How do you apply for French housing benefit through CAF in 2026?

You normally need to be a tenant, declared subtenant, roommate, or resident in certain foyers for a main home in France that meets occupancy and decency rules. The landlord attestation must state residential use, floor area, rent, and decency elements, including the DPE energy rating. A tourist short-let or an informal verbal deal is a weak base for a durable claim.

Lawful stay and identity documents matter. CAF asks for a national ID, passport, or valid titre de séjour. Finish the lease path before you file: How to rent a home and Rental contracts and deposits. Open a French account so CAF can pay onto a RIB: Open a bank account.

Create a CAF account or use FranceConnect, start the housing-benefit request, and upload the pieces Service-Public lists for tenants. Processing often takes several weeks once the file is complete. Track status in the online space rather than assuming silence means refusal.

The payment follows household composition, resources over the recent period CAF uses, and a rent amount capped by geographic zone. Excess rent above the capped rent is ignored in the calculation. Rights can be revised as income changes, so update CAF when wages or household size move. Put any expected aid as a provisional line in Monthly budget and Rent in France until the first payment lands.

Some student and nationality rules change over time. Confirm live CAF and Service-Public eligibility for your status rather than relying on a forum figure. Stay documents still sit upstream: Apply for a residence permit and the wider paperwork sequence.