Renting a property in France
Renting is widespread in France, and almost always involves unfurnished property. Rental properties are primarily offered by estate agent offices - ‘agences immobilières’. The usual fee demanded by the agencies from both the new tenant and the property owner is roughly half the sum of one month's rent each, and is payable on completion of the rental deal.

Most local newspapers carry property rental small ads. Of the national papers, Le Figaro is a traditional source of property ads, called annonces immobilières and is the only daily newspaper to provide several pages of them, mostly concerned with Paris.

If something good is on the market, you'll either find it with an estate agent, local or national press, or a weekly national magazine called De Particulier à Particulier, which literally means from "individual to individual". The "Particulier", as it is commonly known, is full of private property ads. Its attraction is that it offers transactions which by-pass estate agents' fees. Most of the contents concern sales but there are also hundreds of rentals each week. The magazine covers the whole of France, with a special section on Paris. A similar, but not specialist, magazine, is the Centrale des Particuliers. There are also long-term rental properties available, direct from private landlords in our searchable database.

Average size

The French describe apartments or houses by the number of rooms, called pièces, excluding the kitchen and bathroom. A one bedroom flat with sitting room is thus a deux-pièces. The average rented city apartment is between two and four rooms. Of course, this means little unless it is qualified by a description of the surface area in square metres (mètres carrés). As a rule of thumb, what would be considered in France to be a comfortable three-roomed apartment for a couple with children (i.e. two bedrooms and a sitting-cum-dining room) would amount to about 80 square metres.

Length of rental agreement

French law offers quite generous protection to the tenant, who is called a locataire. This includes the prohibition of evictions during the wide band of 'winter' months and a complicated evictions procedure in general including rights of appeal. These restrictions in an owner's right to evict, have been blamed for the overall nationwide reduction in the number of rental properties available, a trend which began in 2002, and which has particularly affected Paris.

French "proprietères" are therefore very, very cautious before concluding a deal, and a battery of paperwork is required in order to obtain the assurance that the "locataire" can and will pay the rent. Basically, the rental agreement will cover an owner's pledge of three years - a commitment that means the tenant will not be asked to leave during that period, except if he or she breaks the terms of the agreement. The tenant is free to leave on giving two or three months' notice. The owner's three-year pledge means, for example, that the tenant cannot be ousted for a sale of the property, or an owner's intention to re-occupy, within that time. The rental agreement for a set period is called a bail. All agreements are renewable at term of contract. Thus, the common three-year agreement is called ‘un bail de trois ans’. If you are offered a "bail" of only one year, beware. It is indicative of an owner's intention to rent for a shorter period and suggests you could be asked to leave after 1 year.

What you will be asked for

The terms of renting French property have become so stringent that they can be prohibitive. You will be asked to provide pay slips - generally for the previous three months - and your monthly income must be at least three times the monthly rent- and often as much as four times the sum. You can expect to be asked for proof that you are not currently employed for a trial or limited short period, nor close to retirement. Agencies will often refuse people who work in contract fields like entertainment unless they can provide third-party financial guarantees. If you are self-employed and cannot provide pay slips, you will be asked to provide your previous year's tax payments as an indication of what you earn. You will also be asked to provide a letter, from one or even two people to act as a guarantor if you fail to pay your rent. The guarantor will also need to offer pay-slip proof that they earn three times the sum of rent.

Proof of identity will be asked in the form of a residence permit (occasionally a passport), and normally you'd be expected to provide a telephone or electricity bill as further proof of your current address. This can be difficult if you've just arrived, have no French pay slips nor French tax return statements.

Chèque de caution
You will also have to provide a cheque for an amount equivalent to two or three times the rent, which is retained to the owner. At the end of the rental period it is returned to you minus the cost of any damage attributable to you. This is called a ‘chèque de caution’. Interest is not payable on the amount if this cheque even if it is returned six years later. The "chèque de caution" is often used by owners to ensure that the property is maintained during the tenancy. It is advisable to pay close attention to the written evaluation of the property's condition, which is agreed with the owner or agency before moving in and again after a rental agreement has been reached. This is called an ‘état des lieux’ which both parties sign. It is a good idea to take photos of the property during the "état des lieux" as proof of its condition. You will be required to take out a home insurance policy and provide the owner with proof.

Charges associated with renting French property
Generally, there are two different charges that you are responsible to pay for when you rent a French property; the communal charges (taxe fonciere) and the habitation tax (know as taxe d'habitation).

Charges communes
If you are renting an apartment, it will involve paying charges for the regular upkeep of the building, called the charges communes. These are sometimes included in the rent advertised, in which case the rental sum will be described as ‘charges comprises’. If not, it will be ‘charges non comprises’. The charges, worked out as an monthly average based on the previous year, cover things like the cost of the concierge or cleaners or gardeners, common water supplies etc. If the charges are not included, make sure you know what was paid the previous year, or whether any unusual costs can be expected in the coming year. If they are included, and during your first year the real common spending was less than the previous twelve months, you'll be refunded accordingly. If you are renting a house, then there will be no liability of charges commune.

Taxe d'habitation
Your residence (house or apartment) will be subject to a yearly local tax, called la taxe d'habitation, which varies greatly from place to place and is roughly calculated on the size of the property you are renting. You should ask about these before entering into an agreement, and the agency or owner should be able to give you an accurate account of what you are likely to have to pay.

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While the information given in this factsheet is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief, no liability is accepted by Go-to-France.co.uk for any errors it may contain. You are advised to check all information and take professional advice before entering into any agreement.

See also our French Building Terms , The French Buying Process and French Legal Terms articles.