Apartment Leases in France: The Four Contract Types Explained

Last updated: 4 June 2026

Renting an apartment in France means signing one of four legally distinct contracts. Each has its own minimum duration, notice period, deposit rules, and eligibility conditions. The French rental market does not use a single standard lease: a person on a three-month work assignment, a student spending a year in Paris, and a family settling in Lyon for the long term all need different contracts, and signing the wrong one can create real problems. A tenant on a bail nu in a zone tendue can leave with one month's notice. A tenant on a bail meublé gets the same one-month exit. But a tenant on a bail nu outside a zone tendue owes three months' notice regardless of how short the stay turned out to be.

The four contract types are: the bail nu (unfurnished lease), the bail meublé (furnished lease), the bail mobilité (mobility lease), and the bail étudiant (student lease). Three of them fall under the Loi du 6 juillet 1989, which is the cornerstone of French tenant protection law. The bail mobilité is newer, introduced by the Loi ELAN in 2018, and operates on different principles including a prohibition on any security deposit. Understanding the distinctions is not bureaucratic detail: it shapes your exit flexibility, your upfront costs, and whether you qualify for housing benefit through the CAF.

This article defines each contract type precisely, compares them side by side, and tells you which one fits your actual situation. All legal references are current as of June 2026.

Why Lease Type Matters

The lease type you sign determines four things that affect your life from the first day to the last: how long you are committed for, how much you pay upfront as a deposit, how quickly you can exit, and whether you qualify for state housing benefit. These are not small details. A three-month notice obligation on a bail nu can mean paying for an apartment you no longer live in. A missing piece of furniture on a bail meublé can trigger a legal reclassification. And an ineligible tenant on a bail mobilité contract has no legal protection at all under that contract type.

The Paris mid-term rental market shows how varied tenant needs really are. Work relocations account for nearly a third of all tenants, students for more than a fifth, and people in temporary housing situations for over a quarter. Each of these groups has a different ideal contract.

Source: Wunderflats internal data (BigQuery), Jun 2025–May 2026. Figures cover furnished mid-term apartments booked in Paris.

Comparison: All Four French Lease Types

The table below summarises the key legal parameters. Detailed explanations of each lease type follow.

Bail Nu: The Unfurnished Lease

What it is

The bail nu is the standard long-term unfurnished lease. The apartment is handed over empty: walls, floors, kitchen fittings (if installed), and bathroom fixtures, but no furniture, no appliances, and no household items. The tenant brings everything. This makes the bail nu the natural choice for anyone settling into a city for the medium to long term who wants to furnish a home to their own taste.

Duration and renewal

The minimum duration is three years when the landlord is a natural person (an individual). If the landlord is a legal entity (a company, an SCI, or any other incorporated body), the minimum rises to six years. At the end of the initial term, the lease auto-renews on the same terms unless either party gives notice within the required deadline.

Notice periods

The tenant can leave at any time during the lease with a notice period of three months. This is reduced to one month in several situations: the apartment is in a zone tendue (a high-demand area listed by government decree, which includes Paris and most large French cities); the tenant loses their job or changes employer; the tenant receives the RSA (revenu de solidarité active) or the AAH (allocation aux adultes handicapés); or a doctor certifies that the tenant's health requires a move. The landlord faces much tighter restrictions. To end the lease at its term, the landlord must give six months' notice and the reason must be one of three: sale of the property, repossession for personal use (the landlord or a close family member moving in), or a legitimate and serious reason such as persistent non-payment of rent. A landlord cannot simply choose not to renew because they want a new tenant.

Deposit and costs

The security deposit (dépôt de garantie) is capped at one month's rent, calculated without charges. This is the lowest cap of any French lease type. The deposit must be returned within one month of the tenant leaving if there is no damage, or within two months if the landlord makes deductions for repairs.

Housing benefit

Tenants on a bail nu are eligible to apply for APL (aide personnalisée au logement) or ALS (allocation de logement sociale) through the CAF, subject to income and household conditions. The landlord must not be a close family member of the tenant, and the property must meet minimum standards of habitability.

Legal basis

The bail nu is governed by Title I of the Loi du 6 juillet 1989 (Loi tendant à améliorer les rapports locatifs). This law establishes the fundamental framework of tenant rights in France, including the prohibition on clauses that restrict tenant rights below the statutory minimum.

Bail Meublé: The Furnished Lease

What it is

The bail meublé is a furnished lease for apartments that are equipped to a standard defined by law. The tenant can move in and live normally from day one without buying major furniture or appliances. This makes it well suited to people arriving in a new city for a defined period: those on work assignments, those testing a city before committing to a long-term move, and those who simply prefer not to manage furniture logistics. Paris's mid-term rental market runs almost entirely on bail meublé and bail mobilité contracts, reflecting the mobile professional and student population that the city attracts.

Duration and renewal

The minimum term is one year. At the end of the term, the lease auto-renews unless either party gives the required notice. Because the minimum term is shorter than the bail nu, the furnished lease offers more flexibility for both parties while still providing stable occupancy rights.

Notice periods

The tenant gives one month's notice, without conditions. This applies in all locations, including outside zones tendues, and regardless of personal circumstances. The simplicity makes it easy to plan. The landlord must give three months' notice and, as with the bail nu, must have one of the same three restricted reasons: sale, repossession for personal use, or a legitimate and serious reason.

Deposit and costs

The deposit cap is two months' rent, calculated without charges. This is double the bail nu cap, which reflects the additional risk the landlord carries for the furniture and appliances provided. The return conditions are the same: one month if no deductions, two months if deductions are made.

The legal furniture list

For a lease to qualify as a bail meublé, the apartment must include every item on the list set out in the Décret du 31 juillet 2015. This is not a suggestion: if any item is missing, the lease can be challenged in court and reclassified as a bail nu, which changes the deposit cap and the minimum duration retroactively. The required items are:

• Bed with bedding (mattress, duvet or blankets, pillows)
• Window coverings in the bedroom (curtains or shutters providing darkness)
• Cooking equipment (at minimum a two-burner hob or hotplate)
• Dishes and cutlery in sufficient quantity for all occupants
• Food storage equipment (cupboards or shelving)
• Sufficient lighting throughout the apartment
• Cleaning equipment adapted to the apartment (vacuum, broom, mop)
• A table and chairs in adequate number for occupants
• A refrigerator with a freezer compartment (not a standalone ice box)
• A microwave oven or a conventional oven

When viewing an apartment listed as meublé, verify each item against this list. Photographs in a listing may not show everything, and landlords do not always know the legal requirement. A written inventory (état des lieux d'entrée) signed at move-in is legally required for bail meublé contracts and is the primary document used to settle any dispute about damage or missing items at move-out.

Legal basis

The bail meublé is governed by Title Ibis of the Loi du 6 juillet 1989, a section added by the Loi ALUR in 2014. Before 2014, furnished lettings existed in a legal grey area. The Loi ALUR brought them fully under the tenant protection framework of the 1989 law, standardising deposit caps, notice periods, and the furniture requirement.

Bail Mobilité: The Mobility Lease

What it is

The bail mobilité is a short-term furnished lease created by the Loi ELAN in 2018 to fill a specific gap: people who need housing for a matter of months due to a professional or educational reason, but who do not want to commit to a full year, and who cannot pay a large security deposit. The concept is built around mobility: the lease has a maximum of ten months, cannot be renewed, and prohibits any security deposit. In return, access is restricted to tenants who can prove a qualifying reason at the time of signing.

Wunderflats data shows that work relocation (32.9%) and internship tenants (3.3%) together account for over a third of mid-term Paris bookings. These are precisely the profiles the bail mobilité was designed for: mobile, time-limited, and often arriving from another country or region without the local guarantor history needed for longer leases.

Qualifying tenant situations

Only tenants in one of the following seven situations at the time of signing may legally hold a bail mobilité:

1. Professional training (formation professionnelle)
2. Higher education studies (études supérieures)
3. Apprenticeship contract (contrat d'apprentissage)
4. Internship (stage)
5. Voluntary civic or solidarity service (engagement volontaire)
6. Temporary professional assignment (mission temporaire professionnelle)
7. Job relocation (mutation professionnelle)

The landlord is entitled to request supporting documentation before signing. A work order, university enrolment certificate, internship agreement, or employer letter are typical. If the tenant cannot demonstrate a qualifying situation, the bail mobilité cannot legally be used, and the correct contract would be a bail meublé.

Duration and the no-renewal rule

The lease runs for a fixed period between one and ten months. The duration must be specified in the contract. It cannot be renewed. It does not auto-extend. When the agreed date arrives, the lease ends. If the landlord and tenant want to continue, they must sign a different type of contract: a bail meublé. This is required because a second bail mobilité for the same apartment with the same tenant is not permitted. The ten-month hard cap ensures the contract cannot function as a disguised long-term lease.

No security deposit

The Loi ELAN explicitly prohibits any security deposit for bail mobilité contracts. This is a significant advantage for tenants arriving without local banking history or substantial savings. However, landlords are not obliged to rent without any guarantee at all. Many landlords use the VISALE scheme (Visa pour le Logement et l'Emploi) administered by Action Logement, which provides a free guaranty for eligible tenants, covering unpaid rent and departure damage up to a defined ceiling. VISALE is available to tenants under 30 years old and to employees who have been in their post for less than 6 months, among other categories. Checking VISALE eligibility before searching for a bail mobilité apartment is strongly recommended.

Notice and early exit

The tenant can give one month's notice and leave early at any point during the lease. The landlord has no equivalent right: once signed, the landlord cannot terminate the bail mobilité early. This asymmetry protects the tenant, who may be in an unfamiliar city for a professional reason and cannot always predict exactly how long the assignment will last.

Housing benefit

APL and ALS are generally not available for bail mobilité contracts. Tenants relying on housing benefit to manage their monthly costs should take this into account when deciding between a bail mobilité and a bail meublé. For work-relocation tenants, employer housing allowances or per-diem arrangements often fill this gap.

Bail Étudiant: The Student Lease

What it is

The bail étudiant is a variant of the bail meublé, created specifically for students. It runs for exactly nine months, which aligns with the French academic year from October to June. At the end of the nine months, the lease ends naturally: there is no automatic renewal. This design suits both sides. The student is not committed beyond the academic year. The landlord can re-let the apartment over the summer at a potentially higher short-term rate, or reclaim it for personal use, without navigating a formal notice process.

Eligibility

The tenant must be a student. This means holding a valid student card or an enrolment certificate from a recognised institution of higher education. The landlord will typically ask to see this at the time of signing. Apprentices in higher education apprenticeship programmes may also qualify depending on the nature of their enrolment.

Notice and deposit

The tenant can give one month's notice and leave before the nine months are up. The deposit cap is two months' rent without charges, the same as the bail meublé. The lease must meet the same furniture requirements as the bail meublé (Décret du 31 juillet 2015), because it is legally a sub-type of that contract.

Housing benefit and practical use

Students on a bail étudiant are eligible for APL and ALS. This is important: housing costs are a significant pressure for students in Paris, where Wunderflats data shows median rents of 1,989 EUR/month across the furnished mid-term market. Students typically look at smaller studios and one-bedroom apartments below the market median, but CAF benefit can meaningfully reduce net monthly outgoings. The bail étudiant is the default recommendation for any student arriving for a single academic year. For a student staying two or more years, a bail meublé provides continuity and automatic renewal without the need to renegotiate each year.

How to Choose: Decision Guide

The right lease type depends on three factors: how long you plan to stay, whether you qualify for a restricted contract, and how much flexibility you need to exit early. Use the guide below to identify your best match.

Flexibility vs. security: a comparison

The chart below shows where each lease type sits on the spectrum from maximum flexibility (short term, easy exit, no deposit) to maximum security (long term, auto-renewing, strong legal protections). Flexibility and security are not opposites: the bail meublé scores well on both because it combines a reasonable minimum term with a one-month exit and strong tenant protections.

Legal Protections That Apply to All Lease Types

Regardless of which lease type you sign, several legal protections apply across the board under French law.

Written contract required. Every residential lease in France must be in writing. Verbal agreements have no legal standing. The contract must include specific mandatory clauses defined by Décret n°2015-587 du 29 mai 2015 (for bail nu and bail meublé). Any clause that contradicts the Loi du 6 juillet 1989 in a way unfavourable to the tenant is deemed null and void. The rest of the contract remains valid.

Property condition. The landlord must provide accommodation that is habitable (logement décent) as defined by Décret n°2002-120 du 30 janvier 2002. This covers minimum surface area, structural soundness, electrical safety, plumbing, natural light, and the absence of lead, asbestos, and vermin. A tenant living in a property that fails this standard can compel the landlord to carry out repairs through the Commission Départementale de Conciliation or the Tribunal Judiciaire.

Rent encadrement. Paris and many other large French cities operate under the encadrement des loyers (rent control) system. For furnished and unfurnished apartments within the defined perimeter, rents must stay within a range set by the Observatoire des Loyers. A landlord who sets a rent above the maximum can be required to reduce it and repay excess amounts collected. Check the DRIHL website or the Paris City Hall rent reference tool before signing to verify whether your apartment falls within the control zone.

Move-in and move-out inventory. A contradictory état des lieux (inventory of fixtures) must be completed at move-in and move-out for all lease types. If the landlord refuses or fails to participate, the tenant can request a bailiff to conduct the inventory at shared cost. Without a move-in inventory, the landlord cannot make damage deductions from the deposit on departure.

Eviction protection. Eviction without a court order is illegal in France under all lease types. The trêve hivernale (winter truce) generally prohibits evictions between 1 November and 31 March. Even where a court has ordered eviction, the process involves a mandatory notice period. Landlords who attempt to lock out or harass a tenant out of a property face criminal penalties.

Conciliation and dispute resolution. Before going to court, either party can request the free services of the Commission Départementale de Conciliation (CDC) in their département. The CDC handles disputes over rent increases, deposit deductions, notice periods, and property condition. Using the CDC is not mandatory but is strongly recommended as a first step: it is free, faster than court, and its rulings are accepted by most parties.

Frequently asked questions

▶ What is the difference between bail nu and bail meublé in France?

A bail nu is an unfurnished lease with a minimum term of three years (or six years if the landlord is a legal entity). The deposit is capped at one month's rent without charges. The tenant is responsible for furnishing the entire apartment. A bail meublé is a furnished lease with a minimum term of one year. The deposit cap rises to two months' rent, and the landlord must provide a legally defined set of furniture and appliances under the Décret du 31 juillet 2015. A key practical difference is notice: on a bail nu, the standard tenant notice is three months, reduced to one month in zones tendues or in specific personal hardship situations. On a bail meublé, the tenant notice is always one month. Both contracts auto-renew at the end of the initial term and are eligible for APL or ALS housing benefit through the CAF. Both are governed by the Loi du 6 juillet 1989, though the bail meublé provisions sit in Title Ibis, added by the Loi ALUR in 2014. If you are deciding between the two, the main question is whether you prefer to furnish an apartment yourself (bail nu, lower deposit) or move into a ready-to-use space with shorter notice flexibility (bail meublé).

▶ Who is eligible for a bail mobilité in France?

The bail mobilité is legally restricted to tenants who are in one of seven qualifying situations at the time the contract is signed. These are: professional training (formation professionnelle), higher education studies (études supérieures), an apprenticeship contract (contrat d'apprentissage), an internship (stage), voluntary civic or solidarity service (engagement volontaire), a temporary professional assignment (mission temporaire professionnelle), or a job relocation (mutation professionnelle). The qualifying situation must exist at the time of signing; it does not need to continue for the full duration of the lease. The landlord has the right to ask for proof: a university enrolment certificate, an employer assignment letter, an internship agreement, or equivalent documentation. If the tenant cannot provide this, the landlord should not offer a bail mobilité, as signing one without a qualifying tenant creates legal risk. A tenant who does not meet the criteria can access the same furnished apartment market through a standard bail meublé, which has no eligibility restriction but requires a one-year minimum commitment and allows a deposit of up to two months' rent.

▶ Can a bail mobilité be renewed or extended?

No. The Loi ELAN 2018 (Article 107) explicitly prohibits both renewal and automatic extension of a bail mobilité. The contract ends on the date agreed at signing. There is no mechanism for the landlord and tenant to simply extend it. If both parties wish to continue, they must sign a new contract. That new contract must be a different type, typically a bail meublé. A second bail mobilité for the same dwelling with the same tenant is not permitted under the law. The hard cap of ten months is designed precisely to prevent the bail mobilité from being used as a de facto long-term lease with reduced tenant protections. In practice, if your assignment is likely to run longer than ten months, it is safer to negotiate a bail meublé from the start rather than planning to convert mid-tenancy. Conversion is possible: the landlord must agree and the terms will change. It adds friction and uncertainty to your housing situation at a potentially inconvenient time.

▶ What furniture is legally required for a bail meublé in France?

The Décret du 31 juillet 2015 sets out ten mandatory items that must be present for an apartment to legally qualify for a bail meublé. These are: a bed with bedding (mattress plus duvet or blankets); window coverings in the bedroom to block light; cooking equipment (at minimum a two-burner hob); dishes and cutlery in sufficient quantity for all occupants; food storage equipment; sufficient lighting; cleaning equipment suited to the apartment (vacuum cleaner, mop or broom); a table and chairs in adequate number; a refrigerator with a freezer compartment (not a separate chest freezer); and a microwave oven or a conventional oven. Every single item must be present. If any one item is missing, a tenant can apply to the Tribunal Judiciaire to have the lease reclassified as a bail nu. Reclassification changes the minimum duration to three years and reduces the deposit cap to one month. When signing, check each item off against the inventory (état des lieux d'entrée). If something is missing, record it in writing at move-in and ask the landlord to provide it before you start paying under a bail meublé rate.

▶ Is housing benefit (APL/ALS) available for all French lease types?

Housing benefit through the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF), in the form of APL (aide personnalisée au logement) or ALS (allocation de logement sociale), is available for tenants on a bail nu, bail meublé, or bail étudiant, subject to income conditions and certain eligibility rules (the landlord must not be a close family member, and the property must meet the décence standards). The bail mobilité is generally not eligible for APL or ALS. This distinction matters when budgeting for a Paris apartment. Wunderflats data shows that 20.7% of mid-term tenants in Paris are students: a group for whom CAF benefit can meaningfully reduce net housing costs. Work-relocation tenants (32.9% of bookings) and internship tenants (3.3%) on bail mobilité contracts usually have employer support or per-diem arrangements covering what APL would otherwise offset. If you are unsure whether your contract and income situation qualify, use the CAF simulator (simulateur de droits) at caf.fr before signing to estimate your likely benefit amount.

▶ How much notice must a tenant give to leave a French apartment?

Notice periods differ by lease type and, for the bail nu, by location and personal circumstances. On a bail nu, the standard tenant notice is three months. This is reduced to one month if the apartment is in a zone tendue (a high-demand area listed by ministerial decree, covering Paris and most major French cities), or if the tenant is leaving because of a job loss, an employer-required change of posting, receipt of the RSA or AAH benefit, or a doctor-certified health reason. On a bail meublé, bail mobilité, or bail étudiant, the notice is always one month regardless of location or circumstances. No justification is needed. In all cases, notice must be delivered formally: either by lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception (registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt), by a bailiff (huissier de justice), or hand-delivered against a written receipt. The notice period starts from the date the landlord receives the letter or the bailiff serves the document, not from the date you write it. Factor this into your move-out planning: posting a letter on the last day of the month does not start the clock until the landlord signs for it.

Sources

• Loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 tendant à améliorer les rapports locatifs (Title I and Title Ibis). Available at: legifrance.gouv.fr
• Loi n°2014-366 du 24 mars 2014 pour l'accès au logement et un urbanisme rénové (Loi ALUR). Available at: legifrance.gouv.fr
• Loi n°2018-1021 du 23 novembre 2018 portant évolution du logement, de l'aménagement et du numérique (Loi ELAN), Article 107. Available at: legifrance.gouv.fr
• Décret n°2015-981 du 31 juillet 2015 fixant la liste des éléments de mobilier d'un logement meublé. Available at: legifrance.gouv.fr
• Décret n°2015-587 du 29 mai 2015 relatif aux contrats types de location de logement. Available at: legifrance.gouv.fr
• Décret n°2002-120 du 30 janvier 2002 relatif aux caractéristiques du logement décent. Available at: legifrance.gouv.fr
• Service-Public.fr: Location meublée: droits et obligations du bailleur. Available at: service-public.gouv.fr
• Action Logement: VISALE guarantee scheme. Available at: visale.fr
• Wunderflats internal data (BigQuery), Jun 2025–May 2026. Figures cover furnished mid-term apartments booked in Paris.