Demanding repairs from your French landlord: obligations, formal notice and letter template

Quick answer

The landlord must deliver a decent dwelling and keep it fit for use: all works beyond routine upkeep are theirs (article 6 of law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989; decency decree no. 2002-120). Dead boiler, infiltration, dangerous wiring, unusable windows: report in writing, then send a formal notice by registered mail with a deadline. If nothing moves, the free departmental conciliation commission, then the judge, who can order the works under penalty payments and cut the rent. Above all: never stop paying rent on your own.

1. Who pays for what: the dividing line

Landlord:

• Structure and envelope: roof, walls, infiltration, waterproofing.
• Worn-out equipment: boiler, water heater, radiators, pipework.
• Compliance: dangerous electrics or gas, ventilation.
• Decency: no pests, sufficient heating, hot water, sound openings.

Tenant (decree no. 87-712): routine upkeep and minor repairs — seals, light bulbs, annual boiler service (if the contract says so), simple unblocking, garden upkeep.

Wear and tear stays with the landlord: equipment at the end of its life is not a "tenant repair".

2. Build the file before writing

• Dated photos and videos of the defects.
• Earlier exchanges (texts, emails) showing the landlord knows.
• Surveys and inventory reports mentioning the equipment.
• Where useful, a professional's statement (heating engineer, plumber) pricing the fix.

3. Formal notice template for repairs

Subject: Formal notice to carry out works — dwelling at [address]

Dear Sir or Madam,

As tenant of the above dwelling, I reported to you on [date] the following defects: [description — e.g. boiler failure, infiltration in the bedroom, faulty electrical installation]. To date, nothing has been done.

Under article 6 of law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, these repairs, which go beyond routine upkeep, are your responsibility, as is the delivery of a decent dwelling within the meaning of decree no. 2002-120.

I therefore give you formal notice to have the necessary works carried out within [15/30] days of receipt of this letter. Failing that, I will refer the matter to the departmental conciliation commission and then to the protection litigation judge, who may order the works under penalty payments, reduce the rent and compensate my loss.

Enclosed are photographs and documents establishing the defects.

Yours faithfully,

[Date — Signature]

To give your demand an official date, MaisonMail can print and dispatch your formal notice through an available registered service. Origin market, delivery times, tracking and the proof-of-receipt slip are confirmed before payment. See also: writing a formal notice.

4. Why registered mail with proof of receipt matters

• It proves the landlord knows: the starting point of their liability and of any compensable loss.
• The deadline you set runs from receipt.
• Before the judge, an unanswered formal notice establishes the landlord's failure to act.

5. If the landlord does nothing

1. Departmental conciliation commission or justice conciliator: free, a simple letter, often effective.
2. Protection litigation judge: works under penalty payments (a sum per day of delay), rent reduction for the duration of the defects, damages.
3. Health or safety at risk: report to the town hygiene service or the ARS — an insalubrity order suspends rent by law.
4. CAF: for substandard housing, it can withhold housing benefit until compliance.

Throughout, keep paying the rent: only a court decision or an order can relieve you of it.

6. Common mistakes

• Withholding rent on your own: grounds for terminating the lease against you.
• Handling everything by phone: no proof the landlord was informed.
• Commissioning the works without agreement or judgment, hoping for reimbursement.
• Confusing routine upkeep with wear and tear and paying for what is the landlord's.
• Waiting months without documenting: compensable loss starts at the formal notice.

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In short: works beyond routine upkeep are the landlord's (article 6, law of 1989). Document the defects, report them, then serve a formal notice by registered mail with a deadline. If nothing moves: free conciliation, then the judge — works under penalty, reduced rent, compensated loss. And keep paying your rent until a decision says otherwise.