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France has four distinct types of residential lease, each governed by its own rules on duration, notice periods, and deposit. Getting the right one matters: the wrong lease type can lock you in for three years when you only need six months, or leave you without tenant protections you are entitled to. This guide explains each lease type clearly, compares them side by side, and helps you identify which one applies to your situation.
Key takeaways
- Bail nu (unfurnished): 3-year minimum duration, 3-month tenant notice (1 month in zones tendues)
- Bail meublé (furnished): 1-year minimum duration, 1-month tenant notice
- Bail étudiant (student): 9-month fixed term, no tacit renewal, suited to academic years
- Bail mobilité: 1 to 10 months, non-renewable, no deposit, for people on professional mobility
- All four lease types are governed primarily by the Loi du 6 juillet 1989
- The landlord's minimum notice to terminate is always longer than the tenant's
The legal framework
All four lease types fall under the Loi du 6 juillet 1989 (Loi Mermaz), which regulates most private residential rentals in France. The law distinguishes primarily between unfurnished (non-meublé) and furnished (meublé) accommodation.
Furnished accommodation is legally defined as containing a minimum set of furniture and equipment, as specified by the décret du 31 juillet 2015. The required items are: a mattress with bedding, window coverings in sleeping areas, a hob or hotplate, an oven or microwave, a refrigerator, crockery and kitchen utensils, a table, seating, storage, and lighting. An apartment missing key items from this list cannot legally be let as a bail meublé.
Bail nu and bail meublé are the two base lease types. Bail étudiant and bail mobilité are specific variants of the bail meublé framework, each with their own eligibility conditions and duration limits.
ℹ Information: Always confirm the lease type before you sign. The contract heading alone is not enough — check that the stated lease type matches the actual furnishing status of the apartment and your personal eligibility. A mismatch can lead to legal disputes or loss of protections.
Bail nu (unfurnished lease)
The bail nu is the standard long-term lease for unfurnished accommodation. It is the most common lease type in France and offers the strongest tenant protections.
Duration and renewal
The minimum duration is 3 years. If the landlord is a legal entity (a company or organisation rather than a private individual), the minimum duration extends to 6 years. At the end of the term, the lease renews automatically (tacite reconduction) unless either party has given valid notice.
Notice periods
The tenant can give notice at any time during the lease. The standard notice period is 3 months, reduced to 1 month in zones tendues — areas of housing pressure including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and other designated cities. The landlord's notice period is 6 months before the end of the term. The landlord can only terminate for three reasons: reprise (recovering the property for their own use or that of a close family member), sale of the property, or a legitimate and serious ground such as persistent non-payment of rent.
Deposit and rent increases
The security deposit is capped at 1 month's rent excluding charges. Annual rent increases are capped to the IRL (Indice de Référence des Loyers), published quarterly by INSEE. The landlord cannot increase rent above the IRL index movement during the tenancy.
The bail nu is the most protective lease type for tenants. The landlord's ability to terminate is tightly restricted, and the minimum duration gives tenants long-term security of occupation.
Bail meublé (furnished lease)
The bail meublé applies to furnished accommodation let as a principal residence. The apartment must meet the legal definition of furnished accommodation under the décret du 31 juillet 2015.
Duration and renewal
The minimum duration is 1 year. At the end of the term, the lease renews automatically unless notice is given. The shorter minimum duration reflects the greater flexibility typical of furnished rentals.
Notice periods
The tenant can give notice at any time during the lease with 1 month's notice. This applies regardless of whether the property is in a zone tendue. The landlord must give 3 months' notice before the end of the term and can only terminate on the same three grounds as the bail nu: reprise, sale, or legitimate and serious grounds.
Deposit and rent increases
The security deposit is capped at 2 months' rent excluding charges. Annual rent increases are capped to the IRL, in the same way as for the bail nu.
The 1-year minimum duration and 1-month notice make the bail meublé much more flexible than the bail nu. It is the standard lease type for furnished apartments on Wunderflats.
Bail étudiant (student lease)
The bail étudiant is a specific variant of the bail meublé designed for students in higher education. It is available only to tenants who are enrolled at an educational institution.
Duration and renewal
The bail étudiant runs for exactly 9 months, aligned to the academic year. There is no tacit renewal: the lease ends automatically at the 9-month mark. This gives landlords certainty that the property will be returned in summer, without needing to issue formal notice.
Notice periods
The tenant can leave at any time during the 9-month term with 1 month's notice. The landlord cannot terminate the lease early. If the landlord wishes to re-let to the same student for a second academic year, a new bail étudiant must be signed — the original lease cannot be extended.
Deposit and eligibility
The security deposit is capped at 2 months' rent excluding charges, the same as a standard bail meublé. The tenant must provide proof of student enrolment at the time of signing.
ℹ Information: A bail étudiant cannot be offered to non-students. If you are not enrolled at an educational institution, the landlord cannot legally use this contract type for your tenancy. An incorrectly issued bail étudiant may be requalified as a standard bail meublé.
Bail mobilité (mobility lease)
The bail mobilité was introduced by the Loi ELAN in November 2018. It is designed for people who are temporarily located in a city for a specific professional or educational reason and need furnished accommodation for a defined short period.
Duration and renewal
The duration is fixed at signing, between 1 and 10 months. The lease cannot be renewed or extended with the same tenant. When the term ends, the lease terminates automatically. If the tenant's situation changes and they need to stay longer, a new qualifying reason must exist and a new contract must be signed — the original bail mobilité cannot simply be converted or extended.
Notice and deposit
The tenant can leave at any time with 1 month's notice. No security deposit of any kind is permitted: a cash deposit (cautionnement) or financial guarantee (garantie) is prohibited by law. A Visale guarantee — a free government-backed rental guarantee scheme — is permitted and commonly used by landlords instead.
Eligibility
The tenant must be in one of the following situations at the time of signing: professional training, higher education studies, an internship, a volunteer assignment under the service civique scheme, a temporary job posting, or a similar professional mobility situation. The tenant should be prepared to provide documentation confirming the qualifying reason.
The bail mobilité is the lease type used for most corporate relocations and furnished short-term rentals on Wunderflats.
⚠ Warning: A landlord cannot use the bail mobilité as a way to avoid offering a standard bail meublé to a tenant who does not qualify. The tenant must produce evidence of their qualifying reason. If the reason is not genuine, the contract may be requalified as a bail meublé, giving the tenant full protections including tacit renewal and a 1-year minimum duration.
Side-by-side comparison
The table below summarises the key rules for each lease type.
| Feature | Bail nu | Bail meublé | Bail étudiant | Bail mobilité |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furnished required | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum duration | 3 years | 1 year | 9 months | 1 month |
| Maximum duration | None | None | 9 months | 10 months |
| Tacit renewal | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Tenant notice | 3 months (1 month in zones tendues) | 1 month | 1 month | 1 month |
| Landlord notice | 6 months | 3 months | Cannot terminate early | Not applicable |
| Maximum deposit | 1 month's rent | 2 months' rent | 2 months' rent | None permitted |
| Rent increase cap | IRL | IRL | IRL | IRL |
Zones tendues and rent control
In designated zones tendues (areas of high housing demand), additional rules apply across all lease types. The 3-month tenant notice period for bail nu reduces to 1 month. Initial rents for new leases may also be capped under the encadrement des loyers (rent control) regime in certain cities.
Where encadrement des loyers applies
As of 2025, the encadrement des loyers applies in Paris and its inner suburbs (petite couronne), Lyon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, and approximately 25 other communes including Lille, Grenoble, and parts of the Seine-Saint-Denis department. The list is expanding as more municipalities apply to join the scheme.
In these areas, landlords must not set an initial rent above the loyer de référence (reference rent) for the property type and location, published by the relevant prefecture. A rent set above the reference rent can be challenged by the tenant before the commission départementale de conciliation or the tribunal judiciaire.
How reference rents work
Each prefecture publishes a reference rent and a higher reference rent (loyer de référence majoré), broken down by neighbourhood, property size, and construction era. The initial rent must sit at or below the majoré figure. A landlord can apply a complément de loyer (rent supplement) above the majoré only for exceptional, specific characteristics of the property that are not reflected in the reference rent — such as a panoramic view or exceptional fittings.
Tip: Before signing any lease in a rent-controlled city, check the loyer de référence for your specific address on the prefecture's website (for example, encadrementdesloyers.gouv.fr for Paris). Compare it to the rent in your lease. If the rent exceeds the majoré without a justified complément de loyer, you can request a reduction before or after signing.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Loi n° 89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 tendant à améliorer les rapports locatifs — Légifrance
- Loi n° 2018-1021 du 23 novembre 2018 portant évolution du logement (Loi ELAN) — Légifrance
- Location meublée: bail, loyer, dépôt de garantie — Service-Public.fr
- Le bail mobilité — ANIL (Agence Nationale pour l'Information sur le Logement)