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Launching in Lyon

Browse only homes you can actually rent.

Renting in France shouldn't depend on a French guarantor, a CDI, and tax returns. On Cajou, every landlord accepts non-standard files, so all you bring is a guarantee and a verified dossier.

Get early access See how it works
Not required here
  • A French guarantor
  • A French tax history
  • A CDI contract
A sunlit, plant-filled Lyon living room with a grey sofa and a wooden table, the kind of home Cajou helps you reach. Applications open · 6 days left

€980/mo

Furnished 2-room · Croix-Rousse, Lyon · 44 m²

Open to non-standard files

You apply with
Visale, GarantMe or Cautioneo DossierFacile

The rejection roulette

You can afford it but can't overcome the paperwork hurdle.

Expats and newcomers spend weeks sending out sensitive documents to listings they were never eligible for, because of these four reasons:

  • No French guarantor

    Agents demand a flesh-and-blood French guarantor you can't produce, and wave away the guarantees you can get, like Visale, GarantMe or Cautioneo.

  • No CDI

    Freelance, self-employed, or on a foreign contract? You're filtered out before anyone reads your file, even when you clearly earn enough.

  • No French tax history

    Your avis d'imposition is a standard dossier item. As a first-time filer or newly arrived in the country, you just don't have one.

  • The landlord's insurer decides

    Many landlords are bound by unpaid-rent insurance (GLI). Its rules (CDI, guarantor, tax history) quietly lock even a willing landlord out.

The Cajou promise

Eligibility certainty, before you spend a single evening applying.

Every landlord on Cajou has agreed to the same terms, so the requirements that lock newcomers out aren't all required here. Bring whatever combination of documents you actually have, plus a guarantee certificate and a verified dossier, and the door to any home here is open to you.

  • A Visale, GarantMe or Cautioneo certificate, which proves you can afford it
  • A DossierFacile link: your documents, state-verified and watermarked
  • That's the whole bar. Every home here is open to you
A bright, furnished Lyon apartment with a window onto a classic street. Applications open · 4 days left

€1,150/mo

Furnished 3-room · Brotteaux, Lyon · 66 m²

Open to non-standard files

You apply with
Visale, GarantMe or Cautioneo DossierFacile

Every home here, on the same terms. No filtering, no guessing whether you qualify.

How it works

A calmer, fairer way to find a home, built around your privacy.

The opposite of the house-hunting scramble many of us find ourselves in. Follow our simple, staged approach where interest is proven first before your data is shared.

  1. Browse only homes you can rent

    Every home here accepts non-standard files, so you're eligible from the start. No more applying to places that would never consider you.

  2. Apply with a summary

    Landlords see a light summary of your rental profile, including the rent you can afford and your name. Add an optional hello in your own words. From this, they shortlist candidates.

  3. View before you reveal

    Shortlisted? Book a viewing, in person or by video from abroad, before you share a single document.

  4. Share your file on your terms

    Only once you both want to continue do you release your DossierFacile link. Revoke access any time. You stay in control of your personal documents.

A warm, lived-in kitchen with plants and wooden stools, the kind of home a private owner lets directly.

For landlords

Open your door to more of the right tenants.

Meet tenants who arrive with their affordability already proven, backed by a guarantee and a verified dossier.

  • Tenants arrive with affordability already verified and a guarantee for unpaid rent (via the various guarantor companies)
  • A fair-rent assistant prices you within Lyon's legal ceiling
  • Compliance guardrails (DPE, deposit caps) baked into listing
List your home

Know before you sign

French renting, explained for both sides.

Short, clear explainers for tenants and landlords, so nobody signs a lease guessing.

Paying a year upfront won't help

A landlord can't demand rent far in advance, and a lump sum can even look like a red flag. The fix is the right guarantee, not more cash.

Lyon caps what you can charge

Lyon and Villeurbanne cap rent by area, size and furnishing. Go over and you risk repaying the difference, plus a fine. Cajou computes your legal maximum.

Who actually holds your deposit

France has no government deposit scheme; it goes straight to the landlord. Capped at 1 month unfurnished, 2 furnished, and returned within a month of handing back the keys.

Read the full guide