An agency asks for "une lettre de motivation" with your application, or you're emailing a private landlord directly. There's no need for a full page: a good rental cover letter fits in 80 to 120 words. It says who you are, what reassures, and when you can move in.
Here are four letters ready to adapt, one per profile. The names, addresses and figures are examples: replace each one with yours. If the landlord is French, write in French where you can, even simply: the French version of this article has the same four letters.
Student with a guarantor
Dear Sir or Madam,
Your furnished studio near place d'Italie is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm in the first year of a law master's in Paris until June 2027, and I'd like to move in on my own from 1 November.
My parents will act as joint guarantors: their combined net income is €5,200 a month, and their documents are included in my application. I also receive a grant of €450 a month.
A nine-month student furnished lease would suit me perfectly. I'm available for a viewing from this week, including early evenings.
Kind regards,
Léa Moreau
The strong point here is the guarantor, presented with a figure. The lease length also shows you know the rules for a student furnished let.
Employee on a permanent contract
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing about your 38 m² two-room flat in the 11th arrondissement. I've been a consultant on a permanent contract (CDI) at a consulting firm since February 2023, probation completed, with a net income of €3,100 a month.
I'm looking to settle for the long term, on my own, from 15 November. My application is complete: ID, employment contract, last three payslips and latest tax notice.
I can view from tomorrow and give you an answer the same day.
Kind regards,
Thomas Durand
A permanent contract with the probation period behind you reassures a landlord. Say so explicitly, with how long you've been there: that's what sets it apart from a CDI signed last week.
Newcomer without a French guarantor
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm very interested in your furnished two-room flat near Gare de Lyon. I'm moving from Spain for a permanent engineering role at a software company in Paris, starting 2 November, with a net salary of €2,900 a month.
I don't have a guarantor in France, but I have obtained the Visale guarantee: the certified visa is included in my application, with my employment contract and my ID.
I'll be in Paris from 25 October to view in person, and I'm happy to do a video viewing before then.
Kind regards,
Marta Ruiz
Without French payslips, your employment contract and the Visale certificate do the work. If you don't have it yet, you apply online, even before you've found a flat: it's all explained in our guide to Visale and CAF for international tenants.
Couple or flatshare
Dear Sir or Madam,
We're very interested in your 58 m² three-room flat in the 18th arrondissement. We're a couple, both on permanent contracts: Sarah has been a graphic designer at a communications agency since 2024, and Julien a nurse at a hospital since 2021. Our combined net income is €4,600 a month.
We'd like to sign a lease in both our names and move in from 1 December. Both our complete applications are attached.
We're available to view together in the evening or on a Saturday.
Kind regards,
Sarah Benali and Julien Petit
For a flatshare, keep the same structure: each person's situation in one line, the combined income, any guarantors, and the type of lease you want (a single lease signed by everyone, or one lease per flatmate). One person signing the letter on behalf of the group keeps things simple.
What to adapt every time
- The first sentence. Mention a detail from the listing: the neighbourhood, the size, the floor, a balcony. The landlord sees straight away that the letter wasn't sent to thirty listings.
- Your real figures. Monthly net income, time in the job, your guarantor's income. A precise figure reassures more than an adjective.
- Your dates. When you want to move in and, if it matters for the flat, how long you plan to stay.
- The tone. "Dear Sir or Madam" (« Madame, Monsieur ») for an agency. If the landlord signs the listing with a first name, "Hello Nicolas" is fine.
- The format. Paste the letter into the body of the email rather than attaching it: it gets read without opening anything.
What never to write
Sensitive data. Social security number, health, religion, bank details: the landlord doesn't need them to choose, and the law limits the documents they can ask you for anyway.
Pleading. "This is my last chance", "I've been searching for six months", "I'm begging you". Urgency doesn't reassure a landlord: it worries them. Stay factual and polite.
Inflated figures. Rounding €2,400 up to €3,000 won't hold: your income is checked against your payslips and tax notice. And an altered document is a forgery, which is a criminal offence in France.
Your whole story. There's no need to explain why you're leaving your current place, or to criticise your previous landlord. What counts is what comes next.
Letter or message?
On most listings, first contact goes through a short message, read on a phone in a few seconds. The cover letter belongs elsewhere: when an agency asks for one with your application, or when you email a private landlord. The substance is the same, the form a little more polished.
For the structure of that first message, and the right time to follow up with a landlord who hasn't replied, read our article on the rental application message that gets you a viewing.
