French Lease Contract (Bail de Location)
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Generate ALUR-compliant lease contracts with all mandatory clauses and annexes. Pre-filled from your profile, ready in seconds. État des lieux and monthly rent receipts are generated from the same file — see the quittance de loyer in English, explained line by line.
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Quick answer
A French residential lease (bail de location) is governed by the loi du 6 juillet 1989 (n° 89-462) as amended by the 2014 ALUR law. It must respect a 3-year minimum duration for unfurnished rentals (1 year furnished, 9 months for student leases), cap the security deposit at 1 month's rent unfurnished or 2 months furnished, state the loi Boutin habitable surface, and attach the mandatory annexes — DPE, ERP risk assessment, CREP lead report for pre-1949 buildings, and co-ownership extracts where applicable. The lease must be written in French; bilingual versions are allowed but the French text prevails. AdminLanding generates furnished and unfurnished ALUR-compliant leases in French — through a bilingual English/French interface — pre-filled from your property data, with the inspection report and monthly receipts produced from the same file.
Furnished vs Unfurnished: Key Differences
French law treats furnished and unfurnished rentals differently. The lease rules vary significantly.
| Rule | Unfurnished (non meublé) | Furnished (meublé) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lease term | 3 years (6 for corporate landlords) | 1 year (9 months for students) |
| Tenant notice period | 3 months (1 month in zones tendues) | 1 month, always |
| Landlord notice (congé) | 6 months before term — sale, personal use, or legitimate reason | 3 months before term — same restricted grounds |
| Security deposit cap | 1 month's rent (excl. charges) | 2 months' rent (excl. charges) |
| Furniture requirements | None | 11 mandatory items (Décret 2015-981) + inventory annexed |
| Tax category | Revenus fonciers — micro-foncier 30% allowance up to €15,000, or régime réel (form 2044) | BIC (LMNP) — micro-BIC 50% allowance up to €83,600 (2026 income; €77,700 for 2025), or réel with depreciation; SIRET required |
| Rent control (encadrement) | Applies in designated zones | Applies in designated zones |
| Typical fit | Long-horizon owners who value tenant stability | Owners wanting flexibility and BIC tax treatment |
Sources: loi 89-462 (Articles 3, 15, 22, 25-3 to 25-11), Décret 2015-981. Figures accurate as of July 2026. AdminLanding generates both lease types from the same property file.
An English annex is included in every lease we generate — no other French rental tool does this
The binding lease is in French, as French law expects. The annex explains it, clause by clause, in plain English — so you and your tenant both know exactly what was signed.
Sample annex excerpt (non-binding reference translation)
Article 5 — Dépôt de garantie : « Le locataire verse un dépôt de garantie d'un montant de 850,00 €, correspondant à un mois de loyer hors charges… »
EN — Security deposit: you pay a deposit of €850.00 (one month's rent excluding charges — the legal maximum for an unfurnished lease). It must be returned within 1 month of moving out, or 2 months if deductions are made, with each deduction justified in writing.
Article 7 — Révision du loyer : « Le loyer sera révisé chaque année à la date anniversaire du contrat en fonction de l'IRL… »
EN — Rent revision: the rent may be adjusted once a year on the lease anniversary, following the official INSEE rent index (IRL) — never freely. If the property's energy class is F or G, revision is frozen by law.
« Le document français fait foi » — the French text remains the sole binding version.
Why this matters for anglophone landlords
- You sign a 13-page legal document knowing what every clause commits you to — not a guess assembled from a translation app.
- Your tenant gets the same annex: fewer disputes start when both sides read the same explanation of deposit, notice and charges rules.
- The lease stays 100% ALUR-compliant French — the annex adds understanding without touching legal validity.
- The same English-annex approach covers our rent receipts and inspection reports, so the whole tenancy file is legible end to end.
Mandatory Clauses (Loi ALUR)
Since the loi ALUR (2014) and Décret n° 2015-587, all residential leases must follow a mandatory template and include these clauses:
AdminLanding's lease generator includes all mandatory clauses automatically. You can also add optional clauses for co-tenancy, pets, or professional use.
Required Annexes
These documents must be attached to every lease. The landlord bears the cost.
DPE
Energy performance diagnostic (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique). Valid 10 years.
ERP
Natural, mining, and technological risks assessment (État des Risques et Pollutions).
CREP
Lead exposure report. Required for properties built before January 1, 1949.
Surface
Loi Boutin habitable surface measurement. Mandatory for all leases since 2009.
Previous Rent
Previous tenant's rent amount. Required in rent-controlled zones (zones tendues).
Règlement
Co-ownership rules extract (extraits du règlement de copropriété) if applicable.
Once the lease is signed, the next legal step is the move-in inspection — a mandatory step after signing the lease.
Frequently Asked Questions
French lease contracts, ALUR compliance, and tenant rights.
Is a verbal lease valid in France?
What happens if a mandatory clause is missing?
Can I modify the lease after signing?
Who pays for the mandatory diagnostics?
What is the loi Boutin surface measurement?
Can a foreigner sign a French lease?
Related guides for landlords in France
Important: AdminLanding is a technology platform, not a law firm. We do not practice law, provide legal advice, or act as lawyers (avocats), notaries (notaires), or any regulated legal professional as defined by French Law No. 71-1130 of December 31, 1971. The documents and information provided are general-purpose templates for convenience only — they do not constitute personalized legal advice and are not tailored to your specific situation. We strongly recommend consulting a qualified legal professional before signing or relying on any document generated through our platform.
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