More and more French people are lying to get rent

Impossibility of receiving rent as per rules

Everyone knows that demand for housing far outstrips supply, especially in tight areas like Paris and its inner suburbs. Hire candidates find themselves in a delicate situation. According to data released by Imodirect, the rate of fraudulent rental files has reached alarming levels. Almost a quarter of rental files in the Paris region contain at least one incorrect document, and this concerns 1 in 6 files in the provinces.

Over the years, we have been told that around 500,000 homes would have to be built each year to meet demand. However, nothing changes, on the contrary, we build less and less housing over the years. Pay slips, tax notices, permanent contracts, guarantors, advance rent numbers… It is increasingly impossible to obtain guarantees requested by real estate agencies and owners. Certain segments of the population are more accustomed than others, especially the self-employed, intermittent workers and of course young people, who are entering the job market and are often paid the minimum wage. Now, almost all categories of population are facing it.

Between Necessity and Legal Risk: The Tenant’s Dilemma

With the real estate crisis, due to the increasing number of mortgage loan refusals, more and more French people have no other choice but to turn to renting. In 2021, 24.7% of French people were renting their main residence. In 2023, they were over 40% according to INSEE statistics. Housing in France has become a real obstacle course. This phenomenon of rental file fraud has increased since the first incarceration and the development of online falsification tools, which make it possible to create false pay-slips or convert fixed-term contracts into permanent contracts.

If an increasing proportion of French people resort to falsifying their documents, few do so with the intention of not paying their rent. However, this fraud, although it is a response to a primary need – housing, remains illegal and dangerous. French law, through article 441-1 of the Penal Code, severely punishes this practice, punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.