Studying in FranceFinding student housing in France from abroad without getting scammed
Looking for a place thousands of kilometres away is exactly the situation scammers prefer. What the visa really requires, which official channels to use first, the most common scams, what a landlord is allowed to ask for and where to stay for the first weeks.
Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas
Information checked on 11 September 2026.
You have your admission, your visa is on its way, and you still need somewhere to sleep, without being able to visit. That is exactly the situation scammers look for: a landlord who can't be reached but is in a hurry, a perfect studio below market price, a transfer « to reserve ». Housing scams target first those who cannot travel. This guide follows the order that protects you: what the visa really requires, official channels first, the private market next, with the rules that let you spot a fake landlord before you have paid anything at all.
What the visa requires on housing
For the visa application, you are generally not asked for a lease signed for the whole year. On several Campus France sites, for example the one in Mauritius, the list of documents includes proof of accommodation for the first month, which can be a hotel booking, a lease, a certificate from your host (institution or private individual) or a letter explaining how you plan to find housing.
Requirements vary from country to country, and around 70 countries use the Études en France procedure: check the list on your local Campus France site and on France-Visas (the official French visa portal). Above all, remember this: a cancellable hotel booking or a hosting certificate is often enough for that first month. « Pay now or you won't have a document for your visa » is a scammer's argument, not a consular requirement. For the full process, see our article on the student visa application and our complete Campus France guide.
The official channels to use first
CROUS residences
The university residences run by the CROUS (the public body in charge of student life) are subsidised public housing. International students do not take part in the main allocation phase, reserved for those who filed a dossier social étudiant (student social file) before 31 May. They can, however, apply in the supplementary phase on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, which opens in early July (on 7 July in 2026 according to etudiant.gouv.fr): housing there is allocated as applications come in, depending on available places. Places go quickly, so be ready on opening day.
Once you are allocated housing, you must put together a file: signed lease, guarantor, a security deposit of one month's rent, home insurance, and then show your student card when you move in.
Lokaviz, private listings from the CROUS network
Lokaviz is the CROUS platform for housing with private landlords: rooms, studios, flatshares. Listings can be browsed freely; to contact a landlord, you need an account on MesServices.etudiant.gouv.fr and your INE number (French student number) or proof of enrolment in a higher education institution. Using a public website does not exempt you from the precautions described below: they apply to every listing.
Your institution
The international relations office of your university or school is often the safest channel. Some institutions reserve places in residences for their international students, have partnerships with residences or keep a list of addresses. Write to them as soon as your admission is confirmed, stating your arrival date.
The Visale guarantee instead of a guarantor
The guarantor is the first hurdle for an international student: a private landlord often asks for a solvent person living in France. Action Logement's Visale guarantee fills that role free of charge. It is open to students aged 18 to 30 holding a VLS-TS (long-stay visa serving as a residence permit) marked « étudiant », and the certificate must be obtained before signing the lease: apply as soon as you have your visa. The CROUS have signed an agreement with Visale; a private landlord remains free to accept it.
The most common student housing scams
On the private market (agencies, listing sites, social media groups), the choice is wider and so is the risk. Here are the scenarios that keep coming up, with the signal that should stop you.
| Scam | The signal | The right reflex |
|---|---|---|
| Fake landlord « abroad » | Can't show the place, wants everything done remotely | Insist on a visit, by you or someone you trust |
| Deposit « to reserve » | Money requested before a visit or lease | Pay nothing before signing and getting the keys |
| Application fees | Money to « review » your application | Refuse: it is prohibited |
| Fake lease | Lease sent as a PDF, landlord never seen | Check the landlord's identity and the address |
| Stolen photos | Same photos elsewhere, rent too low | Reverse image search |
| Payment by money transfer | Money transfer, vouchers, foreign account | Bank transfer or cheque, to the identified landlord |
| File theft | ID documents demanded with no visit possible | Watermark every document |
The landlord who can't come
This is the most frequent scenario: the landlord has been « transferred abroad » or is « on assignment », the keys will be « sent after payment ». Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, the French public service that assists victims of online fraud, advises caution with a distant or very insistent landlord who claims they cannot come, wants to do everything remotely or quickly asks for money to « reserve » before any visit or signature. Another warning sign it cites: rent abnormally low for the floor area.
Money requested before the visit
The rule is clear. When the lease is signed, only the rent, the security deposit and, if there is an agency, its fees can be collected; forcing the tenant to pay other sums to get the lease signed is prohibited, even if a clause provides for it (Service Public). The security deposit is capped at one month's rent excluding charges for unfurnished housing, two months for furnished. Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr recommends waiting until the keys are handed over to pay the deposit and first rent, only by bank transfer or cheque, and refusing any payment to a foreign account, in cash, through a money transfer service or with prepaid vouchers.
The fake lease and stolen photos
A lease is only worth something if signed with the real owner or their agent. Ask for the exact address, check that it exists and matches the photos (street view on an online map), and run the photos through a reverse image search: scammers copy real listings. A French estate agent must hold a professional card; ask for its number.
Theft of your documents
Some fake landlords don't want your money but your identity: a copy of your passport, your parents' tax notice, proof of income. Before sending any document, watermark it with the date, the recipient and the purpose; the public services DossierFacile and Filigrane Facile do this for free.
If you have already paid
What a landlord is allowed to ask you for
The list of documents a landlord may require from a prospective tenant and their guarantor is set by decree no. 2015-1437 of 5 November 2015, and it is exhaustive: anything not on it cannot be required.
For you, as the applicant:
- an identity document that is still valid: passport, identity card, driving licence, or a document proving your right of residence;
- proof of your current address: rent receipts, hosting certificate, etc.;
- proof of your situation: for a student, a student card or certificate of enrolment;
- proof of resources: grant award letter, tax notice, payslips, etc.
On the other hand, the following are prohibited, among others: ID photo, bank statements, a certificate of good account management, bank details (RIB), criminal record extract. A landlord who demands a document not on the list faces a fine of up to 3,000 € for an individual and 15,000 € for a company (ANIL, France's national housing information agency).
Two useful points when you come from abroad: copies are enough, as originals can be shown on request, and the landlord may ask for documents translated into French, with amounts converted into euros. Have your guarantor's documents and your proof of resources translated in advance. To put together a clean, watermarked file, the French state offers DossierFacile, a free service.
Where to stay for the first weeks
Arriving without permanent housing is not a failure: it is often the safest way to choose, on the spot. A few transitional solutions:
- a hotel room, youth hostel or serviced apartment, booked with free cancellation: it also serves as proof for the visa;
- staying with a relative or a compatriot, with a hosting certificate from them;
- a short-term furnished rental on a well-known platform, paid through the platform and never outside it.
Include this transitional budget in your resources. During those weeks, visit, compare, and sign only after seeing the place. Add these bookings to your departure checklist. And for the budget: since July 2026, most non-European students without a means-tested grant no longer receive the APL, the CAF housing allowance; see our article on the end of the APL for non-European students.
Have a compatriot on the ground visit for you
The best protection against a fake flat is someone you trust standing at the door. That is where the community of your future city on Compatri becomes useful: compatriots already living in Lyon, Lille or Bordeaux know the neighbourhoods, the residences, what normal rents look like, and one of them can go and see a flat for you. You can join that community for free even before you leave, some requiring a moderator's approval; see joining your community before you leave.
What a visit by someone else can check:
- that the flat exists, at the stated address, and looks like the photos;
- that the person showing it is really the owner or the agency, with documents to prove it;
- its real condition: damp, heating, noise, transport.
The safety rules, however, do not change:
- Never pay before the visit, even to a compatriot you met online. A scammer can also present themselves as « from back home », and a friendly profile is not proof.
- Pay the identified landlord, never an intermediary, and only at signing and key handover.
- Have someone visit whom you have got to know: exchange messages first, look at their profile, suggest a video call during the visit.
- Return the favour: mutual aid between compatriots works because it flows both ways.
Compatri is not an estate agency: the community helps you see clearly, while the decision and the payment remain between you and the landlord.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
How do you find student housing in France from abroad?
Start with the official channels: the CROUS supplementary phase on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, private listings on Lokaviz and your institution's international relations office. Apply for the Visale guarantee as soon as you have your visa to replace a guarantor. On the private market, pay nothing before the flat has been visited, by you or someone you trust.
Can an international student get CROUS housing?
Yes, but not in the main phase, which is reserved for students who filed a student social file before 31 May. International students apply in the supplementary phase on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, which opens in early July (on 7 July in 2026), where housing is allocated as applications come in, depending on available places. You then need to provide a signed lease, guarantor, security deposit and home insurance.
How can you recognise a student housing scam?
The most frequent signals: a landlord who can't show the flat and wants everything handled remotely, money requested to « reserve » before a visit or lease, abnormally low rent, payment demanded by money transfer, vouchers or to a foreign account. Check the address and run the photos through a reverse image search. At the slightest doubt, don't pay.
Can a landlord ask for money before the lease is signed?
No. According to Service Public, only the rent, the security deposit and, if there is an agency, its fees can be collected at signing; demanding other sums to get the lease signed is prohibited. The deposit is capped at one month's rent excluding charges for unfurnished housing and two months for furnished. « Application fees » or a « reservation » deposit before a visit are signs of a scam.
Do you need to have found housing to get your student visa?
Not necessarily for the whole year. On several Campus France sites, for example the one in Mauritius, proof of accommodation for the first month is requested: hotel booking, lease, a host's certificate or a letter explaining how you plan to find housing. Requirements vary by country: check the list on your local Campus France site and on France-Visas.