Visale guarantee
A free tenancy guarantee offered by Action Logement, acting as guarantor for eligible tenants (under-30s, precarious workers, households in difficulty) to landlords. It replaces the security deposit and covers unpaid rent, charges, and damage. Its availability can facilitate letting a mortgaged property and helps secure the rental income stream presented to the bank.
Key points
- Free for both landlord and tenant, funded by contributions paid to Action Logement.
- Open to under-30s, precarious workers, and certain households in difficulty.
- It covers unpaid rent, charges, and some tenant damage.
- Its availability can persuade a landlord to accept a tenant with an atypical profile.
Frequently asked questions
Who can benefit from the Visale guarantee as a tenant?
Eligibility criteria combine age conditions (under 30 unconditionally, up to 31 for precarious workers) and employment status (private-sector employee with under 6 months' tenure, fixed-term, temp, or entering employment). Specific schemes also cover households receiving certain social benefits, subject to checking eligibility on the Visale website.
How is the Visale guarantee activated in the event of non-payment?
The landlord must report the non-payment to Action Logement within a defined period after the missed due date (generally within 3 months of the first non-payment). Action Logement reimburses the unpaid rents and then pursues recovery proceedings against the defaulting tenant. The landlord is thus compensated promptly without having to initiate legal proceedings themselves.
Why does the broker mention Visale when presenting a buy-to-let file to the bank?
Having a Visale guarantee on a rental property reinforces the security of rental income, which can reassure the bank about the reliability of projected rents. Some lenders view the existence of such a guarantee positively when analysing the file, particularly in high-pressure zones where tenant profiles may be more precarious. It is a supplementary argument in building the financing plan.
In practice
A 24-year-old work-study student wants to rent a flat but cannot show sufficient income to reassure the landlord. They obtain the Visale guarantee within a few days on the Action Logement website and the landlord, reassured, accepts the application without requiring a parental guarantor.
Official sources
- Visale guarantee: rental surety · Service-Public.gouv.fr
- Borrower insurance for a mortgage · Service-Public.gouv.fr
- Law of 28 February 2022 (Lemoine Act) · Vie-publique.fr