Description
The ADIL (agences départementales d’information sur le logement) give free legal, financial and tax advice on housing in France: leases and rent, unpaid rent, co-ownership, buying a home, loans, housing benefit and renovation grants. Tenants, landlords, owners and buyers can all ask.
They are non-profit associations approved by the State, with a national centre, the ANIL, created in 1975. Each ADIL is funded mainly by its département, the State, Action Logement, the CAF, local councils and social housing bodies, and the département, the State and the mayors’ association sit on its board. In 2026 the network had 83 ADIL covering 92 départements, with more than 900 staff and 1,200 places where people are received, often in town halls. The ANIL counted more than 880,000 requests in 2025.
Advisers answer by phone, by e-mail or in person, on appointment or at drop-in sessions. The ADIL sell nothing and don’t negotiate on anyone’s behalf; they stay out of court cases and send people on to other bodies when a dispute has to be fought. The ANIL website adds fact sheets, model letters, a weekly expert Q&A and calculators for a loan, notary fees, a rent revision or a buy-to-let investment.
Strengths
- Free, personal advice from advisers who sell nothing, for tenants and landlords alike.
- Covers the whole of housing: leases and unpaid rent, co-ownership, buying, loans, taxes and renovation grants.
- Calculators for loans, notary fees and rent revisions, and model letters, on the ANIL website.
Weaknesses
- The ADIL inform but don’t act: no court case, no negotiation with a landlord or a bank.
- Not every département has an agency: in 2026, 83 ADIL covered 92 of the 101 départements.
- Opening hours, drop-in places and contact channels differ from one agency to the next.
Who it is for
Tenants in a dispute with their landlord, landlords unsure of the rules, and households about to buy or renovate who want a neutral answer before they sign.
Sources
- ANIL: Home, Qui sommes-nous ?, Le réseau des ADIL, ADIL de Paris, checked November 2026