The rental file or putting all the chances on your side!

The rental market, regardless of the region, is becoming increasingly tense… Covid effect no doubt and the attractiveness of medium-sized provincial towns to be able to (re)find a life in the open air and far from the hyper-urbanised centres.

This tension is characterized by a very small number of properties for rent, especially houses are rare, and a very large number of potential tenants.

If, in addition, while you are looking for your future “home sweet home”, you have a real crush on a property advertised, then it is absolutely necessary to put all the chances on your side!

And for that, one of the first things to do is to prepare your rental file!

But what to do? What documents should you prepare? In which formats?

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As mentioned above, the rental file is the first thing to prepare when starting a rental search!

What documents should be prepared?

The rental file includes your identity, address, income, professional situation, etc…

Most of the time, agencies and direct landlords will ask you for the same documents, i.e., as a general rule

For an individual lease (for each of the future tenants):

• the identity document
• the employment contract and/or employer’s certificate (including the location of the job, the title,
• the remuneration, the type of contract, the housing allowance if applicable)
• the last 3 pay slips
• the last one or two tax notices (all pages)
• the last property tax or the last 3 rent receipts

For a legal entity lease (your company will be the tenant of your accommodation):

• the identity document of the signatory and that of the future occupant if different
• a delegation of authority
• a KBIS of the company less than three months old
• the last three balance sheets and income statements

If you plan to propose a physical guarantor (parents, grandparents, brother/sister ….), you must also present their supporting documents (the same as those mentioned above).

In which formats ?

In terms of format, it is ideal to have these documents in two forms: scanned and ready in an email, and a paper version for the visits. If you are planning several visits in one day, it can be useful to have even two. Although most agencies or owners now work by email! There are still some “traditionalists” who prefer good old-fashioned paper. 

For the email version, the ideal is to be able to fit all the documents into one message. Beware, the weight of the various documents can often be very high, and the mails may not get through. There are free applications on the web (e.g. ILOVEPDF.com) for compressing documents, which are very practical and allow you to fit the whole file. 

Also remember to rename your files in a very readable way: Mr. NIC / Mrs. NIC / Mr. Contract / Mrs. Contract etc… and do not keep the barbaric names of certain applications!

A site proposed by the government dossierfacile.fr now makes it possible to collect a complete, clear and coherent rental file and, above all, one that is certified by the State. In addition, you no longer have identity papers scattered around. Your documents, grouped together in a single link, can be easily consulted by lessors, and are watermarked to protect you from their misuse! On the other hand, it takes about a week to get your file certified. 

For all these formats, make sure your documents are very legible! There are many scanner applications available on phones for this purpose! Above all, avoid photos, blurred documents, fingers holding the paper, badly framed documents etc…

Also remember to list the documents you are attaching to the email! This will allow the agency or the owner to quickly see if the file is complete or not.

The clearer and more structured your file and documents are, the better you will look!

Small Tips

The first small tip is to prepare a short summary of your situation at the top of your e-mail or on the first page of your paper file.

Documents are important, but nothing beats a few lines describing your family situation, your children, your professional situation, your past as a tenant… anything that might tip the scales towards your application!

Of course, avoid spelling mistakes !!!! Think of your rental application as your CV for a future job. Like a recruiter, a landlord will be very attentive to this kind of thing! They will not hesitate to reject your file if it contains a few mistakes! Don’t forget that in the vast majority of cases, there will be several people interested in renting the property, and this factor will be taken into account!

Also remember to check that the agent or landlord has received your file. It’s a shame to miss out on a property because the email went to spam… Send a short text message to your contact to let them know that the file has been sent and don’t hesitate to make a phone call within 24 hours to check that it has been received, which is also an opportunity to renew your interest!

And please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any questions on the subject, at our email address contact@sinstallerenprovence.fr or through the contact page of our website. 

So future tenants: get your rental file ready!

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