At Colivys, we offer to each of our tenants an individual sublease contract. But did you know that aid such as the APL (Personalized Housing Assistance) can be granted to you in order to finance part of your rent, under certain conditions?
The APL (Personalized Housing Assistance) is a financial aid distributed by the French State which tends to reduce the price of your rent. The amount you can be granted depends on many criteria, such as the type of housing you are renting, the amount of your rent, but also your family situation and your incomes. As a tenant, roommate or sub-tenant, you can also benefit from this aid under certain conditions. APL (personal housing allowance) and flat-sharing, how does it work ? Discover all the answers to your questions in our article.
What are the aids of the CAF (Family Allowance Fund) for flat-sharing ?
Whether you are a tenant, a roommate or a sub-tenant, you are entitled to receive various housing benefits from the CAF – Caisse d’Allocations Familiales (Family Allowance Fund). Depending on your situation, you may be eligible for Personalized Housing Assistance (APL), Social Housing Allowance (ALS) or Family Housing Allowance (ALF). Let’s discover their differences below :
The APL is a personalized aid. In other words, the amount allocated may differ according to the personal situation of applicants. It depends on the rent paid, the incomes and the composition of the household.
The ALS is an housing allowance of social nature that concerns all types of non-conventional housing. This assistance is mostly intended for students, households without children or elders in charge.
Finally, the ALF is an aid only for families who cannot benefit from the APL or the ALS. Its amount takes into account the number of children, the amount of rent, the place of residence and the resources of the household.
If you are interested in one of our rooms, you can now go to the CAF website and make a simulation of the aid you could receive and the amount that could be allocated to you.
How can I get help from the CAF if I share a flat ?
When you live in a shared apartment, you can receive housing assistance (APL, ALS, ALF). However, in order to obtain one of them, you must respect the following conditions :
- The shared apartment must be your main home
- You must be the holder of a rental contract or a shared contract and your name must appear on the lease
- There must not be related in anyways (conjugal, ascending or descending relationship) to the owner or lessor of the house-sharing
- Your financial resources must be below the ceiling redefined each year by the CAF
In terms of financial aid (APL, ALS, ALF) and shared accommodation, the calculation of the amount of aid granted by the CAF may differ, depending on the type of lease signed. Indeed, the CAF may have to determine 2 different types of calculations depending:
- If you are a roommate/tenant/subtenant in coliving, the owner / lessor can collect all the roommates signatures in one single lease agreement. In this case, the CAF will use this single rent receipt to calculate the amount of the APL. Depending on the resources of the co-tenants, it divides the total rent by the number of occupants. The owner can also have you sign a solidarity lease. This contract stipulates that when one of the roommates leaves, the total rent will be divided among the remaining roommates.
- If you are a roommate/tenant/subtenant in coliving, the owner may also have you sign an individual lease agreement. This is the solution that we have chosen at Colivys. In this case, the calculation of the CAF is the same as for a classic rental. The CAF will then take into account the situation and the resources of the tenant/roommates/sub-tenant.
If you want to know more about the amount of aid you can receive from the CAF, we invite you to simulate on the CAF website. Please note that this amount is given as an indication and may change.
Why do we get less in a shared apartment?
People who live in a shared apartment may receive a smaller amount of APL than people who live alone. This difference can be explained by the difference in the calculation method.
The calculation of the APL is based on :
- The amount of the capped rent
- A fixed amount of charges
- The resources and the composition of the household
However, sharing a flat allows you to share some of the costs, thus reducing your expenses. The housing assistance is then lower for the roommates, since the amount taken into account to calculate the assistance attributed to each inhabitant is equivalent to 75% of the ceiling of a single tenant.
How do I know what kind of aid I can get for a room at Colivys?
You are planning to rent a room in a flat-sharing through Colivys but you are wondering which CAF subsidies you can claim? To do so, directly go to the website of the CAF – Caisse des Allocations Familiales. You will be able to carry out different simulations, according to your situation and you will know if you are potentially eligible for APL, ALS or ALF. This simulation will also allow you to confirm the budget you want to allocate to your monthly rent is matching the amount of financial aid delivered by the CAF.
At Colivys, the lease contracts offered to our tenants/roommates are sublease contracts. We are aware that in France, administrative complexities can appear and discourage many people. As a mistake can easily happen, we offer our future tenants administrative support to make their life easier and save them some time.
Our quick FAQ on APL and CAF in a shared accomodation
Are there any income limits in order to receive the APL?
To get the APL, your income must be lower than the current minimum wage (SMIC), which is 1 603,12 € monthly in 2022. We still recommend you to simulate beforehand on the CAF website.
How does APL work for couples?
If you are declaring yourselves as a couple, you can also claim APL for the whole household. However, the method of calculation will be different, since the incomes of both partners will be taken into account. At Colivys, we establish a unique contract for the couple, in the name of one of the two persons. We mention the « duo option » on the lease contract.
Who is eligible for APL assistance?
Single people, couples, with or without children, employees, job seekers or even students can benefit from APL assistance. We recommend you to do a digital simulation of your rights to APL, ALS and ALF on the CAF website.
Do APL, ALS and ALF aids from the CAF work the same way for a coliving accommodation ?
Since « coliving » and « co-renting » are similar, co-tenants can also benefit from APL, in the same way as tenants. However, the calculation method is not the same.
Does the APL work from the first month of rent ?
In a shared apartment or in a rental one”, the APL is only paid one month after the date of your application. The aid received is retroactive.
Generally, APL are paid on the 5th of each month (excluding weekends and holidays) by bank transfer, either to the tenant/flatmate/subtenant or directly to the owner.
