Housing Assistance Request

In France the well known CAF provides students with help with accommodation, and as soon as you have a student card and bank account (you need a BIC and IBAN) to your name you can ask for it.

The best way is to do it on the internet then take the forms to the office. The grant/help is usually 40% of the per monthly sum you pay for the accommodation (if you are living in a flat/home you need to speak with the owner), and it covers from when you started living there. For example, if you got there in September and applied in October, they would still cover you for September.

The page usually has a lot of help at hand, ready to assist you so no need to worry. I'll give you the steps you need to follow to make the request (each sub-title corresponds to the next page).

Source

Let's go

• Go to the site: http://www.caf.fr/aides-et-services/les-services-en-ligne/acceder-a-une-demande-en-ligne
• If the link doesn't work, search for "aide au logement en ligne CAF" and you should find it.

Demande d'aide au logement pour votre résidence principale.

• If you live in halls select the first option Vous êtes locataire et vous payez un loyer and put 'no' in the second. If you rent in a flat/home select Vous résidez en foyer et vous payez un loyer, put no in the first and that you are a student.
• Put 'no' for the next option and enter your start date.

Conditions générales du service en ligne

• Accept the Ts&Cs by marking the box at the end of the text J'ai pris connaissance des conditions d'accès et des modalités du service et les accepte and now start filling in your details.

Adresse mél

• Enter your email address and press continue

Etat civil de la personne « responsable du dossier » pour les prestations familiales

• Enter your personal details, remember 'Nom' is last name.
• Select Etranger and Autre Nacionalité

  . Don't put in your social security number.

Etat civil de la personne « responsable du dossier » pour les prestations familiales

• Put in your D. O. B, surname and name of your parents.

Votre ancienne résidence

• Put that you are foreign and the date you got to France.

Vos prestations

• Put Non in all the boxes and continue.

Situation familiale

• Put that you live alone and continue.
• Select Célibataire and enter your D. O. B. And yes, as sad as it may be, you have been 'single' all your life as there are no documents to prove otherwise, no matter how many flings you've had. C'est la vie.

Personnes vivant au foyer

• Put 0.

Déclaration de situation professionnelle

• Select Une situation professionelle.
• In 'Sans activité' select Etudiant sans activité professionnelle ou boursier.
• Enter when you began studying.
• Put that you don't have a bursary.

Votre adresse

• Fill in info about were you live: date of arrival, number, street, city, etc.

Vos coordonnées de contact

• Enter your mobile number. Your email will already be here as they will use the one you entered at the start.

Votre compte bancaire

• Fill in your bank details, the IBAN and the BIC, your bank will give you them or you can find them out at any ATM. For bank branch I put LCL, my bank.

Les personnes de votre foyer

• Everything should be fine here, continue.

Ressources 2010 et Ressources 2011

• Put Non in both.

Demande d'aide au logement

• Put Non in all of them and continue.

Renseignement sur le bailleur et Coordonées du bailleur

• Select strong>Particulier and fill in the necessary information.

Caractéristiques du logement et Caractéristiques du bail

• Fill in the information with your accommodation.

Usages du logement et Double résidence

• Put Non in all of them.

Done

At the end you'll get a summary of everything you've filled in, check it, then download the PDF on the next page.

It comes in two parts, one part that you have to sign and the other someone from CROUS has to sign; you'll find someone on the campus. When you go you should take the following documents with you:

• Photocopy of your DNI.
• Photocopy of your social security/private healthcare card.
• Full birth certificate.
• Photocopy of your French student ID, proving you are studying there (the uni will give you one).
• Room insurance.

Finally there they'll give you something to sign so you have access to everything in France.

Photo gallery