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I moved to France, Toulouse, for my PhD studies a year ago. Coming from outside of France, I don’t have a French guarantor (a person earning 2.5-4 times more than my rent in France and willing to vouch for me in case of insolvency), but otherwise my family and I are affluent. Nevertheless, I have had a very difficult time finding an apartment in France. I managed to find one last year but everything about it was horrible (location, price, condition,etc.)

For this summer, I have been working in a consulting company as an intern. I get along quite well with my boss and I am thinking of asking him to be my guarantor. However, I am hesitating to do this and I am not sure if it would be unprofessional or put him in a uncomfortable situation. In order to alleviate the risk for him, I am willing to offer to transfer his bank account money, say 2 or 3 times the rent. I really wouldn’t want to ask him and I feel bad for it, but I haven’t been able to find an apartment and having a guarantor would make things so much easier for me.

Is this a definite no-go or would it be ok? If yes, how should I approach this situation and him?

In addition, I am aware of Visale, GarantMe and other third-party services but believe me, most landlords or agencies don’t accept them. I’ve had many calls with potential landlords who have simply hung up on me upon hearing that I don’t have a French guarantor. I’m also EU citizen.

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    Bad idea from a professional point of view. Not to mention the potential anti-money laundering risks to which this suggestion exposes your boss if his bank flags the transaction as unusual.
    – Traveller
    Commented Jul 4, 2023 at 10:06
  • Check if you can avail of the Visale Guarentee scheme
    – Nicolas Formichella
    Commented Jul 5, 2023 at 9:32

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Is this a definite no-go or would it be ok?

I'd have no issues to do that for the interns who work with me, as I understand the headaches of being an immigrant and I've helped friends in your situation when I was in France. I was even calling some landlords, as many landlords wouldn't return calls from people with some accent. It makes a huge difference on the return call rate.

If yes, how should I approach this situation and him?

If you prefer not to ask directly, you could drop in some conversion with him your ongoing search for an apartment, mention that you're looking for a French guarantor (without asking him directly to be one), and see whether he seems willing to help.

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