French Unfurnished Lease Agreement (Loi 89-462)

Three years when the landlord is a private individual or family SCI (société civile immobilière — a French property-holding company), and six years when the landlord is a legal entity such as a company or institutional investor. At expiry the lease rolls over automatically for the same duration unless either party has served notice within the statutory deadlines. A shorter term of at least one year is only permitted for a specific and documented personal or professional reason stated in the contract (Article 11 of the 1989 Act).

No more than one month's rent excluding service charges (Article 22 of the 1989 Act). This cap is absolute and cannot be revised upwards at any point during the tenancy. On the tenant's departure, the landlord has one month to return the deposit if the outgoing inventory of fixtures matches the incoming one, or two months if differences are recorded between the two inventories.

The tenant must give three months' notice, reduced to one month in designated zones tendues (officially recognised tight housing markets) or in specific circumstances such as job relocation, job loss, health grounds, or receipt of RSA or AAH social benefits. The landlord may only serve notice at the lease's renewal date, with six months' notice, and solely to sell the property, reclaim it for personal occupation, or for a serious and legitimate reason.

Yes. Since 1 August 2015, every residential primary-residence lease must reproduce the mandatory clauses set out in décret n°2015-587. The contract must state the identities of both parties, a precise description and the habitable floor area (surface habitable) of the property, the rent amount and the revision mechanism linked to the IRL (indice de référence des loyers — the official French rent index), the service charge terms, the security deposit, and the lease duration.

The DDT (dossier de diagnostics techniques — technical diagnostics file) must include the DPE (diagnostic de performance énergétique — energy performance certificate), the ERP (état des risques et pollutions — natural and technological risk statement), and for pre-1949 buildings, the CREP (constat de risque d'exposition au plomb — lead exposure report). Depending on installation age, electrical and gas safety reports may also be required. The DPE energy class is legally binding and determines whether the property may legally be let at all.

No. Since 1 January 2025, properties with a G DPE rating no longer meet the statutory energy-decency threshold and cannot be offered for rent as a primary residence (Article 6 of the 1989 Act, as amended by loi Climat et Résilience n°2021-1104 of 22 August 2021). A G rating corresponds to primary energy consumption above 420 kWh EP/m²/year — a figure expressed in primary energy (énergie primaire) that must not be confused with the 450 kWh/m²/year in final energy (énergie finale), which applied only as a transitional criterion from 2022 to 2024. The ban will extend to F-rated properties from 1 January 2028 and E-rated ones from 1 January 2034.