that explains your work. Three to five lines: what you do, for whom, since when, how your clients pay you. “Freelance developer since 2022, four regular clients, two of them on annual contracts” says more than a Kbis. It is also what turns your file from “self-employed” into “a person”.
A guarantee, even if you think you do not need one. An individual guarantor if you have one. Otherwise Visale, the free state-backed guarantee, available up to age 30 whatever your situation, and beyond under conditions. Otherwise a paid guarantor service such as GarantMe. A guarantee neutralises the GLI argument: the landlord is covered another way. Guarantor, Visale, GarantMe: how it works
Savings, if you have them. A letter from your bank stating a savings balance equivalent to several months of rent is allowed (it is not a bank statement). For a variable income, it is the most reassuring argument.
What a good freelancer file looks like
La Maraisienne’s Atypique sample file is that of a freelancer running a micro-entreprise. The landlord first sees a presentation page: who he is, his activity, his average monthly income and the guarantee he brings. Then come the documents, in the order of the list above, each clearly labelled. Everything fits in a single PDF, readable in two minutes.
How La Maraisienne helps
The Atypique plan (€24.90 per month, no commitment) is built for non-salaried income. The flow asks you for the right documents for a self-employed applicant, not an employee’s. The AI writes your presentation from what you tell it about your activity, then you review and edit it. You download a clean PDF that you can update as often as needed during your search: new balance sheet, new client, new guarantee. See the plans
La Maraisienne does not list apartments and does not connect you with landlords. We prepare your file; you send it to the listings you choose.
Other situations: Performing arts worker · Expat, newcomer to France
( FAQ )
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord reject my file because I am self-employed?
They cannot reject you on that ground alone, but they are free to choose the applicant they consider most solvent. In practice, a complete freelancer file, with an income certificate and a guarantee, compares without difficulty to an employee’s file.
I have been freelancing for less than a year. What goes in my file?
You do not yet have a balance sheet or a tax notice reflecting your activity. Compensate with an accountant’s certificate for the current year, your monthly URSSAF declarations, your current client contracts, and above all a guarantee (individual guarantor, Visale if you are under 30, or GarantMe). If you were an employee before, include your last tax notice: it shows an income history.
How many times the rent do I need to earn as a freelancer?
The usual rule is an average net monthly income of about three times the rent including charges. Some agencies ask more from self-employed applicants. A guarantee or savings lets you go below.
Does it matter whether I am a micro-entrepreneur, EI, EURL or SASU?
Not to the landlord: what counts is the regularity of your income and how you prove it. The documents change slightly (URSSAF declarations for a micro-entreprise, balance sheets and director payslips for a SASU), but the structure of the file is the same.
Does umbrella employment (portage salarial) change anything?
Yes, in your favour: you have payslips and an employment contract, so the landlord reads you as an employee. If you are hesitating between freelancing and portage and you are looking for a home in the next six months, that is an argument.
Can I also use DossierFacile?
Yes. DossierFacile, the free French government service, checks and secures your documents. La Maraisienne writes your presentation and designs the file. The two complement each other.
Which documents is a landlord not allowed to ask for?
Bank statements, certificate of no outstanding credit, direct debit authorisation, medical records, criminal record extract, reservation cheque. The full list is in decree no. 2015-1437.