French Lease Agreements 2026: Bail Nu vs Bail Meublé Complete Guide (English)

Last verified: 2026-05-02

If you own — or are about to buy — a residential property in France and intend to rent it out as the tenant’s principal residence, French law gives you three contract templates to choose from: bail nu (unfurnished), bail meublé (furnished), and bail mobilité (1–10 months for trainees and mobile professionals). The choice is not aesthetic. It determines the length of the lease (3 years vs 1 year vs 1–10 months), the security-deposit cap (1 month vs 2 months vs zero), the notice period the tenant owes you (1 or 3 months), and — critically in 2026 — whether you can rent the property at all under the DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique) progressive ban schedule of the Loi Climat et Résilience 2021. As of 1 January 2025, no class-G property may be the subject of a new lease or tacit renewal in metropolitan France. From 1 January 2028, the same applies to class F. This guide explains the three regimes side-by-side under Loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 (the Loi Mermaz, deeply amended by Loi Alur 2014 and Loi ELAN 2018), unpacks the encadrement-des-loyers (rent control) zones currently in force, walks through the dossier-de-diagnostic-technique (DDT) annexes that must accompany every contract, and warns about the most common mistakes we see English-speaking landlords make when renting in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Montpellier and the Pays Basque.

Quick Answer (TL;DR)

• Default unfurnished lease: bail nu — minimum 3 years (private landlord) or 6 years (legal entity); deposit cap 1 month rent excl. charges; tenant notice 3 months (1 in zone tendue); landlord notice 6 months — Loi 89-462 art. 10, 15-I, 22.
• Default furnished lease: bail meublé — minimum 1 year (9 months for student); deposit cap 2 months rent; tenant notice 1 month; landlord notice 3 months — Loi 89-462 art. 25-7, 25-8, 25-6.
• Bail mobilité: 1–10 months non-renewable; furnished mandatory; deposit forbidden; for students/trainees/mutations only — Loi 89-462 art. 25-12 to 25-18 (Loi ELAN 2018).
• Mandatory contract templates: Décret n°2015-587 (bail nu Annexe 1; bail meublé Annexe 2) and Décret n°2019-1019 (bail mobilité). Any clause in conflict is réputée non écrite (deemed unwritten) under art. 4.
• DPE schedule (métropole): class G banned from new lease since 1 Jan 2025; class F from 1 Jan 2028; class E from 1 Jan 2034 — Loi 89-462 art. 6 al. 4 (Loi Climat 2021 art. 160).
• Encadrement des loyers in force (2026): Paris, Lille, Plaine Commune, Est Ensemble, Lyon-Villeurbanne, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Pays Basque, Grenoble.
• Tenant KYC closed list: Décret n°2015-1437 — landlord may request only a closed list of documents; sanction up to €15,000.

Table of Contents

1. Overview: The Three Regimes
2. Legal Foundation: The Statutes You Need to Know
3. Choosing the Right Regime: Bail Nu vs Bail Meublé vs Bail Mobilité
4. Required Documents and Mandatory Annexes
5. Step-by-Step Process: From DPE to Hand-Over
6. Costs and Timeline
7. Common Mistakes (Gyoseishoshi Perspective)
8. After Signing: Ongoing Obligations
9. FAQ
10. Conclusion

1. Overview: The Three Regimes

The Loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 (commonly called Loi Mermaz, deeply amended by Loi Alur 2014 and Loi ELAN 2018) is the central statute for residential leases used as the tenant’s principal residence. It distinguishes three regimes, each governed by a separate Title of the law.

Out of scope of this guide: bail commercial (Code de commerce art. L.145-1 et seq. — for shops and offices), bail rural (Code rural — for farmland), bail de droit commun (Code civil 1709 — e.g., secondary residences not under Loi 89-462), location saisonnière (under 90 days, not a primary residence), and bail dérogatoire commercial.

A residential lease is a private contract — there is no government registration, no tax stamp, no notarial requirement (except for very long leases of more than 12 years, which fall under Code civil rules). However, several public bodies have a role:

2. Legal Foundation: The Statutes You Need to Know

The hierarchical principle of Loi 89-462 art. 4 is critical: any clause in a residential lease that contradicts articles 3, 6, 7, 22, 23, etc., is réputée non écrite — automatically void without the tenant having to challenge it. This is why using the Décret n°2015-587 contract templates is not optional in practice: deviating from the structure exposes the landlord to a clause-by-clause invalidation.

3. Choosing the Right Regime: Bail Nu vs Bail Meublé vs Bail Mobilité

Decision matrix

Bail nu — when to choose

Best when the property is unfurnished and the landlord wants stable, long-term tenants. The 3-year minimum (or 6 if landlord is a corporate entity) gives predictable cashflow but slightly less flexibility for repossession. Tax regime is revenus fonciers — taxed at the marginal income tax rate, deductions limited to actual expenses. Capital structure of rent: typically fully indexed to IRL (Indice de référence des loyers — INSEE) on the anniversary date.

Bail meublé — when to choose

Best when (i) the property is in a city with high turnover (students, young professionals); (ii) you want the LMNP / LMP tax regime, where rents are taxed as bénéfices industriels et commerciaux (BIC) and you can depreciate the property + furniture; (iii) you accept higher management overhead (fitting out and replacing furniture). The 1-year minimum (or 9 months for students under art. 25-7, with no tacit renewal) gives flexibility. Deposit can be 2 months. Furniture compliance is binding — Décret n°2015-981 lists 11 mandatory categories.

Bail mobilité — when to choose

Best when you want to monetise short-term professional stays (1–10 months) without being requalified as a tourist rental. The 11-month bar from a single tenant is hard to remember: the contract is not renewable to the same tenant; the same property can be re-let to a different mobilité tenant immediately. Eligible tenants only (art. 25-12, closed list): students, interns, professional training, apprenticeship, temporary mission of 1–10 months, professional mutation. No security deposit allowed (art. 25-14). The state guarantee Visale (Action Logement) is free for the tenant.

Furniture mandatory list (Décret n°2015-981)

For a bail meublé or bail mobilité, the property must contain at minimum:

1. Bedding (bed + duvet/blanket);
2. Shutters or curtains in bedrooms;
3. Oven or microwave;
4. Kitchen plates (gas/induction/electric);
5. Refrigerator;
6. Freezer or freezing compartment ≤ –6°C;
7. Sufficient cookware (pots, pans);
8. Dishes for everyday meals;
9. Dining table and chairs;
10. Lamps;
11. Cleaning equipment adapted to the property.

If any one of the eleven is missing, the lease may be requalified by the tenant as a bail nu — with a 3-year term and a 1-month deposit cap retroactively.

4. Required Documents and Mandatory Annexes

Mandatory clauses in a bail nu (Loi 89-462 art. 3 al. 1)

Mandatory annexes — dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT)

Under Loi 89-462 art. 3-3 and CCH art. L.271-4, the DDT must be attached at signing or renewal:

Mandatory information notice

Under Loi 89-462 art. 3 al. 7, an information notice on the rights and obligations of tenants and landlords must be attached. Content fixed by Arrêté du 29 mai 2015 modified by Arrêté du 16 février 2023.

État des lieux (entry / exit inspection)

Under Loi 89-462 art. 3-2:

• Mandatory at entry and exit;
• Drawn contradictoirement (in presence of both parties or their representatives);
• Free if drafted by the parties; capped fee of 3 €/m² if drafted by an huissier (commissaire de justice) — Décret n°2014-890;
• Tenant may, within first 10 days, request additions; for heating only, within first month of heating season.

Tenant KYC — closed list (Décret n°2015-1437)

Under Décret n°2015-1437 (taken under Loi 89-462 art. 22-2), the landlord may request only a closed list of documents from the tenant and any guarantor:

• 1 ID document;
• 1 proof of professional activity;
• 1 proof of resources (3 last pay slips, OR last 2 tax notices, etc.);
• 1 proof of domicile.

Prohibited to request: medical record, criminal record, marital contract, multiple guarantors when Visale already covers, foreign-language original without translation, consent to direct debit at signing. Sanction: criminal fine up to €3,000 (€15,000 legal entity) — Loi 89-462 art. 1 al. 5.

5. Step-by-Step Process: From DPE to Hand-Over

Step 1 — Pre-letting checks (Day 0)

1. Confirm the property is rentable under the DPE progressive ban schedule below.
2. Check zone tendue / encadrement status — https://www.service-public.fr/simulateur/calcul/zones-tendues — used to determine notice period and rent caps.
3. Order or reuse DDT diagnostics if older than validity.
4. Identify the legal owner if landlord is corporate (must match the property title).

Step 2 — DPE compliance check (Loi Climat 2021)

Under Loi Climat et Résilience 2021 art. 160 (Loi 89-462 art. 6 modified) and Décret n°2023-796:

Critical for landlords: the starting point of these dates is the start of a new lease (signature) or tacit renewal — leases already in force when the date arrives are not retroactively prohibited but cannot be renewed for the same energy class. A class-G lease signed in December 2024 may continue into 2026 and beyond, but at the term you cannot tacitly renew without an energy retrofit.

Step 3 — Encadrement des loyers check

Under Loi 89-462 art. 17 and Loi ELAN art. 140 (extended by Loi 3DS to 2026 and being re-examined for further extension), zones where encadrement applies as of 2026 include:

• Paris (since 2019);
• Lille (since 2020);
• Plaine Commune, Est Ensemble (since 2021);
• Lyon-Villeurbanne (since 2021);
• Montpellier (since 2022);
• Bordeaux (since 2022);
• Pays Basque (Décret n°2023-981, since 2023);
• Grenoble (Décret n°2024-330, since 2024).

In these zones the contract must mention three values published yearly by préfecture:

• Loyer de référence;
• Loyer de référence majoré (+20%);
• Loyer de référence minoré (–30%).

The rent cannot exceed the loyer de référence majoré, except a complément de loyer is permitted under art. 17 al. 7 if the property has exceptional characteristics (must be precisely justified in the contract). The tenant may challenge a complément within 3 months before the CDC.

Step 4 — Rédaction & signature

The contract must be:

• In writing (art. 3 al. 1) — verbal lease is valid but unenforceable for non-essential clauses;
• Signed by all co-tenants and all co-landlords;
• Initialled on each page; dated;
• Annexed with: DDT, notice d’information, état des lieux d’entrée, inventaire mobilier (meublé), acte de cautionnement (if any).

Electronic signature is permitted under C. civ. art. 1366 and 1367 (eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014). The 14-day cooling-off period of consumer law does NOT apply to residential leases between private parties (Code de la consommation L.121-21 excludes immobilier residential).

Step 5 — Receipt of dépôt de garantie

Article 22 caps the deposit:

• Bail nu: maximum 1 month rent (hors charges);
• Bail meublé: maximum 2 months rent (hors charges);
• Bail mobilité: 0 — prohibited.

The deposit is non-interest-bearing and not revisable during the lease (art. 22 al. 2). It must be returned within 1 month if the exit inspection is concordant, or 2 months if not (art. 22 al. 5). Each month of delay triggers a +10% of monthly rent automatic penalty (art. 22 al. 9).

Step 6 — Sign and hand over

Hand over keys against the signed lease + état des lieux d’entrée + dépôt de garantie. The lease is effective from the date stated.

6. Costs and Timeline

Costs (2026)

Timeline

7. Common Mistakes (Gyoseishoshi Perspective)

Mistake 1 — Renting an F/G property in 2026

Class G housing has been prohibited from new lease in metropolitan France since 1 January 2025 under Loi 89-462 art. 6 al. 4. The lease may be challenged as logement non décent; the tenant may demand rent reduction or works; the municipality may intervene. Fix: run a fresh DPE before signing; if F or G, schedule the energy retrofit (PrimeRénov’ aids available) before signing the new lease.

Mistake 2 — Asking the tenant for a forbidden document

Penalty up to €3,000 (€15,000 if legal entity) under Loi 89-462 art. 1 al. 5. Fix: strict use of Décret n°2015-1437 closed list. The Scrib🐮 KYC checklist enforces this automatically.

Mistake 3 — Security deposit of 2 months on bail nu

Excess is automatically due back; the tenant may request a refund with interest. Fix: Loi 89-462 art. 22 hard caps — 1 month for bail nu, 2 months for bail meublé, 0 for mobilité.

Mistake 4 — Notice period 1 month outside zone tendue

A tenant who gives 1 month notice outside a zone tendue actually owes 3 months rent. Fix: verify zone status via the service-public simulator. Conditions for 1-month notice (art. 15-I) apply only in zone tendue OR for specific reasons (loss of job, mutation, RSA recipient, health > 60 yo, victim of domestic violence).

Mistake 5 — Not attaching the notice d’information

The court may favour the tenant in disputes about clauses claimed to be ambiguous. Fix: append the official notice (Arrêté 29 May 2015 modified 16 February 2023). Scrib🐮 includes a fresh copy automatically.

Mistake 6 — Forgetting the surface (loi Boutin)

The tenant may sue for proportional rent reduction within 2 months of moving in if the surface habitable is not declared or is over-stated by more than 5%. Fix: measure the surface habitable per loi Boutin and state it precisely in the contract (art. 3-1).

Mistake 7 — Indexation without IRL reference

An indexation clause that does not explicitly reference the IRL published by INSEE is invalid; no rent revision possible. Fix: state explicitly “Le loyer sera révisé chaque année à la date anniversaire en fonction de la variation de l’indice de référence des loyers (IRL) publié par l’INSEE…” and specify the trimester used.

Mistake 8 — Bail meublé without compliant furniture

The lease is requalified as bail nu — 3 years term, 1 month deposit cap. Fix: match the 11-category list of Décret n°2015-981; document via inventory annex.

Mistake 9 — Forgetting tenant insurance check

The landlord cannot terminate for non-insurance unless the contract specifies a clause résolutoire under art. 24. Fix: include the standard clause and request annual proof of assurance habitation.

Mistake 10 — Cautionnement act non-conforming

Under Loi 89-462 art. 22-1 (post Décret 2022-1547 simplification), if mandatory mentions are missing from the acte de cautionnement, the act is null. Fix: use a 2022-onward template — it carries the simplified mentions.

8. After Signing: Ongoing Obligations

Landlord ongoing obligations

Tenant ongoing obligations

Lifecycle events

• Annual IRL revision letter;
• Charge reconciliation letter;
• Notice of landlord (vente / reprise / motif sérieux et légitime — art. 15-II);
• Notice of tenant (1 or 3 months);
• Renewal at term (tacit if no notice given 6 months before end);
• Release of dépôt de garantie;
• Recourse to CDC (commission départementale de conciliation).

9. FAQ

Q1. Can I rent a class G apartment in 2026? No, in metropolitan France since 1 January 2025. Loi 89-462 art. 6 al. 4 (as amended by Loi Climat 2021 art. 160) prohibits the rental of class G housing for any new lease or tacit renewal. From 1 January 2028 the same prohibition applies to class F. The G rent freeze (art. 17-2) has been in force since 24 August 2022, regardless of new lease or not.

Q2. Can the landlord and tenant agree that the apartment is decent? No. Under Loi 89-462 art. 4, any clause contradicting articles 3, 6, 7, 22, 23, etc., is réputée non écrite — automatically void without the parties’ agreement. The tenant retains all protective rights.

Q3. Do bail meublé and bail nu use the same template? No. Décret n°2015-587 has two separate annexes: Annexe 1 for vide, Annexe 2 for meublé. Critical differences: term (1 vs 3 years), deposit (2 vs 1 month), inventory mobilier annex required for meublé, notice period for tenant (always 1 month for meublé, 1 or 3 for nu).

Q4. What triggers eligibility for bail mobilité? Art. 25-12 closed list: students, interns, professional training, apprenticeship, temporary mission of 1–10 months, professional mutation. The landlord must collect proof at signing; if a tenant declared eligible turns out not to be, the lease may be requalified into bail meublé classique — with all consequences (1-year term, 2-month deposit, etc.).

Q5. If the tenant gives 3 months notice but the apartment is in a zone tendue, what happens? The tenant pays only 1 month under art. 15-I — 3 months notice in zone tendue is invalidly long. If the tenant actually leaves at month 1 and stops paying, the landlord cannot insist on 3 months. Conversely, if the tenant gave 3 months and changed mind at month 1, the landlord cannot force the tenant to stay; obligation to pay rent ceases at the end of the legal 1 month.

Q6. How does the landlord know the reference rent in encadrement zones? The préfet publishes a yearly arrêté with reference rents per zone (categories: type vide/meublé, number of rooms, year of construction, neighbourhood). For Paris see https://www.prefectures-regions.gouv.fr/ile-de-france/. The contract must mention loyer de référence, majoré (+20%), minoré (–30%), and any complément de loyer with detailed justification under art. 17 al. 7.

Q7. What is a complément de loyer and when can I add one? An exceptional surcharge over the loyer de référence majoré — allowed only if the property has characteristics of location or comfort that exceed the building’s standard (Loi 89-462 art. 17 al. 7). Examples allowed by case law: very large terrace, exceptional view, recent renovation. Examples rejected by judges: ordinary balcony, parking when plentiful in the area. The clause must precisely list the qualifying features. Tenant has 3 months to challenge before CDC.

Q8. What happens if the surface is missing from the contract? Under art. 3-1, if the surface habitable is not declared, the tenant can demand the landlord declare and rectify. If declared and reality is >5% less, the tenant may obtain a proportional rent reduction (effective from the date of the request — must be made within 2 months of moving in to be retroactive).

Q9. Can I recover the apartment to live in it myself? Yes — reprise pour habiter under art. 15-I al. 2. Permitted reasons: live in oneself, install a close family member (spouse, partner, child, parent, parent-in-law). Notice 6 months before end of term. Cannot be used in zone tendue if the bailleur is a legal entity. The notice must specify the identity of the future occupant. If the future occupant doesn’t actually move in within 1 year, criminal sanction up to €30,000 fine — Loi 89-462 art. 15-IV.

Q10. Can the lease be electronic? Yes. C. civ. art. 1366 and 1367 recognise electronic written form. The signature must be qualifiée or avancée under eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014 to ensure full evidential value. Scrib🐮 outputs both Word and PDF — the parties can sign with DocuSign, Yousign, etc.

Q11. How is the dépôt de garantie returned at the end of the lease? Art. 22 al. 5: returned within 1 month if the exit état des lieux is concordant with the entry; otherwise within 2 months. Each month of delay triggers an automatic 10% of monthly rent penalty (art. 22 al. 9). The landlord may withhold reasonable amounts for tenant-attributable damage (réparations locatives — Décret 87-712) and unpaid charges. Withholding must be substantiated (invoices or estimates).

Q12. Are tourist rentals (Airbnb-style) covered by Loi 89-462? No. Locations meublées de courte durée (under 90 days, not as principal residence) fall under CCH art. L.324-1-1 and municipal regulations (e.g., changement d’usage in Paris under CCH L.631-7). They are not governed by Loi 89-462. Be careful not to repeatedly let the same property under bail mobilité if the real intent is short-stay tourism — judges may requalify and impose tourist-rental sanctions.

10. Conclusion

Renting a residential property in France in 2026 is more regulated than in any other major EU jurisdiction — and 2025–2034 is a decade of progressive tightening because of the Loi Climat. The DPE schedule (G banned 2025, F banned 2028, E banned 2034) means that every landlord with an F or G property has a hard deadline to decide between energy retrofit, sale, or stop-renting. The encadrement zones now cover most of France’s major rental markets — Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Montpellier, Pays Basque, Grenoble — and the rent caps published yearly by the préfectures are not negotiable. The good news: once you have the right contract template (Décret n°2015-587 for nu/meublé; Décret n°2019-1019 for mobilité), the right diagnostics file, and the right tenant KYC documents, the lease is straightforward to draft, sign, and operate.

The choice between bail nu, bail meublé, and bail mobilité is the single most consequential decision for a French landlord. Bail nu is the safest default for stable long-term renting; bail meublé unlocks the LMNP/LMP tax regime but requires Décret 2015-981 furniture compliance; bail mobilité is a flexible 1–10-month tool restricted to a closed list of eligible tenants. In all three cases, the tenant-protection floor of Loi 89-462 art. 4 means clauses contrary to the law are automatically void — you cannot contract out.

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Disclaimer

This article provides legal information, not legal advice. MmowW Scrib🐮 is a Document Preparation Service operated by a licensed Gyoseishoshi (行政書士) office in Japan. We are not avocats, notaires, agents immobiliers, or any French regulated profession. For complex situations — bail commercial, properties under co-ownership rules, encadrement complément de loyer disputes, evictions, or reprise pour habiter litigation — we recommend consulting a French avocat or huissier (commissaire de justice). The information in this article is verified as of 2026-05-02; French housing law changes frequently — always verify current rules against the official sources below.

Sources

1. Loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 (Loi Mermaz — current consolidated) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000000509310
2. Loi 89-462 art. 3 (mandatory mentions) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000039369598
3. Loi 89-462 art. 4 (clauses prohibited) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000028806566/
4. Loi 89-462 art. 7 (tenant duties) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000043977124
5. Loi 89-462 art. 8 (sub-letting) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000028806569
6. Loi 89-462 art. 10 (term) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000028806675/
7. Loi 89-462 art. 22 (deposit) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000028806696/2014-03-27
8. Loi 89-462 art. 22-1 (cautionnement) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000044073458
9. Loi 89-462 art. 25-8 (notice meublé) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000031009719/
10. Décret n°2015-587 (contracts types) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000030649868
11. Décret n°2023-796 (DPE Outre-mer + adaptations) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/decret/2023/8/18/TREL2224229D/jo/texte
12. Arrêté du 29 mai 2015 (notice d’information) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000030649916
13. Décret n°2017-1198 (variation rules — extended until 31 July 2026) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000035315236
14. Service-public — bail vide rédaction — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F35109/0_0?idFicheParent=F920
15. Service-public — encadrement des loyers — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1314
16. Service-public — DPE actualité — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A14608
17. Ministère de la Transition écologique — DPE/passoires — https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/diagnostic-performance-energetique-dpe

Last verified: 2026-05-02 — MmowW Scrib🐮 — Gyoseishoshi-operated Document Preparation Service