Is your commune a zone tendue?
AdminLanding Editorial
One label, two lists, three consequences. Check any commune against the official décret 2013-392 lists — and see whether the reduced 1-month notice really applies, or only the vacant-housing tax. Free, no account.
Zone tendue checker — free
Enter a commune and see which zone-tendue rules actually apply to it.
Start typing a commune to see whether the reduced notice and the vacant-housing tax apply.
What being in a zone tendue actually means
For tenants: a shorter notice
The best-known consequence: in a first-list zone tendue an unfurnished-lease tenant gives 1 month's notice instead of 3. You invoke it by stating the ground in your congé letter — no proof beyond the address is needed, because the list is defined by decree. This only exists on the first list; a commune that is merely on the 2023 tax list gives no such right, which trips up thousands of tenants a year.
For owners: the vacant-housing tax
If you own a dwelling in a zone tendue (either list) and leave it empty for a year or more, you can owe the taxe sur les logements vacants — 17% of the notional rental value in year one, 34% afterwards. This is the measure the 2023 extension was built for. It is a strong incentive to let, sell, or at least document genuine reasons for vacancy (works, active marketing), which the tax authority may ask you to prove.
Sometimes: rent control
A subset of zone-tendue communes have opted into rent control (encadrement des loyers) — Paris, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Montpellier and parts of the Île-de-France among them. There a new or renewed lease cannot exceed a reference rent (loyer de référence majoré) set by prefectoral order per neighbourhood and dwelling type, with a supplement only for specific features. Rent control is opt-in and local, so being in a zone tendue does not by itself mean your rent is capped.
The two-list trap, once more
The single fact worth remembering: 'zone tendue' names two legally distinct perimeters. The first list (continuous urban areas over 50,000 inhabitants) carries the reduced notice and the tax; the second list (tourist-tension communes, added 2023) carries the tax only. The checker above tells you which one a commune sits on — the distinction that decides whether a 1-month congé is valid.
Quick answer
A French zone tendue is an area of high housing pressure defined by décret 2013-392 (as amended 2023) under art. 232 CGI. It comes in two lists: the first list (~1,434 communes in continuous urban areas over 50,000 inhabitants) gives an unfurnished-lease tenant a reduced 1-month notice instead of 3 AND is subject to the vacant-housing tax; the second list (~2,263 tourist-tension communes, added 2023) carries the vacant-housing tax only — no reduced notice. A subset of these communes have additionally opted into rent control (encadrement des loyers). The vacant-housing tax (TLV) is 17% of notional rental value the first year, 34% from the second. Check a commune's exact status — first list, tax-only, or neither — with the free checker above.
Frequently Asked Questions
The definition, the two lists, notice, the vacant-housing tax, the data source.
What is a zone tendue in France?
Why do some communes say 'tax list only'?
How does zone tendue affect my notice period as a tenant?
What is the tax on vacant housing (TLV)?
Where does this checker get its data?
Important: AdminLanding is a technology platform, not a legal or tax adviser. This checker matches the commune you enter against the official zone-tendue lists in the annex to décret n° 2013-392 (as amended by décret n° 2023-822 and adjusted by décret n° 2025-1267), for information only. It indicates which measures may apply; it does not decide your notice period, tax liability or rent cap, and rent control is set locally by prefectoral order. Verify with your préfecture, service-public.fr or a qualified professional before relying on it.
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Know the zone. Then send the right letter.
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