A tenant on a permanent contract, decent income, a complete file, and yet: after three months of occupancy, no more payments. This scenario remains the nightmare of every landlord. The rent guarantee (GLI) exists precisely to absorb this risk, but its access conditions and legal limits deserve attention before signing anything.
Prohibition of combining GLI and guarantor: a rule often misunderstood
It is sometimes thought that adding a physical guarantor in addition to a GLI strengthens protection. This is a legal error. Article 22-1 of the law of July 6, 1989 prohibits the landlord who has taken out insurance covering rental obligations from simultaneously requiring a guarantee.
The sanction is clear: it is the guarantee that is annulled, not the lease. The landlord then finds themselves with only their GLI, without any additional safety net.
An exception exists for housing rented to a student or an apprentice. In this specific case, combining GLI and parental guarantee is allowed. Outside of this framework, attempting to combine the two exposes one to a challenge from the guarantor in the event of a dispute. Before subscribing, one can inquire about the unpaid rent guarantee with Immovalys to check the arrangements compatible with their rental profile.
Effort rate and tenant profile: what the GLI really requires
The insurer does not simply look at whether the tenant has a job. They calculate an effort rate, which is the ratio between the rent including charges and the net income of the candidate. Most contracts require that the income be at least 2.85 times higher than the amount of the rent.
Specifically, a rent of 800 euros implies net monthly income of about 2,280 euros. Below this, the file is rejected by the insurer, even if the tenant has had a permanent contract for ten years.
Accepted profiles vary by insurer
The common basis remains the same:
- Employees on permanent contracts outside the trial period, the simplest profile to get accepted
- Retirees and business leaders, provided they provide proof of regular income
- Students and apprentices, generally accepted only with a solvent guarantor
For fixed-term contracts and freelancers, responses vary by contract. Some insurers accept these profiles under conditions, while others systematically refuse them. Checking the specific conditions of the contract before presenting a candidate avoids wasting time.
GLI and Visale: two systems that cannot be combined
Visale, the system supported by Action Logement, works like a free guarantee. It is not insurance in the traditional sense. The confusion between Visale and GLI is common, but they mutually exclude each other for the same lease.
Since January 2026, Visale is limited to the first three years of occupancy. Previously, the duration was not capped in the same way. This change modifies the arbitration for landlords renting long-term: after three years, the landlord covered by Visale finds themselves without guarantee, whereas a traditional GLI continues to cover as long as the insurance contract is in force.
Another practical point: Visale must be validated before signing the lease. A landlord who discovers the system afterward can no longer activate it retroactively.
Triggering the GLI and the deadline for the resolutory clause
When a tenant stops paying, the procedure follows a precise timeline. The landlord must first send a payment order by bailiff. The resolutory clause takes effect six weeks after this order remains unanswered, compared to two months previously. This shortening accelerates the contentious phase.
On the insurance side, each GLI contract sets its own deadlines for reporting claims. Some require reporting from the first month of non-payment, while others allow a period of two to three months. Exceeding this deadline may result in a refusal of compensation, even if the tenant is indeed in default.
What the contract actually covers
The GLI covers the payment of unpaid rents and charges. Depending on the plans, it can also cover:
- Legal procedure costs (payment order, summons, eviction)
- Property damage noted at the tenant’s departure, within the limit of a contractual ceiling
The total amount of rents covered is capped. A deductible may also apply according to the general conditions. Reading the ceilings and exclusions before subscribing remains the only way to avoid disappointments at the time of the claim.
Tax deductibility of the GLI: a concrete advantage for the landlord
The premiums for unpaid rent insurance are deductible from rental income. For a landlord under the real regime, this directly reduces the taxable base. The annual cost of the GLI, usually expressed as a percentage of the rent, is therefore partially offset by the tax savings.
This deductibility does not apply to the micro-property regime, where the flat-rate deduction replaces the deduction of actual charges. A landlord receiving modest rental income should therefore compare the two regimes before subscribing.
The GLI does not protect against everything. It does not cover a tenant who moved in without the file being validated by the insurer. It also does not work if the property is not the tenant’s primary residence (unless otherwise stated). But for a landlord who correctly selects their candidate and respects the contractual conditions, it remains the most operational safety net in the French rental market.
