Tenant notice in France: period, start date and notice letter
A tenant in France can give notice without waiting for the anniversary of the lease. However, they must select the correct period, use a valid notification method and keep evidence of receipt. Ordinary unfurnished tenancies generally require three months' notice; furnished main-residence tenancies generally require one month.
This guide concerns notice given by a private-sector main-residence tenant in France. Landlord notices, holiday lets and special tenancy regimes follow different rules.
1. Identify the tenancy and notice period
| Situation | Period to check |
|---|---|
| Ordinary unfurnished tenancy | 3 months |
| Unfurnished home in a designated high-demand area, or zone tendue | 1 month, with the relevant basis stated in the notice |
| Unfurnished tenancy with a statutory ground for reduction | 1 month if the conditions and evidence are satisfied |
| Furnished main-residence tenancy | 1 month, without a special reason |
| French mobility lease | 1 month |
For an unfurnished tenancy, grounds for reduction include certain employment events, a health condition justifying relocation, receipt of RSA or AAH benefits and allocation of social housing. Particular protections also exist for victims of violence. These categories do not remove the need to check each ground's exact requirements.
A job change or financial difficulty does not always qualify. State the ground and supply appropriate evidence when giving notice. For a zone tendue, identify the address and the legal basis applicable to the municipality. The official tenant notice guidance (opens in a new tab) explains individual cases.
Our guide to lease information and clauses helps identify the contract regime. The tenant notice simulator helps preparation but does not replace checking supporting evidence and valid service.
2. Use a valid notification method
The usual methods are a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, service by a French court enforcement officer, known as a commissaire de justice, or hand delivery against a signed receipt or acknowledgement.
An ordinary email, text message or telephone conversation does not replace these formalities. An electronic registered letter may be used under the legal conditions, including prior consent where the recipient is a private individual.
For postal registered mail, an uncollected letter does not start notice merely on the posting date or first delivery attempt. If receipt is uncertain, arrange another valid method rather than assuming the tenancy will end as planned.
3. Calculate the start and end dates
Notice starts on actual receipt of the registered letter, service by the enforcement officer or signed hand delivery, depending on the method. Count calendar months from date to date, rather than blocks of thirty days.
For example, valid one-month notice received on 12 November ends on 12 December. Posting the letter on 8 November does not make the period start on the eighth if receipt occurs on the twelfth.
If the corresponding date does not exist in the final month, the period ends on that month's last day. Weekends and public holidays do not automatically postpone the end date. Source: official notice-period calculation (opens in a new tab).
4. Prepare a clear notice letter
This teaching outline is for a sole tenant without special circumstances. A letter sent to a French landlord should be adapted appropriately:
Subject: notice to end the tenancy at [full address]. I give notice to end the lease signed on [date]. The applicable notice period is [duration], starting from valid receipt of this notice. [For reduced notice in an unfurnished tenancy: ground, legal basis and attached evidence.] Please arrange a move-out inspection and key handover with me. [Name, date and signature.]
Do not describe a preferred departure date as legally certain before receipt. For couples, joint tenants or shared housing, check who gives notice and who remains bound. One person's departure does not necessarily terminate the lease or all joint payment obligations. Read about a housemate leaving a shared tenancy.
5. Separate notice, moving out and final payment
Moving out early does not by itself remove remaining rent liability. If a replacement tenant occupies before the notice expires with the landlord's agreement, this affects the outgoing tenant's chargeable period. Retain any early-release agreement in writing.
Where notice ends partway through a month, use the prorated rent guide for the final payment. Do not use the security deposit to pay the final rent: returning the deposit is a separate process.
6. Organise departure and preserve evidence
After receipt, confirm dates, arrange permitted viewings and book the inspection. The move-out checklist covers preparation, meter readings and keys.
Keep the notice, attachments, delivery evidence, any agreements and the key-handover record. Together, these explain the chronology if the final amount is disputed.
Frequently asked questions
Can the tenant cancel notice after sending it?
Do not assume notice can be withdrawn unilaterally. Obtain the landlord's agreement to reverse a notice already given and document it.
Can the landlord require the tenant to wait until the lease ends?
For the tenancies covered here, tenants may leave during the contract by complying with notice requirements. Notices given by landlords follow different rules.
Is an email read receipt enough?
It does not replace a legally required notification method. Distinguish practical correspondence about inspection appointments from formal service of notice.
Editorial verification: 29 October 2026. General information about French law. References: Articles 12, 15, 25-8 and 25-15 of the Law of 6 July 1989 (opens in a new tab). Ask an ADIL housing advice service about individual circumstances.