Residential Renting
Renting a dwelling used as a primary residence is governed by Act No. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, deeply reshaped by the ALUR Act of 24 March 2014. This framework is a matter of public policy: landlord and tenant cannot depart from it by contract, even by mutual agreement. The law distinguishes two regimes: the unfurnished rental (Title I of the Act) and the furnished rental (Title I bis, Articles 25-3 to 25-11), which differ on the lease duration, the amount of the security deposit, the notice period, and the treatment of charges. This guide answers the questions most frequently asked by tenants and landlords: amount and return of the security deposit, notice period for leaving, recoverable charges and their reconciliation, rent revision and rent control in tight-supply areas, duration and content of the lease, and inventory of fixtures at move-in and move-out. Each answer cites the applicable articles of law and flags the rules that change over time (zoning, rent controls, energy-performance timetables), so that you can always check the version in force.
All questions
The security deposit is capped at one month's rent excluding charges for unfurnished rentals and two months for furnished rentals. The landlord must return it within one month if the move-out inventory matches the move-in inventory, or two months if damage deductions are made.
The tenant's notice period is three months for unfurnished rentals, reduced to one month in tight-supply areas or in the cases provided for by Article 15 (relocation, job loss, first job, health reasons, RSA, AAH, social housing, domestic violence). For furnished rentals, it is one month in all cases.
Recoverable charges are exhaustively listed by Decree No. 87-713 of 26 August 1987: services related to the dwelling (water, collective heating, elevator), routine maintenance of common areas, and local taxes such as the household waste collection tax. Paid by provisions, they must be reconciled each year against supporting documents.
The rent can be revised only once a year, if the lease contains a revision clause, within the limit of the variation of the rent reference index (IRL) published by INSEE. In tight-supply areas, the cap on re-letting rents and, in certain cities, control of the level of rents apply in addition.
An unfurnished housing lease is concluded for a minimum of three years (six years if the landlord is a legal entity) and renews tacitly. A furnished lease lasts one year, reduced to nine months for a student, and the mobility lease covers one to ten months. The contract must comply with a regulatory model form.
The inventory of fixtures is drawn up jointly at the handover and the return of the keys, then annexed to the lease. The move-in/move-out comparison determines the deductions from the security deposit. Without a move-in inventory, the tenant is presumed to have received the dwelling in good repair.
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