What Visale does

Visale is a free digital rental guarantee service operated by APAGL (Association Pour l'Accès aux Garanties Locatives), a non-profit association constituted under French law (loi de 1901) within Groupe Action Logement. Launched in January 2016, Visale acts as a third-party guarantor in the French private rental market, covering up to 36 months of unpaid rent and up to 2 months of rent for property damage. The service is targeted at two user groups: tenants (primarily 18-30 year olds including students, young workers, and apprentices; salaried employees over 30 earning up to €1,710/month; and since June 2024, seasonal workers), and landlords (private individuals, real estate agencies, property administrators, and institutional housing operators). Since inception, Visale has delivered over 1.2 million contracts, reached 319,107 new contracts in 2023 (14% growth vs. 2022), and operates under a five-year state convention targeting 2.1 million contracts by 2027.

The core technology is a fully dematerialized digital platform accessible via the visale.fr public portal and the fo.visale.fr personal account space. Tenants create accounts, upload eligibility documents, and receive a certified 'visa' that is presented to landlords. Landlords activate electronic caution contracts, declare unpaid rent digitally, and track reimbursement status through the same portal. The service also provides dedicated interfaces for partner professionals, including 186+ trained ambassadors across France. There is no public API, SDK, or developer integration; the platform is web-only and based on standard electronic signature and document management flows.

Visale's business model is that of a state-mandated social utility, not a commercial SaaS. The service generates no direct revenue from tenants or landlords; it is funded entirely by Groupe Action Logement through employer contributions under the statutory '1% logement' (PEEC) system, aligned with Action Logement's public-utility mission to facilitate housing and employment access. Distribution is channel-driven through partnerships with major real estate federations (FNAIM, UNPI, SNPI, UNIS, Century 21), student housing organizations (CROUS, AIRES), and temporary-worker support (FASTT), supplemented by national radio advertising and an ambassador program. Reported brand awareness stands at 58% among 18-34 year olds and 52% among employees, with 99% tenant satisfaction and 95% landlord satisfaction.

Name

Visale

Legal name

APAGL (Association Pour l'Accès aux Garanties Locatives)

Website

https://visale.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Visale is a free digital rental guarantee service operated by APAGL within Groupe Action Logement, acting as guarantor for French tenants (18-30 year olds, modest-income employees, and since 2024 seasonal workers) and covering unpaid rent and property damage for landlords.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Utility Service - No Direct Revenue: Visale is a free guarantee service operated as part of Action Logement's social mission to facilitate access to housing and employment. The service is funded through Action Logement's parental contribution (1% logement) system and is provided at no cost to either tenants or landlords.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Visale is a free digital rental guarantee service in which Action Logement (via APAGL) acts as guarantor for tenants, covering unpaid rent (up to 36 months) and property damage (up to 2 months rent). Tenants apply online to obtain a certified 'visa' which is presented to the landlord to activate an electronic guarantee contract; landlords then manage declarations of unpaid rent and reimbursements through the same portal. The service is 100% free for both tenants and landlords, funded by Action Logement's social utility mission.

Product overview

Visale is a single, unified product — a free digital rental guarantee/caution service operated by Action Logement (via APAGL). The core offering consists of the Garantie Visale, where tenants receive a certified 'visa' after online eligibility verification, which landlords use to activate an electronic caution contract. The service integrates the Bail Mobilité as an eligible lease type and provides dedicated personal online spaces (Espace Personnel) for tenants, landlords, and partners to manage all transactions. All components are fully digital and free for both parties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garantie Visale (Visa Visale) Free digital rental guarantee product where Action Logement acts as guarantor for tenants, covering up to 36 months of unpaid rent and up to 2 months rent for property damage. Tenants apply online to obtain a certified 'visa' which is presented to the landlord to activate the guarantee contract. For eligible tenants aged 18-30, salaried employees over 30 (subject to income conditions), and seasonal workers, plus private landlords, real estate professionals, and student residences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% of rental contracts with Visale would not have been signed without the guarantee
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FNAIM (Fédération Nationale des Agents Immobiliers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2022Long-standing partnership renewed in August 2022 to promote Visale and facilitate mobility in the private rental sector. FNAIM is a key partner in the ambassador program with 67+ member agencies actively promoting Visale. Joint convention signed at the 2022 Real Estate Federation (REF) event.
• FASTT (Fonds d'Action Sociale du Travail Temporaire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2022Partnership renewed April 2022 to support temporary workers (intérimaires) in accessing housing. Covers four themes: social housing access, private rental access, temporary housing access, and support for workers in difficulty. FASTT already promoted Visale through FASTT CONFIANCE BAILLEUR.
• AIRES (Association Interprofessionnelle des Résidences Etudiants et Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 November 2021Partnership signed November 2021 with APAGL President Jean-Jacques Perot and AIRES President Philippe Nicollet to facilitate young people's access to housing. Aims to promote Visale among student residence operators and encourage use in property management activities.
• UNPI (Union Nationale des Propriétaires Immobiliers)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerUNPI represents private property owners and promotes Visale as an alternative to traditional guarantees. Their representatives have testified to the benefits of the free service.
• SNPI (Syndicat National des Professionnels de l'Immobilier)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional real estate syndicate partner promoting Visale to members
• UNIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProperty managers union partner. President Danielle Dubrac participated in 'Cap sur 2 Millions' event discussing Visale development and signed partnership agreement.
• Century 21 FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor real estate franchise network promoting Visale to tenants and landlords across their agency network
• CROUScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStudent housing organization (Centres Régionaux des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires) using Visale for tenant guarantees. Partners since 2016.
• APAGL (Association Pour l'Accès aux Garanties Locatives)coreOthersAPAGL is the paritary association created in 2005 that designs, organizes, manages, and evaluates Visale on behalf of Action Logement Group. It manages the digital guarantee service and coordinates with partners.
• GCJAIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReal estate professional partner listed on the website
• DossierFacile.frminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital housing file platform partner for document standardization

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AXA France: Major French insurer offering Garantie Loyers Impayés (GLI) products covering unpaid rent and property damage. Serves the same landlord risk-protection need as Visale through paid insurance, but operates across a much broader portfolio.
• Crédit Logement: Established French credit institution providing the historically dominant rental guarantee (caution bancaire) for French residential leases. Serves the same landlord need for guaranteed rent payment but operates a paid, bank-partnered model across the full income spectrum.

Direct peers

• Cautioneo: French digital rental guarantee service providing subscription-based caution coverage for tenants. Competes head-to-head with Visale for the same young professional and employee segments through online onboarding.
• Garantme: French rental guarantee provider serving young professionals, employees, and students with a digital subscription model. Direct competitor to Visale offering a paid alternative in the same target market with similar value proposition for tenants and landlords.

Emerging players

• Studapart: French student housing platform with verified listings, document management, and rental guarantee features for students. Adjacent to Visale in the student housing segment and a partner for housing application workflows.
• Studely: France-based international student services platform offering housing search, banking, and rental guarantee products for international students. Overlaps with Visale's student tenant segment and partnership ecosystem (including Action Logement-linked offerings).

Others

• DossierFacile: French government-backed platform that standardizes tenant application documents for landlords. Listed Visale partner and adjacent ecosystem participant that simplifies the rental file workflow Visale's certified visa plugs into.
• Loca-Pass (Action Logement): Sister Action Logement service providing interest-free deposit loans to tenants. Operates alongside Visale within the same institutional parent and targets the same housing access mission, often bundled or cross-promoted.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Visale_fr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyg7lFY-pBIrCYgyURvBeKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Visale.fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visale-fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visale