France's national intergenerational homesharing charter, point by point

Where the charter comes from

The 2018 ELAN law asked the ministers for housing and for older people to adopt a national charter by joint order. That order was signed on 13 January 2020 and published two days later, over a year after the law.

Its legal basis is Article L.118-1 of the French Social Action and Families Code. The charter therefore does not rewrite the contract signed by host and guest. It addresses the organisations that choose to adhere to it and accompany homesharing pairs.

Who is bound by it?

Matching bodies that sign up to it: nonprofits, local social services and similar structures. A host and a young person who agree privately are not directly bound, although the charter remains a useful checklist for anyone setting up a homeshare in France without an intermediary.

The two stated aims

First, to prevent isolation among older people and to help them remain at home as long as possible. Second, to let young people find housing in return for a modest financial contribution, on terms set out in the contract they sign with their host.

How it compares with standards abroad

In the UK, homeshare standards come from the sector itself: Homeshare UK and the global Homeshare International network rely on shared good practice among member programmes. The French text is unusual in giving such standards an official footing through a ministerial order.

Every commitment, decoded

The heart of the order lists what an adhering organisation promises. The table sets each commitment against its practical meaning and a simple test that a host, a guest or a relative living abroad can apply before trusting an organisation.

What the charter says about help in the home

Adhering organisations must make clear that small services will never amount to nursing care. Washing, and handing out or supervising medication, are named as excluded. The young person never replaces a home help or a health professional, which mirrors the UK rule against personal care.

Motivation matters

Organisations must ensure that both sides commit out of mutual help and a wish to live together, rather than a purely financial calculation. They also monitor compliance with the signed contract, which gives them a recognised role when one party stops keeping their promises.

Inspecting the room

Before any match, the organisation checks that the room is in good repair, presents no obvious risk to physical safety or health and meets housing hygiene and comfort standards. A photograph sent by email is not enough; someone should see the room in person.

Paying for an adhering organisation

The charter sets no fees. Cohabilis reports that its member bodies raised about 504,800 euros in 2025 and estimates that roughly one full-time staff member is needed for every 46 pairs set up and followed. Hosts and guests usually pay membership dues.

Volunteers keep costs down: the network counted more than 500 in its 2025 survey. In the UK, Homeshare UK also explains that participants pay fees to the matching scheme, describing them as significantly lower than other local housing or home-support options.

Who gains most from a charter-signing body?

Frail older people and their families, who value a home visit and a third party in case of conflict. Young people arriving from another country also benefit: the room has been seen, and someone answers the phone if things go wrong.

Questions to ask before joining

An organisation may claim to follow the charter without actually applying every one of its commitments. A few direct questions during the first contact reveal how serious the support really is, before any membership fee is paid.

1. Has the organisation formally adhered to the 2020 charter?
2. Will each candidate have an individual interview?
3. Will a team member visit the home?
4. Can the model contract and local charter be read before paying?
5. How often is follow-up provided, and by whom?
6. What happens if a conflict arises?

Common misunderstandings

English-language summaries and blogs sometimes present the French charter inaccurately, mixing it up with foreign care-for-housing models. These confusions create false expectations for hosts and guests alike, and they recur often enough to be worth listing.

• Believing the charter caps the payment.
• Thinking it sets a number of hours of presence.
• Confusing it with the contract signed by host and guest.
• Assuming commercial platforms can claim it like nonprofits.
• Forgetting that it expressly excludes care.

Questions about the charter

The answers below clarify what the 2020 order means in practice for families, older hosts, relatives abroad and young applicants, separating what the national text requires from what each organisation adds of its own accord.

Does the charter provide for mediation?

It asks organisations to advise the parties and ensure the contract is respected, without setting a formal procedure. Some local charters go further: one regional member of the Cohabilis network describes itself as a conventional mediator able to help resolve disputes.

What if the host loses autonomy?

The organisation should then check that professional services are in place. Regional charters add that the young person cannot become a sick-room attendant or take over the visits and support normally provided by the host's family.

Must the young person sign the charter?

The young person is not a party to the ministerial order. An organisation may, however, make its support conditional on joining and signing its own charter and the contract, as most members of the Cohabilis network do.

Has the charter changed since 2020?

The sources consulted in October 2026 mention no new version of the order. Cohabilis refers only to a 2025 legal note, written with the national union of municipal social action centres, which offers recommendations without binding force.