Studio or flatshare in Paris: how to choose your housing

A studio rented alone gives you full control and full responsibility; a flatshare (colocation) usually lowers the cost per person but can make you liable for your flatmates’ unpaid rent; a student residence comes furnished and managed, but Crous places are hard to obtain. This guide for tenants in the Paris region sets out what each option is in French law, what it commits you to (lease, deposit, joint liability, notice) and who it suits.

1. Three options, four types of lease

A studio is a self-contained flat you rent alone, unfurnished (logement vide) or furnished (logement meublé). A flatshare (colocation) is officially several tenants renting the same home as their main residence. A student residence is either public, run by the Crous (regional student services), or private. With a private landlord, the lease type sets the duration, the maximum security deposit (dépôt de garantie) and the notice (préavis) you give to leave.

The bail mobilité is reserved for tenants who, when it starts, are in higher education, vocational training, an apprenticeship, an internship, civic service, a job transfer or a temporary assignment. The nine-month student lease ends on its date without notice from either side; to stay, you sign a new lease (official page on furnished leases).

2. A studio: you alone on the lease

You are the only tenant, so nobody else’s arrears can fall on you. You can leave at any time by giving notice by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, through a court officer (commissaire de justice), or by hand against a signed receipt. The notice period starts when the landlord receives it, and rent and charges stay due while it runs.

For an unfurnished studio the general rule is three months, reduced to one in a zone tendue (an area where housing demand far exceeds supply) if your letter gives the address and claims the reduced notice; check your commune with the simulator on the official notice page. Once you return the keys, the landlord has at most one month to refund the deposit if the check-out inventory (état des lieux de sortie) matches the check-in one, two months if not.

3. Flatshare on a single lease (bail unique)

All flatmates sign the same contract. Look for a solidarity clause (clause de solidarité): it decides how much the landlord can claim from you.

• With the clause, the landlord can claim all unpaid rent and charges from any flatmate or that flatmate’s guarantor.
• Still with the clause, if you move out, you and your guarantor stay liable for six months after your notice ends, or only until it ends if a new flatmate replaces you during the notice.
• Without the clause, each flatmate and guarantor owes only their own share.
• The deposit is returned only once every flatmate has left and handed back the keys; a flatmate who leaves earlier cannot claim their share from the landlord.
• A bail mobilité cannot contain a solidarity clause.

On guarantors and Visale, see our guide to renting without a guarantor.

4. Flatshare on separate leases (baux individuels)

Each flatmate signs their own contract. It must name the bedroom reserved for you and the shared areas. You pay only the rent and charges written in your lease, until your notice ends, and recover your own deposit after returning your keys.

In both kinds of flatshare, flatmates must insure the home at least against rental risks (fire, explosion, water damage) and give the landlord a certificate each year, unless the lease says the landlord insures on their behalf. A flatmate who meets the conditions for housing aid (APL, ALS or ALF) can receive it for the rent they pay, by applying individually to the CAF or MSA; the home must have at least 16 m² for two flatmates, plus 9 m² per extra person. Since 1 July 2026, students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland on a student residence permit qualify only with a needs-based grant, a job, or an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract (official page on student housing aid).

5. Student residences: Crous and private

Crous residences are public and state-subsidised, and only students can live there. Rooms are allocated in two phases: the main phase goes first to scholarship holders and requires a student social file (DSE) submitted beforehand; the complementary phase is open to all students, scholarship or not, French or international. In 2026 it opened on 7 July on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr; dates change yearly.

Campus France tells international students coming on their own to apply on that platform, while for exchange and Erasmus+ students the host institution’s international office handles the booking. Demand far exceeds supply. A deposit is required, and Visale can act as guarantor (our guarantor guide).

Private student residences are privately owned and run. According to Campus France, rents are often higher than at Crous, with furnished rooms and shared services such as internet, a laundry or a gym. Your rights depend on the contract you are given: before paying, ask which type of lease it is and check it against the table above.

6. Side by side: commitment, deposit, who it suits

ViveFrance lists homes for rent in Paris and the nearby suburbs, and its website and advisers work in Chinese, English, Korean and French. You can book a viewing online and ask the adviser which type of lease a listing is offered under. Browse homes for rent

Frequently asked questions

If my flatmate stops paying, do I have to pay their share?

Only on a single lease with a solidarity clause: the landlord can then claim the whole rent from any flatmate or guarantor. On separate leases, or without the clause, you owe only your share.

Can an international student outside an exchange programme apply for a Crous room?

Yes. The complementary phase is open to all students, international ones included. Scholarship holders are served first, so it only offers the rooms still left.

How much notice do I give to leave a furnished studio?

One month, even on a nine-month student lease, counted from the day the landlord receives your registered letter.

Updated 2 October 2026

Sources: Service-Public (flatshare, unfurnished and furnished leases, tenant’s notice, security deposit, bail mobilité, Crous housing); Campus France: where to live during your stay. Information only, not legal advice; check amounts and deadlines on the official sites.