How to Create a French Furnished Lease (Bail Meublé)

A bail meublé is the regime governing residential leases of furnished housing used as the tenant’s principal residence. It sits in Title Ier bis of Loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 (art. 25-3 to 25-11), with Décret n°2015-587 Annexe 2 prescribing the standardised contract type. This step-by-step guide walks through the eleven categories of mandatory furniture (Décret n°2015-981), the inventory annex, the dépôt de garantie cap, and the differences from bail nu — with article numbers throughout.

1. Confirm the Bail Meublé Regime Applies

Under Loi 89-462 art. 25-3, the bail meublé regime applies if all the following are met:

• Property used as the tenant’s résidence principale (principal residence — at least 8 months/year);
• Property is furnished to a defined minimum standard (Décret n°2015-981);
• Lease entered into for at least 1 year (or 9 months for a student under art. 25-7).

If any condition fails, a different regime applies:

• Not principal residence → Code civil art. 1709 (bail de droit commun);
• Short-term holiday lets (< 90 days) → outside Loi 89-462;
• Insufficient furniture → lease may be requalified as bail nu by the tribunal — with consequences: 3-year term, 1-month deposit cap, no inventaire mobilier.

2. Verify the Property Has the Eleven Furniture Categories (Décret n°2015-981)

Under Décret n°2015-981 du 31 juillet 2015, a bail meublé requires at minimum:

1. Bedding — bed + duvet or blanket;
2. Shutters or curtains in the bedrooms;
3. Plates to eat;
4. Cookware sufficient for the meal;
5. Glasses, mugs, bowls as appropriate;
6. Cutlery for the meal;
7. Stove or hot plate to cook;
8. Oven or microwave;
9. Refrigerator with freezer compartment (≤ –6°C);
10. Table and chairs (dining set);
11. Lamps in each room + cleaning equipment for the floor type.

Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000030982463/

If even one category is missing, the lease may be requalified as bail nu by the tribunal — with consequences for term, deposit, and notice.

3. Prepare the Inventory (Inventaire Mobilier)

Under Loi 89-462 art. 25-5, every bail meublé requires an inventaire mobilier — a detailed annex listing every piece of furniture and equipment with its condition and (recommended) photographs.

Best-practice contents:

• Item-by-item list per room;
• Quantity, brand, model, condition (neuf / bon état / usé);
• Photographs of each room and each item of significant value;
• Signature of both parties on each page.

The inventory functions like the état des lieux d’entrée under art. 3-2 — it is the principal evidence at end-of-lease for damage claims.

4. Use Décret n°2015-587 Annexe 2 — The Standard Contract

The Décret n°2015-587 du 29 mai 2015 prescribes a standardised contract type for bail meublé. Annexe 2 is mandatory: any clause in conflict is réputée non écrite (deemed unwritten) under art. 4.

Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000030649868

Mandatory clauses (Annexe 2 + art. 25-3 importing the bail nu rules from art. 3):

• Identity of landlord and tenant;
• Date of effect and duration (≥ 1 year, or 9 months for student);
• Description of the property: address, type, surface area in m² (loi Boutin), nb of rooms;
• Equipment available;
• Use category — résidence principale meublée;
• Rent — amount + payment terms;
• Indexation clause (referencing IRL — INSEE);
• Security deposit (max 2 months rent, hors charges);
• Charges récupérables (provisions or forfait);
• Work done before;
• Operating area for landlord;
• Rent reference values (in zone d’encadrement) — loyer de référence + majoré + minoré.

5. The Term — One Year, Or Nine for Students

Under art. 25-7:

• Standard bail meublé: 1 year, with tacit renewal;
• Student bail meublé (signed with a tenant declaring student status): 9 months, no tacit renewal — ends automatically at term;
• Bail mobilité (Title Ier ter, art. 25-12): 1–10 months, no renewal — different regime.

The choice is at the time of signature; it cannot be changed mid-lease. If a student tenant ceases studies during the term, the lease continues to its 9-month term.

6. Cap the Dépôt de Garantie at 2 Months

Under art. 25-6, the security deposit for bail meublé is capped at 2 months rent (hors charges).

Compare:

• Bail nu — 1 month max (art. 22);
• Bail mobilité — 0 (prohibited under art. 25-14);
• Bail meublé — 2 months.

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

7. Notice Periods

Under art. 25-8:

• Tenant notice: 1 month, everywhere (no zone tendue distinction unlike bail nu);
• Landlord notice: 3 months, with one of the prescribed motifs (vente, reprise, motif sérieux).

The asymmetry — short tenant notice + longer landlord notice — is intentional and cannot be reversed by clause.

8. Annex the Mandatory Diagnostics (DDT)

Under art. 3-3 (imported by art. 25-3) and CCH art. L.271-4, the dossier de diagnostic technique must be attached:

• DPE — Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique (CCH L.126-26);
• ERP — État des Risques et Pollutions (C. environnement L.125-5);
• CREP — Lead exposure (CSP L.1334-5) — housing pre-1949;
• DAPP — Asbestos (CSP L.1334-13) — housing pre-1997;
• Diagnostic gaz — gas safety (CCH L.134-6) — installations >15 years;
• Diagnostic électrique — electrical safety (CCH L.134-7) — installations >15 years;
• Surface Boutin — habitable surface (art. 3-1).

Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000039369598

9. Attach the Notice d’Information

Under art. 3 al. 7 (imported by art. 25-3), 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.

Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000030649916

10. État des Lieux d’Entrée and de Sortie

Under art. 3-2, an entry inspection is mandatory:

• Drafted contradictoirement (in presence of both parties);
• Free if drafted by the parties;
• If drafted by huissier (commissaire de justice), capped at 3 €/m² under Décret n°2014-890.

The tenant has 10 days from entry to request additions; for heating, 1 month from start of heating season.

The same applies on exit. The two compared documents drive end-of-lease damage claims.

11. Tenant KYC — Use the Closed List Only

Under Décret n°2015-1437 (taken under art. 22-2), the landlord may request only:

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

Prohibited documents: medical record, criminal record, marital contract, multiple guarantors when Visale already covers, foreign-language original without translation. Sanction: criminal fine €3,000 (€15,000 legal entity) — art. 1 al. 5.

12. Encadrement des Loyers in Zones Concernées

If the property is in a designated zone (Paris, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Pays Basque, Grenoble, etc.), the rent must respect the loyer de référence majoré published by the préfet — with majoration meublé typically allowed (see our companion article on encadrement).

13. Rental of an F/G Class Property

Since 1 January 2025, a class G property cannot be relet (new lease or renewal) in métropole — Loi 89-462 art. 6 al. 4 / Loi Climat 2021 art. 160. From 1 January 2028, F also banned. Prior to those dates, F/G rent has been frozen since 24 August 2022 under art. 17-2.

14. The Sign-and-Hand-Over Workflow

1. Run DPE + DDT diagnostics; ensure compliance.
2. Verify zone tendue / encadrement via https://www.service-public.fr/simulateur/calcul/zones-tendues.
3. Check the property has all 11 furniture categories.
4. Draft bail meublé per Annexe 2 of Décret n°2015-587.
5. Compile DDT + notice d’information + inventaire mobilier.
6. Draft état des lieux d’entrée.
7. Tenant KYC under Décret n°2015-1437 closed list.
8. Sign in writing; both parties initial each page.
9. Receive dépôt de garantie (max 2 months hors charges).
10. Hand over keys against signed lease.

15. Common Mistakes

• Furniture not matching Décret 2015-981 → requalification to bail nu.
• Inventory missing or vague → impossible to claim damage at end of lease.
• Dépôt de garantie of 3 months → excess automatically refundable.
• 9-month student term used for non-student → invalid; tribunal will treat as 1-year.
• Notice period reversed (1 month landlord / 3 month tenant) → réputée non écrite under art. 4.

The bail meublé is a useful tool when used right — but the consequences of errors are severe. Get the inventory and the furniture standard right at signature, and the rest of the regime is straightforward.

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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 avocats, notaires, or any French regulated profession.

Sources

1. Loi n°89-462 art. 25-8 (notice meublé) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000031009719/
2. Décret n°2015-587 (contracts types) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000030649868
3. Arrêté du 29 mai 2015 (notice d’information) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000030649916
4. Loi 89-462 art. 3 (mandatory mentions) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI000039369598
5. Service-public — bail meublé — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F35109