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ℹ Info: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. French tenancy law can change, and its application may vary depending on your circumstances. If you face a dispute, consult a qualified avocat specialising in droit du logement or contact your local ADIL for free, personalised guidance.
In France, the rules for giving notice to leave a rental property — the congé or préavis de départ — are set by Article 15 of the Loi du 6 juillet 1989. The notice period, the method of delivery, and the wording all have precise legal requirements. Getting any of them wrong can leave you liable for rent beyond the date you expected to leave. This guide covers every step.
Key takeaways
- Tenants of furnished leases (bail meublé) always have a one-month notice period, regardless of location.
- Tenants of unfurnished leases (bail nu) have three months' notice, reduced to one month in zones tendues.
- Bail mobilité leases require no notice: the lease ends on the agreed fixed date.
- Notice must be sent by lettre recommandée avec avis de réception (LRAR). Email is not valid.
- The notice period starts from the date the landlord receives the letter, not the date you send it.
- You can give notice at any time and for any reason.
- The landlord must return your deposit within one or two months of the move-out inventory. Late return incurs a 10% monthly penalty.
Overview: the congé under French law
French tenancy law gives tenants broad freedom: you can give notice at any time, for any reason, and the landlord cannot refuse or challenge a validly issued notice. Landlords, by contrast, can only terminate on specific grounds and must give much longer notice.
The formal act of giving notice is called issuing a congé. The period between the notice and the end of the lease is the préavis. The governing statute is Article 15 of the Loi no. 89-462 du 6 juillet 1989, amended most significantly by the Loi ALUR (2014), which introduced the zone tendue reduction, and the Loi ELAN (2018), which created the bail mobilité.
💡 Note: These rules apply to private residential tenancies covered by the Loi du 6 juillet 1989. Social housing (HLM), commercial leases, and seasonal lets operate under different frameworks.
Notice periods by lease type
| Lease type | Standard notice period | Reduced notice (where applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Bail meublé (furnished) | 1 month | Not applicable (already 1 month) |
| Bail nu — outside zone tendue | 3 months | 1 month (specific grounds — see below) |
| Bail nu — in zone tendue | 1 month | Not applicable (already 1 month) |
| Bail mobilité | No notice required | Lease ends on the agreed fixed date |
Bail meublé (furnished rental)
Tenants always benefit from a one-month notice period. You can give notice at any point during the lease, including during the initial term.
Bail nu (unfurnished rental)
The standard notice period is three months. In zones tendues — defined by government decree and covering Paris and its suburbs, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Rennes, Montpellier, and many other communes — this is reduced to one month automatically.
ℹ Info: Use the official zone tendue checker on service-public.fr to confirm whether your commune qualifies. The list is set by Decree no. 2013-392.
Bail mobilité
Introduced by Loi ELAN 2018 for people in temporary mobility (students, trainees, professional assignments). The lease has a fixed end date and cannot be renewed. No notice is required from either party.
Grounds for one-month notice on a bail nu (outside zones tendues)
Even outside a zone tendue, you are entitled to a reduced one-month notice period under Article 15 if you can demonstrate one of the following:
- Job loss: dismissal, end of a fixed-term contract, or redundancy.
- New employment or professional relocation: new job, first employment (première embauche), or employer transfer (mutation professionnelle).
- Health reasons: your state of health requires a change of residence (supported by a doctor's certificate).
- Receipt of RSA or AAH: starting to receive the Revenu de Solidarité Active or the Allocation aux Adultes Handicapés.
- Property unfit for habitation: classified as dangerous by the relevant authority.
- Tenant aged 60 or over moving to care or assisted-living accommodation.
⚠ Important: You must include documentary evidence with your notice letter when relying on one of these grounds. For health reasons, attach the doctor's certificate. For job loss or relocation, attach the relevant letter from your employer or France Travail.
How to give notice correctly
French law permits three valid delivery methods. Email, SMS, and phone calls have no legal effect.
| Method | French term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Registered letter with delivery receipt | Lettre recommandée avec avis de réception (LRAR) | Most common method. La Poste returns a signed delivery receipt. Keep this document. |
| Delivery by bailiff | Acte d'huissier de justice | Most legally robust. Recommended in contested situations. Tenant pays the huissier's fee. |
| Hand delivery with signed receipt | Remise en main propre contre récépissé | Landlord must sign and date a receipt confirming delivery. Verbal confirmation is not enough. |
⚠ Warning: Do not rely on the date you post the letter. The préavis begins only on the date of receipt. If you post on 1 June but the landlord receives on 5 June, your notice period starts on 5 June. Build in a few days' margin.
What the notice letter must contain
- Your full name and the address of the rental property.
- The landlord's name and address.
- A clear statement of intent to terminate the tenancy (congé).
- The proposed end date, calculated correctly from the expected receipt date.
- Your handwritten signature.
- If claiming zone tendue: a statement citing Decree no. 2013-392.
- If claiming a special ground: the specific ground plus supporting document (attached).
Calculating your end date
The préavis runs by full calendar months from the date of receipt. If the landlord receives the letter on 10 June, a one-month préavis ends on 10 July.
| Scenario | Date of receipt | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Bail meublé (1-month notice) | 10 June 2026 | 10 July 2026 |
| Bail nu in zone tendue (1-month notice) | 15 September 2026 | 15 October 2026 |
| Bail nu outside zone tendue (3-month notice) | 1 March 2026 | 1 June 2026 |
| Bail nu outside zone tendue (3-month, mid-month) | 20 April 2026 | 20 July 2026 |
If the tenancy ends mid-month, rent is due only on a pro-rata basis for the days occupied in that final month.
Leaving before the notice period ends
Rent is due for the entirety of the notice period, even if you vacate physically before it ends. The one exception: if the landlord finds a new tenant who moves in before your notice period ends, your obligation stops on the day the new tenant takes up residence.
You can negotiate a mutual early departure agreement (convention de départ anticipé) in writing. This requires the landlord's explicit written consent — there is no right to demand early release.
ℹ Info: Do not return the keys until the end date and the état des lieux de sortie has been completed. Returning keys early can be interpreted as surrendering the property and complicates your legal position.
État des lieux de sortie (move-out inventory)
The état des lieux de sortie is the move-out condition report. It determines whether the landlord can make deductions from your deposit. It must be carried out on the last day of the tenancy when you hand over the keys.
- Both tenant and landlord (or their representative) must be present.
- The report is compared line by line with the move-in état des lieux.
- Any condition beyond normal wear and tear (usure normale) can justify a deposit deduction.
- Both parties sign; you receive a copy immediately.
- If the landlord refuses, you can request a huissier to carry it out.
- If there is no état des lieux de sortie due to the landlord's fault, the property is presumed returned in the same condition as on move-in. The landlord loses the right to make deductions.
⚠ Important: Take dated photographs of every room on the day of the état des lieux de sortie. Keep copies of both the move-in and move-out inventories. These are your primary defence against unjustified deductions.
Deposit return timeline
Deposit return rules are set out in Article 22 of the Loi du 6 juillet 1989.
| Situation | Deadline for return |
|---|---|
| No damage noted (état des lieux de sortie identical to move-in report) | 1 month from the date of the move-out inventory |
| Damage noted (differences from move-in report) | 2 months from the date of the move-out inventory |
If the landlord misses the deadline, they owe an automatic penalty of 10% of one month's rent for each month (or fraction of a month) of delay. Any deposit deduction must be supported by a quote or invoice.
Sample notice letter
Template for a bail meublé, or a bail nu in a zone tendue. Adjust the bracketed fields for your situation.
[Landlord full name] [Landlord address]
[City], [Date of sending]
Subject: Congé — [Property address]
Dear [Landlord name / Madam / Sir],
I am writing to give formal notice of my intention to vacate the property at [full address], held under the lease dated [date of lease].
[Bail meublé:] As this is a furnished tenancy (bail meublé), my notice period is one month under Article 15 of the Loi du 6 juillet 1989.
[Bail nu in zone tendue:] As this is an unfurnished tenancy (bail nu) located in a zone tendue under Decree no. 2013-392, my notice period is one month under Article 15 of the Loi du 6 juillet 1989.
The tenancy will therefore end on [calculated end date].
I am available to agree a date for the état des lieux de sortie on or before the end date. Please contact me at [phone / email] to arrange this.
Yours faithfully,
[Handwritten signature] [Printed name]
Frequently asked questions
ℹ Reminder: This article is for informational purposes only. French tenancy law changes regularly. For free personalised advice, contact your local ADIL — find it at anil.org/votre-adil.
Sources
- Loi no. 89-462 du 6 juillet 1989, Articles 15 and 22 (notice and deposit return), Légifrance
- Service-Public.fr — Donner congé (préavis) pour quitter son logement
- Service-Public.fr — Zone tendue: quelles sont les communes concernées?
- Decree no. 2013-392 du 10 mai 2013 — list of zones tendues, Légifrance
- ANIL — National directory of ADILs providing free local tenancy advice, anil.org