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What should I do if I have difficulty paying my rent?
Verified 17 septembre 2019 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Additional cases ? Unpaid rent and eviction of tenant
In case of difficulties to pay your rent, you must try to find a friendly solution with your landlord. Social assistance may be granted, subject to certain conditions. In the event of major financial difficulties, the filing of a debt overhang may be possible.
You can try to find a friendly solution with your owner. For example, you can ask him to give you an extra time to pay your rent.
If you and your landlord have trouble talking to you, you can call (free of charge) a justice conciliator to help you find the best solution to your dispute.
Warning : if your owner has initiated proceedings against you (sending a command to pay or a court summons), you have time to act..
Aid from the Caf or the MSA
You can contact the Caf or MSA ::
- to deposit a housing benefit application if you don't touch it
- or to declare your change of situation (in the case of divorce, for example), if you are already receiving housing benefit.
FYI : in the event of unpaid rents, housing assistance can be maintained to alleviate a rent debt and thus avoid eviction.
Housing action aid
An employee, or a pre-retiree or jobseeker whose last employer was a private non-farm business with 10 or more employees, may request:
- reduction of housing costs [application/pdf - 172.4 KB] (interest-free loan to finance net rent maturities of housing subsidies and charges),
- receipt help [application/pdf - 65.7 KB] (a grant that can cover rent, charges, fees or occupancy payments).
Such aid shall be granted under a social support provided by Action logement (free and confidential service).
Please note : Accommodation Action offers new housing subsidies for employees, job seekers and seasonal agricultural workers following the health crisis (covid-19).
Other aid and social support
To find out what other benefits you may be entitled to (Solidarity Fund for Housing (SLF), ...), you can contact a social worker (social worker, counselor in social and family economy, ...).
It is possible to meet them, depending on the case:
- at the communal social action center (or social service) of your town hall
- in Budget tip
This social worker may also offer you a social support, that is to say, follow you to solve your difficulties.
If your difficulties in paying rent are in addition to an unpaid debt, you can deposit a debt overhang..