What FASTT is, and what it is not
FASTT (Fonds d'action sociale du travail temporaire) is the social-action fund of France's temporary-work sector. Its website describes aids and services for agency workers covering housing, credit, health cover, mobility and childcare.
It does not lend the money itself. A loan still comes from a bank, a credit institution or an approved social lender, and that lender alone decides whether to say yes.
Services that affect a borrowing plan
For a temporary worker, the obstacle to credit is often the perceived stability of the file rather than the interest rate. Several FASTT services work on that, even though none is a loan.
Eligibility rules, such as hours worked or seniority with agencies, change over time and are not reproduced here. Check each service page on the fund's website or ask your agency.
- Housing space: a search tool built around your profile, listings, a housing adviser and an online file you can send to landlords.
- Emergency housing during assignments: temporary accommodation when a mission takes you far from home and double rent would strain your budget.
- Credit and financial-difficulty pages: information and options for regaining control before a missed payment damages your record.
Housing first, borrowing second
Agencies and landlords sometimes turn temporary workers down because of their status, even when the paperwork is complete. A lender looking at a personal or mortgage application will ask where you live and what you pay, so an unstable housing situation weakens everything else.
Action Logement, a separate organisation, runs the free Visale guarantee, which protects a landlord against unpaid rent. Its official page lists age, net-salary and job-situation criteria and does not name agency workers explicitly, so a phone call with your assignment contracts settles the question before you plan around it.
How a lender reads a run of assignments
Underwriters look for regularity. They ask for the assignment contracts of the past year, payslips, the length of gaps between missions and how long you have worked with the same agency. An average monthly income carries more weight than the last payslip.
End-of-assignment and holiday-pay allowances appear on the payslip. Some lenders count them as income and others do not, so ask before you apply; the answer changes the monthly payment you can reasonably show.
The national housing-information body ANIL notes that agency workers face the same conditions as people on permanent or fixed-term contracts and that banks assess each request individually. Status is not an automatic bar, but repayment capacity must be demonstrated.
A worked scenario
Picture a construction temp who has taken assignments through one agency for two years, with a short winter pause. A used car would let him accept sites further away.
Before applying, he asks the agency for a summary of his missions, works out an average monthly income, checks whether any past incident could appear in the French repayment-incident register, and tests a monthly payment he could still carry during a quiet month. The case is illustrative; each lender sets its own rules.
Other doors: local advisers and regulated loans
ADIL offices (departmental housing information agencies) give free advice and a financial diagnosis. That is useful before a purchase because it fixes your deposit, notary fees and debt ceiling.
Depending on income, regulated loans may apply: the zero-rate loan (PTZ), the eco-PTZ for energy works, the social home-ownership loan and loans linked to housing savings plans. Action Logement lists its own loans for private-sector employees; whether agency workers qualify has to be confirmed with them, as public pages do not always say.
A sensible order of steps
A methodical approach avoids a string of refusals, which tire you out and leave traces in credit checks.
- Find out which FASTT aids you qualify for given your recent assignments.
- Gather assignment contracts, payslips, tax notices and bank statements.
- Cost the project, your deposit and a payment that survives a slow month.
- Compare at least three offers on total cost: rate, insurance, arrangement fees.
- Apply to one lender at a time and add a short note explaining how your missions follow one another.
Watch for fees paid in advance
Agency workers are a favourite target for intermediaries who ask for money before releasing a loan or promise approval whatever the file looks like. A regulated lender does not charge a fee up front to release credit and cannot promise an answer before reviewing you.
Check that any firm appears on the French ORIAS register, and prefer contacts reached through FASTT's or Action Logement's own sites over offers arriving by text message.
Frequently asked questions
Does FASTT lend money directly?
No. FASTT is a social-action fund that informs, guides and provides services such as its housing space. Loans come from banks or approved organisations. Read the credit section of the FASTT site for the solutions available and their current conditions.
Do I need a minimum number of hours to use FASTT services?
Some services depend on your recent activity as a temporary worker, but thresholds differ by scheme and change over time. The reliable route is to open the page of the service you want on the FASTT site or ask your agency.
Can temporary workers get the Visale guarantee?
The Action Logement page sets criteria based on age, salary and job situation but does not explicitly mention agency work. Contact the Visale service with your assignment contracts to get a precise answer for your own case.
Is a loan refusal final for a temporary worker?
No. A refusal often reflects how a lender reads income stability. You can strengthen the file with an agency statement, a larger deposit, a co-borrower or a shorter term, and then apply elsewhere.
Useful organisations and links
- FASTT – Fonds d'action sociale du travail temporaireAids and services for French temp workers: housing, credit, health cover, mobility, childcare; includes FAQ and contact.
- Action Logement – Visale guaranteeFree rental guarantee: eligibility criteria, unpaid rent covered, how to apply and contact.
Links to third-party organisations with no commercial tie to this site. Always check the conditions with them directly.