Now in beta · Lyon
Rent in France.
Skip the guarantor.
No French guarantor. No CDI. No French tax history. Cajou shows you only the Lyon homes that accept your Visale or GarantMe guarantee, so every listing is one you can actually rent.
The French rental system has a gatekeeper.
You found the apartment. Then the list arrives: the one that has nothing to do with whether you can actually pay. Welcome to the guarantor circus.
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No French guarantor
Agents want a flesh-and-blood French garant earning 3× the rent. A Visale or GarantMe guarantee? Often refused outright.
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No CDI
Freelance, on a CDD, or paid by a company abroad? You're filtered out before anyone even reads your income.
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No French tax history
A French tax return (avis d'imposition) is a standard demand. Your first year here, you simply don't have one.
You can afford it. You just don't fit the box an insurer drew. Cajou indexes the landlords who don't need the box, so you're judged on merit.
Three steps to your keys
No guarantor. No co-signer. No favours to call in. Start from anywhere, even before you land.
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Build your profile once
Bring your DossierFacile and your Visale or GarantMe certificate. Your documents stay hidden until you choose to share them.
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Browse only homes that accept you
Every Lyon listing is tagged for what it takes: Visale, GarantMe, non-CDI, no tax return. If it's on Cajou, you're eligible to apply.
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View first, share later
Book a viewing, in person or by video from abroad. Release your full dossier only when you both want to go ahead, and revoke it anytime.
The old way vs. the Cajou way
Same you. Same income. Two completely different answers.
Less risk. Better tenants. Zero extra admin.
Every applicant arrives with a Visale or GarantMe guarantee and a state-verified DossierFacile, affordability already checked. Reach the solvent, under-served tenants your agent's filters never show you.
- Guarantee-backed tenants (Visale or GarantMe), vetted before they reach you
- State-verified files via DossierFacile: see it's genuine before any document changes hands
- Free to list: paste an existing listing link and we draft it in two minutes
- An AI pricing assistant keeps your rent inside Lyon's legal ceiling
We built Cajou because “you need a French guarantor” shouldn't decide who gets to live here.
Every founder on this team has stood in a letting agent's office, fully employed, and been told no, for the one thing we couldn't produce: a French relative willing to co-sign. Cajou turns that dead end into a shortlist of homes that will actually have you. We're not against landlords; we find the ones who get it, because they were expats once too.
Questions, answered plainly
If renting in France has confused you before, that was the system, not you.
Still unsure? hello@cajou.fr
Do I still need a guarantor?
Not a French physical one. A free, state-backed Visale or a paid GarantMe guarantee is enough, and Cajou only shows you listings that already accept it. No more chasing a French relative to co-sign.
What are garant, dossier and DossierFacile?
A garant is a guarantor: someone who legally promises to pay your rent if you can't. A dossier is your rental application file. DossierFacile is the free French-government service that verifies that file and lets you share it as a revocable link, with or without the documents shown.
I'm freelance, on a CDD, or paid from abroad. Can I rent?
That's exactly who Cajou is for. The standard system filters out almost anyone without a CDI. We index the landlords who judge you on affordability and your guarantee, not your contract type.
How private is my information?
You view before you reveal. Landlords first see only that your file is verified and your guarantee covers the rent, without a single document. You release your full dossier after a viewing, when you both want to continue, and you can revoke access at any time.
Can I start before I move to France?
Yes. Build your profile and apply from anywhere, and book video viewings to see a place properly before you ever land.
What does it cost, and which cities are live?
Joining and browsing are free for tenants and landlords while we build up Lyon. We're starting in Lyon, with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice and Nantes to follow. Join the waitlist and we'll tell you the moment your city opens.
Your French address is waiting.
Get early access and be first through the door when Cajou opens in your city.