The CAF rent certificate is the official form (Cerfa n° 10842) that the landlord fills out and signs to allow their tenant to receive housing assistance: APL, ALS, or ALF. Without this document sent to the CAF, no rights can be opened or maintained. The landlord certifies the actual occupancy of the housing, the amount of rent excluding charges, and the characteristics of the lease.
Online declaration of rents via the CAF Landlord Space
Competing guides often present the rent certificate as a paper Cerfa to be filled out only once. The reality has changed. Since 2025, the CAF has been generalizing the annual online rent declaration via the online Landlord Space. Each year, landlords receive an invitation by email or mail to declare the reference rent and update several elements in a single operation.
This annual campaign transforms the certificate into a recurring process. In addition to the rent, the landlord can report online a change of roommate, a tenant’s departure, an end of management, or a rent arrears. Using the Landlord Space speeds up the processing of the file and reduces the risk of errors compared to the paper form.
For owners managing few properties, it is still possible to send the Cerfa by mail. The online version does not replace the form; it complements it. Before filling out a rent certificate on paper, check if the Landlord Space already offers a pre-filled form to save time.
Cerfa 10842: sections to complete without error
The Cerfa 10842 form is divided into several blocks. Each incorrectly filled section can delay the payment of assistance, sometimes by several weeks. Here are the sections that pose the most difficulties.
Contact details of the landlord and tenant
The landlord must enter their name, first name (or company name), address, and, if applicable, the tenant’s beneficiary number if already known. The names must match exactly those on the lease. A discrepancy between the name on the Cerfa and that registered with the CAF triggers a blockage of the file.
Characteristics of the housing and amount of rent
The landlord must specify the type of rental (unfurnished, furnished, shared housing), the effective date of the lease, and the date of entry into the premises. The amount of rent excluding charges is the central data: it is on this basis that the CAF calculates the assistance. The rental charges are indicated separately.
A point often overlooked: the mention of the convention of the housing. If the housing is subject to an agreement with the State (conventioned APL), the landlord checks the corresponding box. Omitting this information can direct the tenant towards ALS instead of APL, with a different amount of assistance.
Relationship and payment situation
The form asks if there is a familial relationship between the landlord and tenant. The CAF requires this to verify eligibility for assistance: a tenant renting from a direct ancestor or descendant has restricted rights. Any false declaration on this point exposes one to penalties.
The section on the payment situation allows the landlord to report any rent arrears. Since recent regulatory changes, an arrear equivalent to two months’ rent triggers a mandatory report to the CAF, which can then activate measures to maintain the tenant in the housing.
Direct payment of APL to the landlord: what the certificate unlocks
Beyond calculating the tenant’s rights, the rent certificate conditions a mechanism that many landlords underestimate: third-party payment. To obtain the direct payment of APL to the landlord’s account, the landlord must provide, in addition to the dedicated Cerfa (n° 11362*04), a correctly filled rent certificate and a bank account details (RIB).
This process can be done online via the Landlord Space or by mail. Without the transmitted certificate, third-party payment cannot be set up, even if the tenant has already obtained their rights. The landlord then receives the assistance late, or not at all if the tenant does not return the amount.
In practice, a landlord who delays in providing the certificate takes a direct financial risk. The CAF pays the assistance to the tenant by default. If the tenant accumulates payment delays, the landlord has no safety net.
Common errors and consequences on the CAF file
Some errors consistently appear in rent certificates and cause rejections or processing delays.
- Indicating the rent including charges instead of the rent excluding charges. The CAF recalculates the assistance downwards or requests a correction, which delays the first payment.
- Forgetting to check the “convention” box when the housing is conventioned APL. The tenant ends up directed towards a less advantageous aid.
- Not updating the certificate during an annual rent revision. The assistance remains calculated on the old amount, creating a discrepancy during the CAF’s annual review.
- Signing the document without dating it. A Cerfa without a date is considered incomplete and is systematically returned.
The processing time depends on the completeness of the file. A complete file from the first submission avoids several additional weeks of waiting. The CAF processes requests from the date of submission of the file, not from the date of moving in. Any delay in transmitting the certificate postpones the start of the payment accordingly.
For residents in a shelter (student residence, youth worker hostel), it is the manager of the establishment who fills out the corresponding part of the same Cerfa 10842 form. The tenant does not have to provide a separate document in this case.
One last point to keep in mind: the rent certificate is not a receipt. The receipt proves that the tenant has paid their rent. The certificate certifies the rental situation with the CAF. Confusing the two documents remains one of the most common causes of incomplete files.
