Practical Guide: How to get CAF housing assistance step by step
Everybody wants to get it but nobody exactly knows how it works. CAF housing assistance is not really easy to find. To help you, here a practical guide, step by step, will help you to get this famous APL for your shared accomodation.
Preface
This guide is intended for person who are not a beneficiary. If you’re already a claimant, this guide won’t be adapted to your situation.
To simplify the guide and to be more clear, we have chosen to fill in APL demand with a false profile of an ordinary student.
Generally, his situation is : he lives alone, he’s not employee, he’s renting a furnished studio and he’s scholarship holder.
Introduction : How can you become a beneficiary ?
You become a claimant when you get a CAF provision.
In our case, at the end of your housing assistance demand, after CAF validation, you will officially be a beneficiary. It means that CAF will give you a beneficiary number of 7 figures and a password which gives you an access to a personal space.
In this personal space, you will be able to manage your file as :
- Modify your situation
- Give proof of entitlement
- Make different process
- Receive CAF information about your file
So, it’s really important to keep your beneficiary number and your password when you have them.
#1 Make the simulation to know if you can get housing assistance
If you already know you can have housing assistance, rendez-vous here to start the process.
Step 1 :
Even before getting your housing, you will be able to make a simulation to know if you can have the housing assistance. For this, rendez-vous on the following link.
You should get this page.
Then click on “Le logement” (“The housing”) in the frame “Vous n’êtes pas allocataire” (“You’re not beneficiary”).
Step 2 :
In the following page, you just have to tick the box and click on “Commencer” (“Start”) as indicated below :
Step 3 :
In the following page, indicate the postcode of the housing you have just moved in and click on “Continuer” (“Continue”) :
Step 4 :
Then, you have to indicate your situation, usually you need to select “Vous êtes locataire” (“You’re tenant”). However if you’re living in a university residence, select the adapted box. For this guide, we choose “Vous êtes locataire”. (According to your choices, the form can change a little afterwards).
Step 5 :
Here, another time, it’s depending on your situation. To follow this guide, we select the following options : 1. Studio, appartement, une maison (Studio, apartment, a house) 2. Seul (Alone) 3. Oui (Yes).
If you choose other options, as for example “Avec votre conjoint ou concubin” (“With your boyfriend or your husband”), you have to do some steps twice (one for you and one for your husband).
Step 6 :
For the following step, you have to ask your owner to get the right information. In case of you can’t get the information, just select “Vous ne savez pas” (“You don’t know”).
Step 7 :
You have to indicate the rent with charges as indicated on your rental contract.
Step 8 :
This step doesn’t have big difficulties. You just have to fill in the form according to your situation.
Step 9 :
It’s very simple, you just have to indicate your professional activity and if you receive RSA (tax credits). In the case of our student, we indicate “Sans activité professionnelle” (“Without a professional activity”) and “Non” (“No”).
Step 10 :
If you have also selected “Sans activité professionnelle”, you will find the following page. You just have to select the option which matches your situation. In this case, we select “Etudiant boursier” (“Scholarship holder”).
Step 11 :
In this step, you have to indicate if yes or no you’re fiscally attached to your parents. We indicate “Oui” (“Yes”). It generates another question by way of which we answer “Non”.
Step 12 :
Only one question in this step, we simply answer “Non”.
Step 13 :
You have to indicate your wages of the previous year. If you get some during this year, take your tax return to fill this section. Otherwise, you can let these boxes empty or indicate 0.
Step 14 :
Fill in this part if you get other income than wages.
Step 15 :
Generally, except a special situation, this part should stay empty.
Step 16 :
You have to indicate if you have a movable heritage or property assets. Movable heritage means the money you get in savings whereas property assets are the assets you have in your possession. We answer “Oui” and “Non” at this step and we inform a movable heritage of 1600€.
Step 17 :
Then, you have to read this page. She gives you the result of the simulation and indicates the amount you can have. To follow the process, you have to click on “Faire la démarche en ligne” (“Make the process online”).
#2 Make the process online
Before starting the process, assure yourself you have in your possession the following documents :
- your bank account details
- the amount of your financial resources for the year asked
- the beneficiary number of your parents and their CAF if they are beneficiaries.
If you have already signed the lease and if you get the previous documents, you can start the process. Do it the quicker as possible to get your housing assistance the sooner as possible.
Step 1 :
If you haven’t done the simulation before, rendez-vous on this link.
In this first step, you have to indicate your situation regarding the housing and your global situation. You have to indicate that “Vous payez un loyer” (“You’re paying a rent”) and your entry date. In the bottom of the part, you have to indicate your situation.
Step 2 :
You have to indicate your type of renting. You also have to define if your housing belongs to a member of your family.
Step 3 :
You have to take note of the conditions of use.
Step 4 :
We inform you in this step the different documents you will need to make your demand.
Step 5 :
You have to indicate your mail address you want to use for your beneficiary account.
Step 6 :
In this step, indicate your personal information. You’re number of social security system is not obligatory.
Step 7 :
You have to indicate your address and your town of birth.
Step 8 :
In this step, you have to indicate if you have received some aids from other organizations. We indicate “Non”.
Step 9 :
You have to indicate if you’re receiving study grant. We indicate “Oui” here. If you indicate “Oui”, you have to define the name and the country of the organization.
Step 10 :
You must enter the housing address you’re renting and the date of entry. The date of leave isn’t obligatory.
Step 11 :
This step isn’t obligatory but if you want to be contacted by phone, you can enter your phone number.
Step 12 :
In this step, you have to use your bank account details to fill spaces.
Step 13 :
It’s just an intermediary step to inform the rest. Click on “Continuer” (“Continue”).
Step 14 :
If you had incomes, you have to indicate them here. In our case, we indicate “Aucun revenu” (“No income”).
Step 15 :
You have to indicate if you have movable heritage or property assets. The movable heritage means the money you have in savings whereas the property assets are the assets you have in your possession. We answer “Oui” and “Non” for this step and we inform a movable heritage of 1600€.
Step 16 :
In this step, you have to confirm your situation. You also have to indicate if you’re a flatmate or not. We indicate “Non” here.
Step 17 :
You have to indicate the situation of your lessor. We indicate “Un particulier” (“Private landlord”) and “Oui”.
Step 18 :
You have to indicate the name and the address of your lessor to find him, eventually, in the CAF database.
Step 19 :
In the following step, if the lessor hasn’t be found in the database, you have to indicate manually different information.
Step 20 :
In this step, you have to indicate the surface area and the nature of your housing. For “Logement décent” (“Proper housing”) except if your housing is really unsanitary, you have to tick “Yes”.
Step 21 :
You have to indicate some information on the rental. You will find these information on your lease.
Step 22 :
Except if you already have a principal residence at your name, you have to tick “Non” here.
Step 23 :
Then, you have a summary page of you demand. Check that you haven’t made any mistakes and click on “Valider” (“Approve”).
Step 24 :
The end ! It’s your last step, you just have to confirm your demand. Don’t forget to download the declaration in PDF and note down your beneficiary number.
You may have some documents to give afterwards. They will be asked on your personal space where you can access thanks to your beneficiary number and the password you will have by mail or text message.
And then ?
You will have to be patient. The housing assistance is effective the following month of your entry in the place. The first payment is generally done two months after your demand. Also note that all Chez Nestor apartments are qualified for APL.
For example : if you make your demand online in January, your right will be open in February and you will receive your first payment at the beginning of March.