État des lieux in France: move-in, move-out and your deposit

In France the security deposit (dépôt de garantie) must be returned within one month of handing back the keys if the exit inventory matches the entry one, within two months if it does not. What can be kept depends on the état des lieux, the room-by-room report signed at move-in and move-out. This guide covers both inventories, tenant repairs, notice, deductions and unpaid deposits.

1. The entry inventory (état des lieux d’entrée)

The entry inventory is a written report on the home and its equipment, made jointly by tenant and landlord (or the landlord’s agency) when the keys are handed over, on paper or electronically, with a copy for each side. Under the official page on the entry inventory, it must contain:

• the date, the address and both sides’ names;
• individual water and energy meter readings, if any;
• the keys and other means of access handed over;
• room by room, a precise description of floors, walls, ceilings, equipment and furniture, with remarks and pictures if wanted;
• both signatures.

2. Entry day: a checklist

1. Go in daylight or switch on every light (the official page requires good lighting) and check floors, walls and ceilings in each room.
2. Have every scratch, stain, crack and mould patch written down with its location; refuse a blanket “good condition”.
3. Test taps, hot water, toilet flush, hob, fridge, sockets, windows, shutters and locks.
4. Photograph each room and defect, and email the pictures to the landlord or agent that day so they are dated.
5. Read the meters, count the keys and badges, and check both against the report.
6. Keep your signed copy.

This report, your main evidence, can still be corrected: the tenant may ask the landlord to amend it within 10 calendar days of the inventory for anything concerning the home, and during the first month of the heating period for heating elements. It is best to ask in writing; after a refusal, turn to the departmental conciliation commission (commission départementale de conciliation).

3. Who pays for the inventory

An inventory done directly between tenant and landlord is free. When an agent does the entry inventory, the tenant’s share cannot exceed half of the fee, nor 3.03 € including tax per square metre of living area. At the exit, the tenant pays the agent nothing. A court officer (commissaire de justice) steps in only when one side refuses to attend, to do the inventory or to sign: both sides are warned by registered letter at least seven days ahead and share that cost equally.

4. During the tenancy: the repairs that are yours

Routine upkeep and small repairs (réparations locatives) are the tenant’s job throughout the lease, for example:

• replacing tap and toilet-flush seals;
• greasing hinges and replacing small lock parts;
• an annual boiler service, unless the lease says otherwise;
• maintaining and replacing the smoke detector (the landlord fits the first one).

Ageing is not yours to fix: if worn-out pipes leak, tell the landlord (best in writing), who must do the repair.

5. Giving notice (préavis)

For an unfurnished home, the official page on tenant notice lists the one-month cases: a home in a tight-market area (zone tendue), being allocated social housing, RSA or AAH benefits, health reasons requiring a move, domestic violence, a first job, a job transfer (employees and civil servants), a job loss (not a resignation), or a new job after a job loss during the same lease. In a zone tendue, the letter must give the home’s address and claim the one-month notice; in other cases it must state the reason, with proof. Failing that, three months apply. The page links to a zone tendue simulator.

Send notice by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (or electronic registered letter, LRE; a plain email is not valid), through a commissaire de justice, or by hand against a signed receipt. A registered letter counts from the day the landlord takes delivery, not the day you post it.

6. The exit inventory and normal wear

The exit inventory is made when you hand back the keys, in the same form as the entry one. Clean the home, do your small repairs and photograph each room first.

Differences caused by normal ageing (vétusté) cannot be deducted from the deposit. ANIL, the housing information agency, cites worn paint and flooring as ageing, and a burnt carpet or holes in a wall as damage the tenant pays for. Without an exit inventory, the tenant is deemed to have returned the home in good condition.

7. Getting your deposit back: deadlines and deductions

The deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent excluding charges for an unfurnished home, two months’ for a furnished one. The deadline for its return runs from the day you give back the keys, in person or by registered letter; give your new address then. The official page on the security deposit sets these rules:

Every deduction must be backed by documents such as the inventories, photos, quotes or invoices. The 10% penalty does not apply if the delay comes from the tenant giving no new address with the keys.

8. If the deposit is not returned

1. Send a formal notice (mise en demeure) by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, claiming the deposit and the penalty; the official page has a model letter.
2. Under 5,000 €, an amicable step is compulsory before court: a conciliateur de justice (free), the departmental conciliation commission (free) or a civil mediator (paid).
3. Then apply to the juge des contentieux de la protection of the court for the home’s area, within three years of the date the deposit was due.

ViveFrance lists homes for rent in Paris and the nearby suburbs; its website and advisers work in Chinese, English, Korean and French. When booking a viewing online, ask the adviser to explain the inventory step in your language. Browse homes for rent

Frequently asked questions

What if no entry inventory was made?

If the landlord refused despite a formal notice, the landlord must prove at the end of the lease that the home was handed over in good condition. If the tenant refused, or both sides neglected it, the tenant is presumed to have received it in good repair.

Is there a deposit with a bail mobilité?

No. Under a bail mobilité the landlord may not ask for a deposit, and the tenant’s notice period is one month.

Can I leave before my notice period ends?

You can return the keys earlier, but rent and charges stay due until the notice ends, unless the landlord signs with a new tenant who moves in before then.

Updated 2 October 2026

Sources: Service-Public pages on the entry inventory, exit inventory, security deposit, tenant notice, tenant repairs and bail mobilité; ANIL on inventories. Information only, not legal advice: check amounts and deadlines on the official sites.