4 Types of Lease in France: Which One Should Expats Choose? (2026)

Paris is one of the most competitive rental markets in Europe, and its legal framework is more layered than most expatriates expect. The lease type you sign is not a formality: it determines your legal protections, your deposit amount, how easily you can exit, and whether you can even negotiate the rent.

Choosing incorrectly costs money. A tenant who signs a Bail Code Civil when they should have signed a Bail Meublé loses the protective provisions of the loi du 6 juillet 1989 - the French law that governs the vast majority of residential tenancies. A tenant unaware of the Bail Mobilité misses the one lease type in France that requires no security deposit at all.

This guide covers all four lease types in plain language, aligned with 2026 regulations, and anchored in the specific reality of the Paris rental market.

The French legal system structures residential rental contracts around the tenant's profile, the duration of stay, and the intended use of the property. The four types below account for the vast majority of expat rental situations in Paris.

Bail Nu - The Unfurnished Lease

The Bail Nu, also called location vide, is the standard long-term lease for tenants who intend to settle durably in Paris and furnish their own home.

Its core characteristics:

• Minimum duration of 3 years, renewed automatically by tacit reconduction for a further 3-year period
• Governed by the loi du 6 juillet 1989 (as amended by loi Alur) - the statute that establishes most tenant protections in France
• Property rented bare: no furniture, often no kitchen appliances, and sometimes no light fittings
• Security deposit capped at 1 month's rent (hors charges)
• Tenant notice period: 1 month in Paris, which qualifies as a zone tendue under the loi Alur; the standard 3-month notice applies in less pressured markets

The Bail Nu suits expat families or executives on long postings who want stability, the ability to personalize their home, and a lower upfront deposit. Its main limitation is the 3-year commitment, which can be a constraint if your assignment length is uncertain.

One practical warning: Paris's unfurnished apartments regularly arrive without a kitchen. Confirm exactly what is installed before signing, and budget for the investment if the fit-out is incomplete.

Bail Meublé - The Furnished Lease

The Bail Meublé is the most common choice for incoming expats in Paris, and for good reason. The property is ready to move into from day one, the lease term is shorter, and the exit flexibility is real.

Its core characteristics:

• Minimum duration of 1 year, or 9 months for students enrolled in a French institution (bail étudiant meublé, non-renewable)
• Governed by the loi du 6 juillet 1989 (Article 25-4 and following, introduced by loi Alur)
• The furnished status is legally defined: the Décret du 31 juillet 2015 sets the minimum list of mandatory items, including a bed with duvet or blankets, a table, seating, kitchen equipment (oven or microwave, hotplates, fridge with freezer), storage, lighting, and window coverings in the bedroom
• Security deposit capped at 2 months' rent (hors charges)
• Tenant notice period: 1 month

For a 1 to 3-year assignment, the furnished lease is almost always the fastest and most practical option in Paris. The higher deposit (2 months vs 1 for an unfurnished lease) is offset by the move-in readiness and the shorter contractual commitment.

Bail Mobilité - The Short-Stay Solution

The loi ELAN introduced the Bail Mobilité in November 2018. It is the most flexible residential lease in France, and the only one that requires no security deposit from the tenant.

Its core characteristics:

• Duration: 1 to 10 months only, non-renewable and non-extendable
• Zero security deposit required by law
• The property must be furnished (same standard as Bail Meublé)
• Strictly limited to tenants in one of the following situations: students, apprentices, interns, professional training participants, employees on temporary job transfer, and seasonal workers
• The qualifying situation must be documented and stated in the lease

The absence of a deposit is a significant financial advantage in Paris, where a 2-month deposit on a premium apartment can represent €5,000 to €10,000 tied up for the entire tenancy.

Important restriction: The Bail Mobilité cannot be used if the property will be the tenant's primary residence on a long-term basis. If your situation changes and you wish to stay beyond 10 months, you must negotiate a new contract - typically a Bail Meublé.

Bail Code Civil - Contractual Freedom for Specific Cases

The Bail Code Civil operates entirely outside the loi du 6 juillet 1989. It is governed only by the general provisions of the French Civil Code, which means the protections that apply to standard residential leases - capped deposits, mandatory notice periods, encadrement des loyers in most cases - do not automatically apply.

This lease type is used for:

• Corporate housing where the company, not the individual, is the contracting tenant
• Secondary residences and pied-à-terre properties (properties that are not the tenant's primary residence)
• Luxury rentals above certain price thresholds, where the parties prefer contractual flexibility
• Properties rented to legal entities (companies, embassies, professional structures)

Duration, rent, deposit, and notice are all freely negotiated. For international executives arriving on corporate packages, or for companies housing senior employees in Paris, this structure offers genuine freedom and often superior properties not accessible through standard channels.

The critical risk: Misclassifying a primary residence as a secondary one to use a Bail Code Civil exposes the landlord to judicial requalification. A judge can reclassify the contract as a Bail Meublé or Bail Nu, retroactively applying all the protections the landlord sought to avoid. If you are signing this type of lease, have the contract reviewed by a professional.

For more details, this video breaks down three primary lease formats and serves as a comprehensive guide for navigating the rental market in France:

The French rental market in 2026 is shaped by two major regulatory shifts: the progressive ban on energy-inefficient rental properties and the ongoing enforcement of Paris rent control. Both directly affect which apartments you can legally rent, and at what price.

DPE and Rental Eligibility in 2026

The DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Energétique) is the energy performance certificate issued for every residential property in France. It rates properties from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). Since July 1, 2021, the DPE is legally binding and opposable - meaning landlords and agents are legally responsible for its accuracy.

The rental ban schedule under the loi Climat et Résilience:

• January 1, 2025: Properties rated G (consumption above 450 kWh/m²/year) are prohibited from new rental contracts
• January 1, 2028: Properties rated F will be prohibited
• January 1, 2034: Properties rated E will be prohibited

As a tenant, always request the DPE before signing any lease. A G-rated property is not legally rentable under a new contract today. A landlord who offers one violates the law, and you have legal grounds to exit the lease or seek damages. For F-rated properties, bear in mind that the landlord is already prohibited from raising the rent (a freeze has been in place since August 2022) and will lose the ability to rent the property in 2028. That affects your housing security.

An important 2026 update: from January 1, 2026, the electricity conversion coefficient in the DPE calculation dropped from 2.3 to 1.9, better reflecting France's low-carbon energy mix. Approximately 850,000 electrically-heated properties - very common in Paris's central arrondissements - have seen their rating improve automatically. If a property has a DPE issued before 2026, ask whether an updated calculation has been run. The landlord can request a free recalculation via the ADEME platform without a new physical inspection.

Useful reference: service-public.fr on rental bans by DPE rating.

Rent Control in Paris (Encadrement des loyers) 2026

Paris has applied encadrement des loyers (rent control) to all new residential leases signed since July 1, 2019. This covers both furnished and unfurnished properties rented as a primary residence, across all 20 arrondissements.

The system works on three values per property type, determined by quartier (80 quartiers, 14 geographic sectors), number of rooms, type of rental (meublé or vide), and year of construction:

• Loyer de référence minoré: The minimum reference rent
• Loyer de référence: The median reference rent
• Loyer de référence majoré: The maximum legal rent (médian +20%)

No landlord may set a rent above the loyer de référence majoré, except in rare cases with a justified complément de loyer (an exceptional feature explicitly documented in the lease). The average median rent across all Paris properties is approximately €26.60/m², though this varies significantly by arrondissement and property type.

What this means for you as a tenant: The lease must state both the loyer de référence and the loyer de référence majoré. If it does not, request the information before signing. If the rent you are being charged exceeds the legal ceiling, you can send a formal mise en demeure (written legal notice) to the landlord. If unresolved, you can refer the matter to the Commission Départementale de Conciliation (CDC) or report the excess directly to the City of Paris via their online tool.

Selecting the right lease is a matching exercise. Your profile, your planned length of stay, and your financial situation each narrow the options.

Matching Your Profile to the Lease Type

• Student or intern staying less than 10 months: Choose Bail Mobilité because it offers no deposit and maximum flexibility.
• Professional on a short assignment for 1–3 years: Choose Bail Meublé because it is ready to move into and allows a 1-month exit notice.
• Family settling long-term: Choose Bail Nu because it provides stability, personalization, and a lower deposit.
• Corporate tenant or secondary residence: Choose Bail Code Civil because it allows contractual freedom and negotiable terms.

The most common mistake among newly arrived expats is signing a Bail Meublé when they would qualify for a Bail Mobilité - and paying a 2-month deposit when none was required. Check your eligibility for the Bail Mobilité as a first step if your stay will be under 10 months.

Building a Strong Rental Dossier in Paris

Regardless of the lease type, every landlord in Paris will require a dossier locataire - your rental application file. The stronger it is, the faster you get the keys.

Standard documents required across all lease types:

• Valid passport or titre de séjour (residence permit)
• Last 3 payslips, or equivalent proof of income (employer letter, employment contract, company accounts for self-employed)
• Last 2 tax notices (avis d'imposition), if applicable
• Guarantor certificate: a physical guarantor (must reside in France with income at least 3-4 times the rent), or a Visale guarantee (free, IDF ceiling €1,940 for professionals under 34 in 2026), or a private guarantee service such as Garantme or Cautioneo (fee of approximately 3.5-4.1% of annual rent, issued within 24 hours)

For expats without a French guarantor, private guarantees are the standard solution in Paris. Most landlords and agencies accept them without question. For a detailed breakdown of each option, see our guide on how to get a guarantor in Paris in 2026.

If you are arriving from abroad and navigating the full application process remotely, the complete dossier checklist in our guide to renting in Paris as a foreigner covers every scenario.

Essential Clauses to Verify Before Signing

Before signing any lease in Paris, review these five points without exception:

• Security deposit: Confirm it matches the legal cap for your lease type: 1 month for Bail Nu, 2 months for Bail Meublé, zero for Bail Mobilité. A deposit above the legal cap is illegal and recoverable.
• Encadrement des loyers: The loyer de référence and loyer de référence majoré must appear in the lease for properties subject to rent control. Their absence is a legal anomaly - flag it.
• Charges locatives: Distinguish between provision sur charges (advance payment with annual regularisation) and forfait de charges (fixed monthly amount, common in furnished leases). Both are legal; make sure you know which applies.
• Notice period: Confirm it reflects your lease type and Paris's zone tendue status. As a tenant in Paris, you are entitled to a 1-month notice period regardless of the lease type (except Bail Code Civil, where this is negotiated).
• État des lieux: The move-in inspection is the legal document that determines what deductions, if any, can be made from your deposit at the end of the tenancy. Sign it only when it accurately reflects the property's condition, room by room. Our guide on protecting your security deposit with the Paris move-in inspection gives you the exact wording and methodology used by professionals.

Navigating French lease law is manageable with the right information. What is harder to navigate alone is the gap between knowing the rules and applying them correctly in the context of a live Parisian rental negotiation - where apartments move in hours, where landlords routinely test the limits of rent control, and where a misread clause can cost you your deposit at move-out.

Relocation in Paris supports international clients at every stage of the lease process:

• Lease type selection: Based on your profile, duration, and housing goals, we identify the optimal contract structure - and make sure you are not paying a deposit you do not legally owe.
• Contract audit and negotiation: Our team reviews every clause before you sign, flags non-compliant rent levels, and negotiates terms in your favour where the market allows.
• Dossier preparation: We structure your application file to meet the exacting standards of the Parisian market, significantly increasing your approval rate - particularly important for expats without a French contract or local financial history.
• Administrative follow-through: From the état des lieux to utility activation and dispute resolution, we handle the paperwork so you can focus on your transition. For a full overview of contracts to set up on arrival, see our guide on essential home contracts in Paris.

The Paris market does not reward hesitation. Our team's role is to make sure your legal position is sound before you commit - and to remain your point of contact if a dispute arises after you move in.