France offers grants of up to €300 to help pay rent or mortgages this summer

The grant scheme is set up by Action Logement, a French group controlled by businesses and unions, which aims to help people in France get into the housing market, and supported by the French government.

The idea is to avoid a situation where people in France who saw their incomes reduced due to the coronavirus health crisis cannot meet their rent or mortgage payments. 

But even with the other schemes set up by the government to help people through the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus, the fear is that many people will struggle to pay their bills this summer.

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Who can access it?

Only people whose primary residence is in France and who work in either the private or agricultural sector can access the help. That means public sector employees are not eligible for the scheme.

Only one person per household can access the help scheme, and their net income needs to be less than 1.5 times the minimum wage a month - the SMIC (minimum wage) is currently €1,219 for over 18s so this works out at €1,828.50.

Both tenants and first-time homeowners may qualify for this help, provided they meet the income requirements AND they found themselves in one of the following situations between April 2020 and the end of the health emergency (this date has not yet been set by the French government);

• They lost their job (this includes people on fixed term CDD contracts who did not get their contract renewed and people on intérim (temporary) placements who saw their job suspended, as well as people on permanent CDI contracts who were laid off)

• They saw their income reduced by 15 percent (for example because they were put on the government's partial unemployment scheme or because they had to take time off work due to childcare)

• Utility bills represent at least 40 percent of their monthly income

To access the help, you need:

• An ID

• A salary slip for February 2020

• Proof that you saw a salary decrease of 15 percent or more

• Your RIB (bank details)

• A rent receipt if you are a tenant 

• Or, for first-time homeowners, a bank account statement mentioning the monthly payment of the mortgage, for the month of the income drop.

If you tick all the necessary boxes, you will get up to €300 (maximum €150 per month over two months maximum) once your application has been processed.

You can access the application on the Action Logement website (the form will be made accessible on July 30th).