Rentals in Paris, France

Renting Flats, Apartments, Houses and Other Property in France

To find a place to rent, look in the local and national press newspapers ("Le Figaro" is especially useful for Paris property). Highly recommended in several places is the magazine "De Particulier a Particulier", which contains lots of private accommodations for rent for vacation, short term and normal tenancy periods.

As a guide, flats are advertised as a number of rooms (called "pieces") - the number quoted in the ad is for all rooms minus the kitchen and bathroom.

Different laws apply to furnished and unfurnished lettings.

The law stipulates that you can terminate an unfurnished tenancy (bail) at any time upon giving three (3) months notice (one month in case of loss or change of job). Don't worry if the initial tenancy is three years or more - you can always terminate it. The landlord (bailleur) cannot terminate the tenancy during the contract period. The tenancy is automatically renewed, unless one of the parties terminate it with appropriate notice. The landlord can only refuse the automatic renewal under very specific conditions. 

Be sure that the standard contract being used is for an unfurnished letting, because your legal protection for a furnished tenancy is lower than for an unfurnished tenancy. For an unfurnished letting as a primary residence, you should find the following title on the tenancy agreement: Contrat de location, locaux non meublés - loi no 89-462 du 6.7.89 modifiée par la loi no 94-624 du 21.7.94, habitation principale.

In general, the law protects the tenants of unfurnished tenancies to a great extent. Clauses added by the landlord cannot put the tenant in a position that is less favorable than that of the law. Such clauses can quite easily be challenged in court.

When you take over the property, it is very important to be there and check everything for damages. A document called état des lieux must be prepared and signed on that day, stating the condition of the property and listing all items left in the property. You can be liable for paying for any existing damage not mentioned in that document when you move out. Check everything: Hot and cold water, dripping taps (faucets), toilets, heating, electric outlets, lights, oven, cooker, fridge, dish washer, washing machine, doors, windows, scratches, cracked tiles, broken glass, discolorings, etc.  This detailed task can easily take between one and two hours. It may sound ridiculous to a Brit or an American, but this is how it's done in France. It is a common pastime for French landlords to claim damages for something that was broken before the property was rented. That way, they get parts of the property maintained free of charge. 

French landlords sometimes hesitate to maintain their property. The law obliges them to do so, except for certain minor maintenance. Sometimes landlords try to fool tenants by adding, for example, a clause stating that the landlord will not maintain white goods (fabrics or linens). Such clauses are null and void, at least for unfurnished tenancies. Watch out for clauses in case of a furnished tenancy. It's not difficult to take a landlord to court to get repairs done, and you don't need a solicitor for simple cases, but it can take an awful long time.

Too many landlords don't refund the security deposit (dépôt de garantie), which cannot be higher than 2 months' rent, at the end of the tenancy. The law says they must do it no later than 2 months after you hand back the keys, which means that if you move out before the end of the tenancy, the 2 months count from the day you move out, not the end of the tenancy. They can deduct the cost of damages made by you, but not the cost of maintenance that they are themselves supposed to do. Some landlords try to abuse the fact that many foreigners leave France and can't easily sue the landlord. To protect themselves against the risk of such abuse, many tenants don't pay the last 2 months' rent. That is illegal, but it is impossible to throw a tenant out with just 2 months' notice - that can take 1-2 years. In principle, tenancy agreements commonly contain a penalty clause of 10% of rent paid late, but in order to recover the 10%, the landlord would have to take you to court, unless the tenancy agreement was drawn up by a huissier. It is therefore almost risk free not to pay the last 2 months' rent. I repeat that it is illegal, but people who have already been burnt could be tempted to cover themselves first, to avoid the hassle of taking the landlord to court to recover the money and wait 6-12 months. Finally, it is unfortunately the harsh truth in France that many Frenchmen act as if the law only applied to others.

It is common to let property without a fitted kitchen. If you don't want to provide your own kitchen, then check the ads for cuisine aménagée, which means that there is a fitted kitchen, but no white goods, and cuisine équipée, which means that there is a fitted kitchen with white goods.

The tax on lettings known as droit de bail has been abolished from January 2001 and should no longer be collected by the landlord.

Demand a receipt for the rent every month, no matter how you pay. You may need it later. The landlord is obliged by law to provide receipts free of charge.

Taxe d'habitation is a tax on the dwellings you occupy on the 1 January. The tax does not depend on how long time you live in the property. If you move out on the 2 January, you must still pay the full tax. The tax is payable in the November or December that follows the 1 January. The tax depends on the value of the property and your personal situation. A typical tax would be between € 300 and 1500 a year.

The tenant and the landlord are free to negotiate the rent. There are no limits imposed by the law, except that the annual increase cannot exceed the rental index published by the INSEE.

Some properties are let out directly by a private person. Other landlords may ask an agency to find a tenant. In the latter case, the landlord and the tenant must each pay half of the agent's fees. This will typically amount to about 8% of one year's rent for the tenant's part. The fee is only due once a tenancy agreement has been signed.

Some businesses that may call themselves agencies charge you a fee up front of for example 150 euros. They show you that they have long lists of properties ready to let out. What you pay for is to get access to that list. There is no guarantee of anything. You have to contact the private landlords yourself and arrange everything. My advice is to walk away immediately. It is a well known scam in France. These businesses are often dishonest. They have been known to scan the press for private people's letting ads and to copy these ads into their own lists. The lists will frequently not be kept up to date. The properties may be of a quality that no one wants. The result is more often than not that once you start calling the numbers on the list, you will find that the properties have been let out long time ago and are no longer available. If you are still tempted, then ask yourself how - in a tight letting market where good properties are snapped up in a few days - these businesses could possibly be able to offer such a large choice that you will find nowhere else. A few real estate portals contain adverts where you have to pay exorbitant telephone rates just to get contact information. While I don't know if these sites are honest or not, there is no need to use them at all, given the vast number of property websites..

October is the time of the year when landlords and their representatives send their tenants the annual bill for refuse (garbage) collection if you don't pay a provisional amount each month in charges. The rubbish bill appears on the owner's bill for taxe foncière (property tax) as ordures ménagères. It covers the refuse collection for the calendar year. If you've rented the property only a part of the year, then you only have to refund this rubbish tax to the owner on a pro-rata basis. The tax office adds an extra percentage - typically 8% - to cover their cost of collecting the tax (yes, it's true, the owner not only has to pay a tax - he also has to pay a tax to cover the cost of collecting the tax). It has been a tradition for landlords to also charge the 8% to the tenant, but the Cour de Cassation (high court) decided in 2002 that this practice was illegal. Tenants do not have to pay the additional 8% on top of the garbage tax. A company called Skovgaard Europe has a copy of the judgement and they  are willing to help anyone against a most reasonable fee if their landlord should insist on the 8%. In light of the usual cost of rubbish collection, we will charge you a maximum of 25% of what you save.

Furnished lettings are regulated mostly by the Code Civil, the French common law. It was tightened up in 2005 to stipulate that if the letting is your main residence, it must be for a minimum of one year and automatically renewable, leaving the landlord the option to get rid of you only under specific conditions. You can give notice any time with a notice of one month.

Generally, you have more protection renting a property through estate agents (agents immobiliers) than with private landlords (proprietaires), but check what fee the agent will charge you before agreeing terms. Normally the fee is about half a month's rent. The rent agreement is known as a "bail", and these can vary but the usual is a 3 year one, where the tenant (locataire) can leave at any time, providing they give about 3 months notice.

For the original source and more information on immigrating to France, please go to: Skovgaard

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