The CAF pays a monthly housing benefit to tenants who qualify — students and foreigners with legal stay included. Rights start the month after the request: apply as soon as the lease starts, the benefit is not retroactive.
Éligibilité / Qui est concerné
- Tenant (or colocataire) of a decent dwelling that is the main residence, landlord not a close family member; means-tested on the last 12 months' income (updated quarterly).
- Foreign nationals need a valid right to stay; students in CROUS or private housing qualify like anyone else.
Étapes
- Run the simulator on caf.fr to estimate the right.
- Create the CAF account and file "Demande d'aide au logement" online.
- Provide the landlord/lease details (the CAF often confirms with the landlord) and RIB.
- Track "Mon Compte" — respond quickly to pièces requests; payment usually starts the month after the demande, on the 5th.
Pièces justificatives
- RIB in your name, lease + landlord details, income of the reference period, titre de séjour for non-EU nationals, student card / enrolment if applicable.
- The CAF may require the signed attestation de loyer from the landlord (cerfa 10842 — field map: ../box-maps/cerfa-10842.md); for foyer/CROUS residents it is the verso, signed by the establishment manager.
Délais et échéances
- No retroactivity: rights open the month following the request — file at move-in.
- Déclare quarterly income updates when requested (automatic for most since the contemporaneous-income reform).
Portail / Où faire la démarche
- caf.fr → Mon Compte → Mes démarches. Free. (Agricultural regime: msa.fr.)
Pièges connus
- Waiting "until settled" and losing the first months.
- Colocation: each colocataire files their own demande with their share of the rent.
- The benefit is suspended if the CAF learns the dwelling isn't the main residence.
Sources
- service-public.gouv.fr — « Aide personnalisée au logement (APL) » (checked 2026-07)
- caf.fr — Demande d'aide au logement (checked 2026-07)