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- ✓The standard rental contract is called a bail — usually 3 years for an empty flat, 1 year furnished;
- ✓Tenants typically need a dossier (income proof, ID, last 3 payslips) and sometimes a garant (guarantor);
- ✓The deposit (dépôt de garantie) is 1 month rent for empty, 2 months for furnished;
- ✓The état des lieux at move-in and move-out determines whether your deposit is refunded — be thorough.
Explore the housing guides
Four detailed guides cover every situation an expat is likely to face when looking for a place to live in France. The current page is the overview — pick the one that matches your need.
État des Lieux
The inventory of fixtures decides whether your deposit comes back. Free English template and online assistant inside.
Read guide →APL Housing Benefits via CAF
Who qualifies, how much you can get, and how to apply for the French housing allowance as an expat.
Read guide →Buying Property in France
From the offer to the acte de vente: notaire fees, surveys, financing and the timeline a non-resident should plan for.
Read guide →Student Accommodation
CROUS halls, private student residences, homestays and the workarounds for international students without a French garant.
Read guide →The French rental landscape
The French rental market is split into two legal regimes that look almost identical from the outside but differ on duration, deposit and notice. Picking the right one matters before you start filtering listings.
Empty (vide) versus furnished (meublé)
An empty rental (location vide) is the default long-term arrangement: a 3-year minimum lease, a 1-month deposit, and tenant-friendly notice rules. A furnished rental (location meublée) is shorter and more flexible: 1-year leases (or 9 months for a student lease), a 2-month deposit, and a different mandatory furniture inventory.
To qualify as meublé in the legal sense, the property must be equipped with a fixed list of items set by decree:
- ✓Bed and bedding;
- ✓Hob, plus an oven or microwave;
- ✓Fridge with a freezer compartment;
- ✓Dishes and cooking utensils;
- ✓Table and chairs;
- ✓Curtains in bedrooms, lighting and cleaning equipment.
Anything less is technically vide regardless of what the listing says.
Where expats typically live
Most English speakers cluster in a handful of neighbourhoods in each major city. They are not the cheapest, but they offer the best mix of transport, English-friendly services and existing expat networks:
Paris
Lyon
Bordeaux
Toulouse
Nice & Marseille
Where to find a flat
Portals, agencies and word of mouth
The French market is fragmented across a handful of dominant portals plus thousands of independent agencies. Listings overlap heavily, so spreading the search across two or three channels covers almost everything available:
- →SeLoger — the largest portal, dominated by agency listings;
- →LeBonCoin — the French Craigslist, mixes private listings and agencies, watch for scams;
- →PAP (Particulier à Particulier) — direct landlord listings only, no agency fees;
- →High-street agencies (agences immobilières) — useful for off-market listings and for tenants without a complete French dossier;
- →Word of mouth — Facebook expat groups, the FUSAC classifieds in Paris, university noticeboards, employer relocation HR.
Agency fees: what the law caps
Since the loi ALUR of 2014, the share of agency fees a tenant can be charged is strictly capped. The fees cover three deliverables — visit, drafting the lease, and rental dossier processing — and are split between the tenant and the landlord. The tenant's share cannot exceed:
| Zone | Tenant fee cap |
|---|---|
| Paris & zone très tendue | €12 / m² |
| Zone tendue (most large cities) | €10 / m² |
| Elsewhere in France | €8 / m² |
| Entry état des lieux (added) | +€3 / m² max |
Source: service-public.fr — agency fees.
An agency that asks for "one month's rent" of fees is operating under pre-2014 rules — refuse, ask for the legal calculation, and walk away if they insist.
Building a rental dossier
In a competitive market, the flat is rarely awarded on charm — it goes to the candidate with the cleanest paperwork. The dossier de location is a folder of legal documents the landlord (or agency) reviews before signing. The unwritten rule is that monthly net income should equal three times the rent, and the documents must prove it on paper.
What goes inside
A decree of 5 November 2015 lists exactly what a landlord can — and cannot — ask for. The standard dossier contains:
- ✓A government-issued ID: passport, French carte nationale d'identité or residence permit;
- ✓Proof of professional status: open-ended employment contract (CDI), fixed-term contract (CDD), student card, registration as a freelancer;
- ✓The last three payslips (bulletins de salaire);
- ✓The latest tax notice (avis d'imposition) — if you have not yet filed in France, the equivalent from your home country is accepted;
- ✓Proof of current address (justificatif de domicile): utility bill, rental receipt, attestation from a host;
- ✓Bank details (RIB) — a French IBAN reassures the landlord but is not legally required.
If your profile is atypical
Newly arrived expats rarely tick every box. Standard workarounds, in order of effectiveness:
- →Offer to pay several months of rent upfront — legal and persuasive, but the landlord cannot ask for it without your initiative;
- →Provide a foreign tax notice translated by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté);
- →Add a guarantor (see next section);
- →Apply through a corporate relocation programme — many large employers have agreements with landlords that bypass the standard dossier.
For setting up the bank account that will host your RIB, see our guide to finding your IBAN and opening a French account.
Garant: the guarantor system
A garant (or caution) is a third party who promises in writing to pay your rent if you ever miss a payment. French landlords ask for one whenever the tenant's income falls below three times the rent, when the contract is short, or when the tenant has no French credit history. Most expats cannot supply a French parent on demand — three legal alternatives exist.
| Guarantee | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Visale (public) | Free | Under 34, students, first year on a new job |
| Garantme & co (private) | 3–4% of annual rent | Over 34, freelancers, no Visale-eligible profile |
| Personal garant | Free | You have a solvent parent, sibling or friend |
Visale: the free public guarantee
Visale is a free public scheme run by Action Logement. The state guarantees up to 36 months of unpaid rent and damage on the tenant's behalf, free of charge for the tenant and the landlord. It is open to:
- ✓Anyone aged 18 to 34, regardless of income or employment status;
- ✓Salaried employees over 34 within their first year on a new contract or relocating for work;
- ✓International students, including non-EU, with a valid residence permit and a French enrolment;
- ✓Tenants signed up to an intermédiation locative social-rental scheme.
Since 6 January 2026, Visale is open to everyone up to 34 years old (previously 30), and the guaranteed rent ceiling rose to €1,940 a month in Île-de-France, €1,575 in agglomerations over 100,000 inhabitants, and €1,365 elsewhere — see Action Logement.
The application is online at visale.fr; the visa certificate is delivered within a few days and shown to the landlord. Most modern landlords and agencies accept Visale on sight.
Garantme and other paid guarantors
If Visale does not fit (older expats above 34, freelancers without a Visale-eligible profile), private companies sell the same service for a fee. Garantme is the most accepted in 2026, with fees around 3 to 4% of annual rent. Cautioneo, Smartgarant and Unkle compete on the same model — pick the one your shortlisted landlords explicitly accept before paying.
A personal guarantor (French or foreign)
If you do have a parent, sibling or close friend willing to sign, they can be the garant. The law does not require them to be French — a UK or US parent earning four times the rent and producing translated tax returns is legally acceptable. In practice, some landlords still resist, so be ready to switch to Visale or Garantme as a fallback.
Signing the bail
The bail is the rental contract. Its content is regulated by the law of 6 July 1989 and detailed by a decree of 29 May 2015, which sets a model lease (contrat-type) every landlord must follow. Anything outside the model that disadvantages the tenant is automatically void.
What a legal bail must contain
A compliant bail spells out, at minimum: the identity and address of both parties, the address and surface area of the property, the date the lease starts and its duration, the rent and how it will be revised, the deposit, the list of charges (utilities) and how they are recovered, and the rules for ending the lease early. A diagnostic technique (DPE energy rating, lead and asbestos checks where applicable) and the previous état des lieux are attached as annexes.
Empty versus furnished: the legal differences
| Feature | Empty (vide) | Furnished (meublé) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lease duration | 3 years (6 if the landlord is a company) | 1 year (9 months for a student lease) |
| Deposit (dépôt de garantie) | 1 month rent excluding charges | 2 months rent excluding charges |
| Tenant notice (zone non-tendue) | 3 months | 1 month |
| Tenant notice (zone tendue) | 1 month | 1 month |
| Landlord notice | 6 months before end of lease | 3 months before end of lease |
| Furniture inventory required | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tax regime for landlord | Revenus fonciers | BIC (more favourable) |
Where to find a legally compliant template
If the landlord shows up with a homemade lease, ask for a model that follows the 2015 decree. Free, up-to-date templates are easier to obtain online than to negotiate clause by clause.
Free templates · In English
Generate your bail or état des lieux online
bailpdf.com offers free, legally-compliant templates for both the French rental contract (bail) and the inventory of fixtures (état des lieux), with English instructions throughout.
The état des lieux
The état des lieux is the inventory of fixtures — a room-by-room condition report signed at move-in and again at move-out. It is the single document that decides whether your 1-to-2-month deposit comes back. Skip it, sign it without reading, or rush through it on a moving day, and you can lose a four-figure sum that French law would otherwise protect.
Mandatory under the 1989 law and detailed by a decree of 30 March 2016, the document records walls, floors, appliances, meter readings and key counts. Take photos, list defects in factual language (avoid the vague "bon état"), and keep a signed copy. You have 1 month from signing to add forgotten defects by registered letter, plus the first heating period to flag radiator issues.
For the full procedure, the legal deadlines and a free English-language assistant, see our dedicated guide to the état des lieux.
Rights as a tenant
French tenant law leans heavily protective once the bail is signed. The three rights worth knowing first are the notice period to leave, the cap on annual rent rises, and the split of repair costs.
Notice period (préavis)
A tenant can leave at any time during the lease, with notice. The default notice for an empty rental is 3 months, but it drops to 1 month in any of these cases:
- ✓The flat is in a zone tendue (Paris and 27 other large urban areas);
- ✓The tenant loses their job, finds a first job, or is transferred for professional reasons;
- ✓The tenant or their dependant has a serious health problem certified by a doctor;
- ✓The tenant is on RSA or AAH social benefits, or aged over 60 with low income.
A furnished rental always carries a 1-month notice. The notice runs from the date the registered letter (or bailiff notice) is received by the landlord — diary it carefully.
Rent rises and rent control
The bail can include an annual revision clause indexed on the IRL (Indice de Référence des Loyers) published every quarter by INSEE. Without that clause, the rent is frozen for the duration of the lease. Since 2022 the IRL has been temporarily capped to limit increases during the inflation surge, and the cap continues to be reviewed annually — check the latest INSEE publication before accepting any increase.
A separate scheme — encadrement des loyers — caps the rent itself in cities including Paris, Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Plaine Commune, Est Ensemble and Lyon Métropole. Per neighbourhood, per surface and per property type, the prefecture publishes a maximum rent; landlords who exceed it must justify the surplus with a specific feature of the property. If you suspect your rent is too high, the prefecture's reference grid is the proof you need.
Who pays for repairs
A decree of 26 August 1987 sets the split of repair costs between landlord and tenant. The tenant covers small day-to-day maintenance (replacing a tap washer, descaling the boiler, garden upkeep, regular chimney sweeping). The landlord covers structural work, large appliances they supplied, and anything caused by age or wear (vétusté). Disputes go first to the commission départementale de conciliation, then if needed to the juge des contentieux de la protection.
Buying property
There is no nationality restriction on buying property in France. A non-resident can sign a compromis de vente from abroad, mortgage the purchase with a French bank, and take ownership without setting foot in the country until the final signature.
The 2026 market
After two years of slowdown, prices stabilised in 2024-2025 and remain heterogeneous in 2026. Paris hovers around €9,500-€10,500 per m² in the centre, Lyon and Bordeaux around €4,500-€5,500, Toulouse and Nantes around €3,500-€4,000, with rural Dordogne, Brittany and Auvergne still well below €2,000. Mortgage rates eased from the 2023 peak but stay in the 3-4% range for 20-year fixed loans.
Notaire fees and the buying process
A French property purchase is overseen by a notaire, a public official who registers the transaction. Notaire fees bundle taxes, stamp duty and a small fee for the office, and are paid by the buyer:
Existing property (ancien)
New-build (neuf)
The standard timeline runs: signed offer, compromis or promesse de vente with a 10% deposit, statutory 10-day cooling-off, surveys (diagnostics), mortgage offer, and finally the acte de vente in the notaire's office two to three months later. For the full step-by-step, see our guide to buying property in France.
APL and other housing benefits
France runs the most generous housing-benefit scheme in the OECD. The main allowance is the APL (Aide Personnalisée au Logement), paid monthly by the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF). It is means-tested and covers tenants and even some recent home-buyers.
As an expat, you are eligible if you hold a valid residence permit (or are an EU citizen settled in France), if your name is on the lease, and if your income falls below the published thresholds. The amount depends on your rent, your composition of household, the city's rent zone (1, 2 or 3) and your income from the last 12 months. Students often receive €100 to €200 a month, low-income workers can reach €300 or more.
Two related schemes round out the system: the ALS (Allocation de Logement Sociale) for households who do not qualify for APL, and the loi DALO (Droit Au Logement Opposable), which gives priority access to social housing to legally-defined vulnerable groups. For the eligibility checklist, the application steps and the exact 2026 amounts, see our guide to APL housing benefits via CAF.
Home insurance is mandatory
Tenants of empty and furnished rentals are required by law to hold a valid home insurance policy (assurance habitation). The landlord can ask for the certificate (attestation d'assurance) at the entry visit, every renewal, and at any time during the lease. Failure to insure is grounds for terminating the bail.
A standard policy covers fire, water damage, theft, broken windows, civil liability and natural disasters. Premiums for a one-bedroom flat in Paris run between €120 and €250 per year. Owners are not legally required to insure but the bank will demand a policy as a condition of the mortgage.
Compare offers in English on our dedicated home insurance hub, or call our English-speaking advisors for a free comparison and contract opening.
Once you have the keys
Signing the bail is only the start. To make the property liveable, you need to open utility contracts, set up a phone line, and complete the move-in administrative ritual:
- ✓Open electricity, gas and water contracts before move-in day — see our guide to setting up utilities in France;
- ✓Take meter readings together with the landlord at the entry état des lieux;
- ✓File the APL application with CAF within the first month — the benefit is paid from the date of application, not the date of the lease;
- ✓Find an English-speaking helpline if any of the above goes wrong — our directory of English-speaking lines covers banks, energy, telecoms and admin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a French guarantor to rent in France? Read more Close
Not always, but landlords ask for a garant whenever your income is below three times the rent, your contract is short, or you have no French credit history. If you cannot provide a French guarantor, the free public Visale scheme (open to under-34s and new arrivals in work) or a paid guarantor such as Garantme are widely accepted alternatives.
What documents go in a French rental dossier? Read more Close
A standard dossier de location holds a government-issued ID, proof of professional status, your last three payslips, your latest tax notice, a proof of address and your bank details (RIB). A landlord may only ask for the items listed in the decree of 5 November 2015 — nothing more.
How much is the security deposit for a French rental? Read more Close
The deposit (dépôt de garantie) is capped at 1 month rent excluding charges for an empty flat and 2 months for a furnished one. It is returned within one to two months of move-out, minus any deductions justified by the état des lieux.
Is home insurance mandatory for tenants in France? Read more Close
Yes. Tenants of both empty and furnished rentals must hold a valid home insurance policy (assurance habitation), and the landlord can request the certificate at any time. A basic policy for a one-bedroom Paris flat costs roughly €120 to €250 a year.
Can a foreigner buy property in France? Read more Close
Yes — there is no nationality restriction on buying property in France. A non-resident can sign from abroad and finance the purchase with a French mortgage. Budget 7 to 8% of the price in notaire fees for an existing home, or 2 to 3% for a new-build.
How long does it take to find a flat in France? Read more Close
In competitive cities such as Paris or Lyon, plan on two to four weeks of active searching, and longer if your dossier is atypical. Many newcomers book temporary accommodation for the first few weeks while they line up viewings and assemble their dossier.