Tenant notice to leave: how to properly notify your landlord in France?

Quick answer

To leave a French rental, send your notice letter by registered AR to the landlord. The notice period is 3 months for an unfurnished rental, 1 month for a furnished rental or in a tight-supply area (with supporting documents). The notice does not start on the date of dispatch but on the date of receipt of the letter — that date determines how many more months of rent you will pay.

Moving out of your French rental? The law requires you to notify the landlord (or their agent) in writing, respecting a notice period. Badly drafted or badly sent, your letter can cost you one to three extra months of rent. Here is everything you need to know.

1. How long is your notice period?

It depends on the type of lease and your personal situation.

Unfurnished rental (law of 6 July 1989)

• 3 months by default
• 1 month if you are in one of the following situations:
  • Property located in a zone tendue (most large cities — check on service-public.fr)
  • First job, work transfer, job loss (with supporting document)
  • New job following a job loss
  • Health condition requiring a change of home (medical certificate)
  • Recipient of RSA or AAH (French welfare)
  • Allocation of a social housing unit
  • Domestic violence (protection order or police report receipt)

Furnished rental

• 1 month, no condition required

Co-tenancy with a single lease

If one co-tenant leaves, their notice does not release the others. They remain jointly liable for 6 months after the end of their notice, unless a replacement is found.

2. Start date of the notice: the date that changes everything

This is the most expensive mistake: the notice starts on the day the landlord receives the letter, not the day you send it.

• Letter sent on the 5th, received on the 8th → notice starts on the 8th.
• You pay rent until the end of the notice, pro rata included.

That is why the delivery method is critical.

3. The 3 delivery methods accepted by French law

Article 15 of the 1989 law lists three and only three valid methods:

1. Registered letter with return receipt (LRAR) — the standard, proves the date of receipt.
2. Bailiff's writ (commissaire de justice) — expensive, reserved for disputed cases.
3. Hand delivery against receipt or signature — risky if the landlord refuses to sign or contests the date.

❌ An email, an SMS or a simple letter have no legal value, even if the landlord confirms receipt. In case of dispute, it is as if you had sent nothing.

💡 If you are abroad or far from your French rental, MaisonMail prints your notice letter in France and posts it as LRAR to the landlord's address the same day — you receive the scanned return receipt as soon as it comes back.

4. Mandatory contents of the letter

To be legally valid, your letter must contain:

• Your first name, last name and address (the rental you are leaving)
• The name and address of the landlord or letting agency
• The exact address of the property (with lot/floor if different)
• The date you signed the lease
• An explicit termination clause: "In accordance with article 15 of the law of 6 July 1989, I hereby notify you of my termination of the lease for the property located at…"
• The applicable notice period (1 or 3 months)
• If reduced to 1 month: the reason + attached supporting documents
• The expected move-out date
• A request to schedule the final inspection (état des lieux de sortie)
• The date and your signature

5. Reduced notice: supporting documents to attach

To get 1 month instead of 3, you must attach proof to the letter. Without supporting documents, the notice automatically reverts to 3 months.

6. What happens after sending

1. The landlord receives the LRAR — the AR date is authoritative.
2. The notice starts that day.
3. During the notice, you remain liable for rent and charges, and the landlord can organise viewings (up to 2 h per working day).
4. At the end of the notice: contradictory final inspection, handover of keys.
5. The landlord has 1 month (or 2 months if deductions from the deposit) to return your security deposit.

7. Common mistakes that cost dearly

• Sending an email: legally void. The landlord can challenge it and demand 3 extra months of rent.
• Forgetting the supporting document for a 1-month notice: notice automatically extended to 3 months.
• Calculating the notice from the sending date: you leave before the legal end → the landlord can withhold a month from the deposit.
• Giving verbal notice at the agency: same answer — without an LRAR, it doesn't exist.
• Forgetting to request the final inspection in the letter: not mandatory but avoids disputes.

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Bottom line: a clear letter, the right legal mentions, the supporting documents attached, and a registered AR delivery are enough to leave with peace of mind. The date of receipt of the letter determines how many more months of rent you will pay — do not leave it to chance.