How to Rent an Apartment in France: English Guide

Renting an apartment in France for the first time, especially as a non-French speaker, is the moment most expatriates discover that France’s residential lease law is detailed, tenant-protective, and densely regulated. This guide explains, from a Gyoseishoshi (行政書士) document-preparation perspective, the practical step-by-step path to renting in France — Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, anywhere — under the loi du 6 juillet 1989 (the principal residential tenancy statute), with cross-references to the relevant articles and government URLs.

1. The legal framework

The principal residential lease statute is loi n° 89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 tendant à améliorer les rapports locatifs, often called simply la loi du 6 juillet 1989 or the “loi Mermaz” or, after 2014 amendments, partially the loi ALUR. It governs unfurnished principal residence leases. Furnished principal residence leases are governed by the same statute since 2014, with shorter minimum terms.

Primary source — loi 89-462: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000006069108/

Tenancy is also governed by:

• Code civil (general contract law)
• Code de la construction et de l’habitation (decent-housing standards)
• Décret n° 87-712 du 26 août 1987 (list of repairs at tenant’s expense)

For Paris and the most heavily-rented cities, additional rent control (encadrement des loyers) rules apply.

2. Furnished vs unfurnished — choose carefully

For tenants seeking flexibility, furnished is dramatically more convenient: 1-year term, 1-month notice. For tenants seeking long-term stability, unfurnished is the standard choice.

3. Required documents (dossier)

To apply for an apartment in France, you assemble a dossier de location. The list of documents the landlord may request is strictly limited by décret n° 2015-1437 du 5 novembre 2015:

Identity:

• Passport, French national ID, or residence permit (titre de séjour)

Proof of address (justificatif de domicile):

• Last 3 utility bills, OR
• Lease at current residence, OR
• Domiciliation certificate

Proof of professional activity:

• Employment contract OR
• Last 3 pay slips OR
• Proof of self-employment (Kbis if business owner) OR
• Student ID

Proof of resources:

• Last 3 pay slips, OR
• Last 2 tax assessments (avis d’imposition), OR
• Proof of social-benefit income, OR
• Bank statements (only for self-employed)

The landlord cannot request documents outside the décret 2015-1437 list. Common illegal requests include: photographs, family record book (livret de famille), criminal record, medical records, copies of bank cards. If a landlord requests these, the tenant should refuse and document the request.

Primary source — décret 2015-1437 (allowed documents): https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000031421567/

4. Guarantor (garant)

Most landlords require a garant (guarantor) who agrees to pay rent if the tenant defaults. The guarantor signs a separate document — acte de cautionnement — and provides their own dossier with the same document categories as the tenant.

Many young professionals and students rely on the Visale guarantee offered by Action Logement — a free public guarantee that covers rent default for tenants under 30 or in their first job:

Primary source — Visale: https://www.visale.fr/

Visale is widely accepted by landlords in 2026 and eliminates the need for a personal guarantor.

5. Rent control — encadrement des loyers

Several French cities apply encadrement des loyers (rent control) under the loi ALUR (2014) as expanded by the loi ELAN (2018):

• Paris (since July 2019)
• Lille / Hellemmes / Lomme (since March 2020)
• Lyon and Villeurbanne (since November 2021)
• Bordeaux (since July 2022)
• Plaine Commune (since June 2021)
• Est Ensemble (since December 2021)
• Montpellier (since July 2022)

Under encadrement, the listed rent for an apartment cannot exceed the loyer de référence majoré (reference rent + 20%) calculated from public data on the apartment’s location, size, year built, and furnished status. The observatoire des loyers publishes the reference rent for each zone.

Primary source — encadrement des loyers Paris: https://www.paris.fr/pages/le-loyer-encadre-est-de-retour-a-paris-7022 Primary source — service-public.fr encadrement: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1314

If the rent in the lease exceeds the reference + 20%, the tenant may apply to the prefect of the relevant department for a rent reduction. The application is free and no representation is required.

6. The lease (bail) — mandatory content

Under article 3 of the loi du 6 juillet 1989, the lease must specify:

1. Identity of landlord and tenant
2. Property address
3. Surface area in square meters (Carrez Law — Loi Carrez applies to copropriétés)
4. Description of the property and dependencies (cave, parking, balcon)
5. Date of lease commencement
6. Lease term
7. Monthly rent and how it is reviewed
8. Charges récupérables (recoverable charges) and the method of payment (provision or actual)
9. Deposit amount
10. Information about the energy performance diagnostic (DPE)
11. Information about lead-based paint (CREP) for pre-1949 buildings
12. Information about asbestos for pre-1997 buildings
13. List of repairs at tenant’s expense (décret 87-712)
14. Information about the rent control reference (where applicable)

The Ministry of Housing publishes a standard lease form (bail-type) that is widely used:

Primary source — Bail-type government model: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R1768

7. The diagnostics dossier (DDT)

Before signing, the landlord must provide the dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT):

• DPE (diagnostic de performance énergétique) — energy performance, validity 10 years
• CREP (constat de risque d’exposition au plomb) — lead exposure risk, pre-1949 buildings, validity 6 years if positive / unlimited if negative
• ERP (état des risques et pollutions) — natural / technological / pollution risks, validity 6 months
• Asbestos diagnostic — pre-1997 buildings
• Gas / electricity diagnostics — installations over 15 years old
• Loi Carrez surface measurement — copropriétés only

A lease without the DDT is voidable at the tenant’s option in some scenarios. The DPE in particular has become highly significant after 2023 reforms — apartments classified G are progressively prohibited from being rented (since 1 January 2025 in some categories).

8. État des lieux (inventory of fixtures)

At move-in, landlord and tenant prepare an état des lieux d’entrée documenting the unit’s condition. At move-out, an état des lieux de sortie is prepared and compared to the move-in document. Differences (beyond ordinary wear and tear) can be deducted from the deposit.

The état des lieux is required by article 3-2 of the loi 89-462. If the landlord refuses or fails to prepare one, the tenant should:

1. Send a registered letter requesting it
2. If still refused, hire a commissaire de justice (formerly huissier) to prepare an état des lieux at the landlord’s expense

9. Deposit (dépôt de garantie)

Under article 22 of the loi 89-462:

• Maximum 1 month rent (excluding charges) for unfurnished
• Maximum 2 months rent (excluding charges) for furnished
• Returned within 1 month of move-out if no deduction
• Returned within 2 months of move-out if deductions claimed
• After the 2-month deadline, late interest of 10% per month of unpaid deposit accrues

The 2-month deadline is one of the most heavily litigated points in French residential lease practice. Landlords missing the deadline routinely lose at the commission départementale de conciliation (free mediation body) or in tribunal judiciaire.

10. Monthly costs — rent + charges

Total monthly cost includes:

• Loyer (rent)
• Charges récupérables (recoverable charges — common-area cleaning, water, heating if collective, lift)
• Taxe d’habitation — eliminated for primary residence as of 2023, still applies to secondary residences
• Renter’s insurance (assurance habitation) — mandatory under article 7g of the loi 89-462
• Internet / phone / electricity / gas — separate utility contracts

Charges are typically paid as a provision sur charges (estimated monthly amount) reconciled annually based on actual costs.

11. Tenant’s right to terminate

Under article 12 of the loi 89-462, the tenant may terminate the unfurnished lease at any time with:

• 3 months’ notice (general rule)
• 1 month’s notice in zone tendue (tense zone — most major French cities)

The notice must be sent by:

• Recommended letter with acknowledgment of receipt (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception), OR
• Bailiff service (signification par commissaire de justice), OR
• In-person delivery against receipt

For furnished tenancies, the notice is always 1 month under article 25-8 of the loi 89-462.

12. Landlord’s right to terminate

Under article 15 of the loi 89-462, the landlord may terminate at the end of the term only for one of three valid grounds:

1. Sale of the property (with right of first refusal to the tenant)
2. Repossession for landlord’s or close family’s residence (reprise pour habiter)
3. Serious or legitimate ground (e.g., unpaid rent, repeated material breach)

Notice must be 6 months before end of term, by registered letter or bailiff service.

For furnished tenancies, the landlord’s notice is 3 months under article 25-8.

13. Common pitfalls for non-French speakers

1. Assuming “first month rent + 1 month deposit” — that’s correct only for unfurnished; furnished is 2 months deposit
2. Signing without DPE — reduces leverage if heating costs are high
3. Skipping the état des lieux — defaults the move-out condition assumption
4. Forgetting renter’s insurance — landlord may terminate for breach of article 7g
5. Paying rent in cash without receipt — always pay by transfer (virement); ask for written receipts (quittances de loyer)
6. Not obtaining quittances — required to prove rent payment for visa applications, mortgage applications, etc.

14. Visa and residency considerations

Foreign tenants on a French residence permit:

• Can rent on the same terms as French nationals
• Must provide titre de séjour as identity
• Should ask landlord for attestation d’hébergement if hosting another resident permit holder
• May use the Visale guarantee if eligible

A signed lease + quittances de loyer is required by most prefectures for residence permit renewals. Keep all rent receipts for at least 3 years.

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Disclaimer

Legal information, not legal advice. MmowW Scrib🐮 is operated by a licensed Gyoseishoshi (行政書士) office in Japan. We are not French avocats.

Sources

1. Loi 89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000006069108/
2. Décret 2015-1437 (allowed documents) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000031421567/
3. service-public.fr — https://www.service-public.fr/
4. service-public.fr (encadrement des loyers) — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1314
5. Bail-type government model — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R1768
6. Visale guarantee — https://www.visale.fr/
7. Paris encadrement des loyers — https://www.paris.fr/pages/le-loyer-encadre-est-de-retour-a-paris-7022
8. Legifrance main — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/