🏡 Housing Certificate vs Housing Reservation: What’s the Difference?

1️⃣ The Housing Certificate: Your Document for the Visa

The housing certificate is an official document you can present at the consulate when applying for your student visa.
It’s a quick and secure way to prove that you have a potential accommodation in France — without having to commit or make large payments right away.

💰 Price and Validity

*Fixed price: €199

*Validity period: 45 days from the date of purchase

*Refund policy: Full refund only in case of visa refusal under reason 5 (related to housing conditions), upon presentation of an official, signed, and stamped letter from the consulate, issued during the validity period of the housing attestation.

📄 What it includes

*A housing option under your name (assigned randomly based on availability)

*The address of the accommodation and monthly rent (under €500 excluding utilities)

*A QR code authenticating the information

**What it is not ❌**

*It’s not a definitive booking or rental contract

*It does not cover utilities (~€60–100/month depending on the accommodation) or other fees

After obtaining your visa

*Contact us quickly to confirm your accommodation

*Depending on availability, you’ll be able to choose the property indicated on your attestation or another suitable option

⚠️The attestation helps you secure your visa and place a temporary hold on a housing option, but it does not guarantee immediate access to the accommodation.

2️⃣ The Housing Reservation: Your Confirmed Accommodation

The housing reservation process allows you to actually secure your accommodation, sign the lease, and prepare for your arrival.

How it works:

1. Choose your accommodation
Browse our listings and filter by your criteria — rent, type of housing, location, size, etc.

2. Check all details
Review rent, utilities, specific terms, and payment conditions.

3. Reserve and pay
-LivinFrance reservation fee
irst month’s rent and security deposit (amount listed in the ad)

If you’ve already purchased a housing attestation, you can use the code available in your attestation space to deduct the attestation fee (€199) from your Livinfrance reservation fee.

This code is valid during the 45-day validity period of your attestation.

4. Owner confirmation

The reservation is validated once the owner confirms and the payments are processed.

5. Prepare your arrival

Schedule the check-in inspection and subscribe to the mandatory home insurance.

Why does it take a bit of time?

*The request must be validated by the property owner

*Payments must be confirmed before move-in

*After signing the lease, some administrative steps remain (home insurance subscription, check-in inspection, etc.), so you should allow some extra time before moving in.

🔑 Summary

Housing Certificate	Housing reservation
For visa purposes only	Final contract with payment and signed lease
Fixed price: €199	Cost depends on chosen accommodation (first month + security deposit)
Validity: 45 days	Duration depends on contract (usually 12 months)
Housing option based on availability	Accommodation chosen and confirmed by you and the owner
Rent under €500 (excluding utilities)	Rent and utilities as defined by the owner
Does not include utilities or additional fees	Requires payment of rent, deposit, and utilities
Reçue immédiatement après paiement	Longer process: housing choice + reservation fee + validation + full payments + signed lease

*Housing Certificate: Official visa document, available immediately after payment, includes a housing option, costs €199, valid for 45 days.

*Housing Reservation: Actual commitment involving payments, owner validation, lease preparation, and post-lease administrative steps.

Our Tip

Once you have your visa and wish to confirm your LivinFrance accommodation, contact us quickly via our form so we can assist you at every step and help you save time.
This will ensure that all your post-lease administrative procedures are handled smoothly and help you avoid any last-minute issues.