Guide
Renting in France: what the bail locks in before you sign
By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026
The lease the law writes for you
Per the official fiche on drafting the bail (F920): the lease doit être fait par écrit, one copy per party, conforming to the modèle de bail réglementaire, and — for an unfurnished main residence — concluded for a minimum of 3 years with an individual landlord or 6 years with a corporate one; shorter terms (never under 1 year) exist only where the owner documents a family or professional plan to reclaim the dwelling. At term, absent notice from either side, the bail renews on the landlord's proposal or is automatically continued. Mandatory content runs from the property description to works history, energy class (DPE) and habitable surface.
Source: service-public.fr — Rédaction du bail d'habitation (fiche F920), read 11 September 2026.
The notice trap: 3 months, or 1 with the magic line
The tenant-notice fiche (F1168) carries the rule that costs arrivals real money: the default préavis on an unfurnished let is 3 months, dropping to 1 month for a dwelling in a zone tendue or other qualifying situations (job loss, health) — but the fiche warns explicitly: state the ground in the notice letter and attach the justificatif, si vous n'indiquez pas de motif, le délai de préavis de 3 mois s'applique. Notice travels by registered letter with acknowledgment, by bailiff's act or by hand against signature, and the clock runs from the landlord's receipt — not your posting date.
Source: service-public.fr — Préavis du locataire (fiche F1168), read 11 September 2026.
60-second check
Not sure the policy you have meets your destination's written rule? Run it through the policy check now, before you build the rest of the file around it.
Check my policyThe dossier culture, and the rest of the stack
What the law regulates on paper, the market rations through dossiers: expect to evidence income (often via a French guarantor or bank guarantee), and to move fast in the big cities. The surrounding machinery already has its own guides — Paris rent control for capped asking rents, the état des lieux for the condition report that guards your money, and the dépôt de garantie for getting it back. Set the mail forwarding before you leave any French address; the paper follows you either way.
Source: service-public.fr — bail d'habitation (fiches F920 / F1168), read 11 September 2026.
Get the moving-paperwork checklist
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