Tenant notice in France: 1 or 3 months, grounds, letter

How long is the notice period?

The tenant does not have to wait for the lease to expire or give a reason for leaving; only the reduced notice period requires a ground. For the general rules of the contract, see the guide on the bail de location (residential lease) and the one on the bail meublé (furnished lease).

Grounds that reduce the notice period to 1 month

For unfurnished homes, article 15 (version in force since 29 July 2023) reduces the notice period to 1 month in the following cases. Service-public.gouv.fr specifies the supporting documents to enclose:

• High-demand zone: the letter states the home’s address and that the reduced notice period applies;
• First job: a document showing the date of registration with social security;
• Transfer or change of place of work of an employee or civil servant;
• Job loss, or a new job following a job loss;
• State of health justifying a change of home, established by a medical certificate (“simple tiredness” is not enough);
• Recipient of the RSA (minimum income benefit) or the AAH (disabled adult allowance);
• Allocation of social housing;
• Domestic violence or violence against a child: a protection order, or a criminal conviction dating from less than 6 months ago.

The ground must be stated and supported with evidence in the notice letter; otherwise, the 3-month notice period applies (service-public.gouv.fr).

High-demand zone. The list of communes (municipalities) is annexed to decree no. 2013-392 of 10 May 2013. Decree no. 2026-831 of 25 August 2026 repeals that text from 1 January 2027; it concerns only the tax on vacant homes and says nothing about notice periods (Légifrance). For notice given from 2027, check the list then applicable: see zone tendue : effets (high-demand zones: effects).

How to give notice

Notice is valid if sent by (service-public.gouv.fr; art. 15):

• registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt;
• deed served by a commissaire de justice;
• hand delivery against a signature or receipt;
• electronic registered mail, if the private landlord has agreed to this method in advance.

A simple email is not valid, even if the landlord acknowledges receipt by return email (service-public.gouv.fr). In a flatshare, each departing co-tenant gives their own notice: see the guide on colocation (flatsharing).

When the notice period starts and ends

The notice period runs from the day the landlord receives the registered letter, the day of service by the commissaire de justice or the day of hand delivery, not from the day it is sent (service-public.gouv.fr).

Official example: letter received on 5 September, 1-month notice period: it ends on 5 October at midnight (service-public.gouv.fr; the calculation follows article 641 of the code de procédure civile (Code of Civil Procedure)).

Rent during the notice period

The tenant pays rent and service charges for the whole notice period. Exception: if the landlord signs a lease with a new tenant who moves in before the end of the notice period, rent is no longer due from that move-in date. If the notice period ends part-way through a month, the last rent is calculated pro rata (service-public.gouv.fr; art. 15 and 25-15).

The dépôt de garantie (security deposit) is settled separately, after the keys are handed back and the état des lieux de sortie (check-out inventory).

Which professional to consult

If the home is managed by an agent immobilier (estate agent), the notice letter is generally addressed to them, and they organise the check-out inventory. If there is a disagreement over the length of the notice period, the commission départementale de conciliation (departmental conciliation board) or a conciliateur de justice (court conciliator) can be approached free of charge (service-public.gouv.fr, fact sheet on notice given by the landlord). A notaire (notary) is only involved if the departure is part of a sale or purchase of the home.