The standard 3-month notice period
For unfurnished rentals in France (the most common type), the standard notice period when a tenant wants to leave is 3 months. You must send a lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception (recorded letter with proof of receipt) to your landlord. The 3-month period starts from the date your letter is received — not the date you send it. Keep your proof of receipt carefully: it's the definitive start of your notice.
The 1-month notice: zones tendues
In zones tendues (tense housing market zones), the notice period is reduced to 1 month for all tenants, regardless of reason. You don't need to justify anything — simply mention in your letter that the property is located in a zone tendue. Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, and dozens of other towns are classified as zones tendues.
Check whether your commune is listed as a zone tendue at service-public.fr before assuming which notice period applies.
1-month notice anywhere in France: other qualifying situations
Even outside zones tendues, several situations entitle you to give just 1 month's notice:
- Job loss (redundancy, end of fixed-term contract)
- Employer-imposed job transfer
- First job after a period of unemployment
- Health condition requiring urgent relocation (needs a medical certificate)
- Allocation of social housing (HLM)
- Receipt of RSA or AAH (disability benefit)
Furnished rentals: different rules
For furnished rentals (meublé), the standard notice period is just 1 month, regardless of location. This is one practical advantage of meublé contracts for tenants who anticipate needing to move quickly.
How to write your notice letter
Your letter must clearly state:
- Your full name and address
- The property address
- The nature of the notice (congé du locataire)
- The applicable notice period and why (zone tendue, qualifying situation, etc.)
- Your intended departure date
- Your new address (for deposit return purposes)
💡 FrenchDesk generates a legally correct notice letter in French — specifying the exact legal basis for your notice period, whether it's zone tendue or a qualifying personal situation.