Renting in Paris: rent control, charges and the things nobody warns you about
Renting · 7 min read · Reviewed
Paris caps rents by law. The encadrement des loyers sets a binding maximum per square metre for every combination of geographic zone, property type, number of rooms, construction period and whether the flat is furnished — and a rent advertised above it is not a premium, it is unlawful.
Most British arrivals have never encountered a binding rent cap and do not check. That is worth money: if you are overcharged you can require the excess to be repaid, and the listing is required to state the reference rent in the first place.
How the cap actually works
The prefecture publishes a table each year setting a loyer de référence for each combination. The landlord may charge up to the reference plus 20% — the loyer de référence majoré — and no more, unless the flat has an exceptional characteristic justifying a complément de loyer, which must be stated and justified in the lease.
Ceilings across the city currently run from roughly €18 to €52 per square metre depending on the combination, and the current table applies from 1 July 2026. Median rents sit around €26.60/m², with the periphery around €22 and the historic centre around €38.
Every listing is legally required to state the reference rent and the maximum. If it does not, that is itself a breach and a reasonable signal about the landlord.
Furnished lets carry a higher ceiling than unfurnished ones, which is why so much of the Paris market is furnished. If you are bringing furniture, you are searching a smaller and cheaper pool than the listings suggest.
| Area | 1-bed | 2-bed | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivry & Le Kremlin-Bicêtre | €880 | €1,350 | €650 |
| Levallois-Perret & Clichy | €1,000 | €1,540 | €780 |
| Montparnasse & Pernety | €1,120 | €1,720 | €760 |
| Canal Saint-Martin | €1,250 | €1,900 | €820 |
| Le Marais | €1,550 | €2,400 | €950 |
What the rent does not include
The good news first, and it genuinely is good news for a British reader: there is no council tax. The taxe d'habitation was abolished on main residences in 2023, so a tenant in their principal home pays no residence tax at all. Second homes still pay, and Paris levies a heavy surcharge on those.
What you do pay is charges — the provision sur charges — quoted separately from rent and covering building upkeep, the lift, the concierge and communal heating where it exists. These are reconciled annually against actual spend, so budget for a balancing bill.
The household waste tax is levied on the owner but lawfully recoverable from the tenant, and most Paris leases recover it. And home insurance is legally compulsory for tenants in France, with proof required annually — failing to hold it is grounds to terminate the lease, which is not the case in the UK.
| What | Per month | Who pays, and what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Taxe d'habitation | €0 | Abolished on main residences from 2023. A tenant in their main home pays nothing. It still applies to second homes, and Paris levies a substantial surcharge on those — so if you are keeping a pied-à-terre rather than living in it, this line does not apply to you. |
| Charges (provision sur charges) | €120 | Quoted separately from rent and covering building upkeep, communal heating and hot water where they exist, the concierge and the lift. Reconciled annually against actual spend, so expect a balancing bill or refund. On an old Haussmannian building with a lift and a gardien this runs higher than the figure shown. |
| Household waste tax (TEOM) | €25 | Levied on the owner but lawfully recoverable from the tenant as a charge récupérable, and most Paris leases do recover it. Check whether the quoted charges already include it. |
| Home insurance (assurance habitation) | €18 | Legally compulsory for tenants in France, and your landlord will require proof each year. Failing to hold it is grounds for terminating the lease, so it is not optional in the way UK contents insurance is. |
| Navigo transport pass | €88 | Covers all zones across Île-de-France, so a suburban commute costs the same as a trip across the 11th. Employers are legally required to reimburse at least 50%, which makes the effective cost around half the headline — one of the few costs here that is cheaper than the British equivalent. |
| Rental deposit | Varies | Capped by law at one month's rent for an unfurnished let and two months for a furnished one — considerably more tenant-friendly than the Swiss three-month blocked account. Agency fees charged to the tenant are also capped per square metre. |
Total of the fixed rows above: €251 (about £225) a month, on top of rent. Sources: Loi de finances 2020 and subsequent, on the abolition of taxe d'habitation for main residences; Décret n°87-713 on charges récupérables, for what a landlord may lawfully pass on; Loi ALUR on deposit caps and tenant agency fees; Île-de-France Mobilités published Navigo tariffs for 2026.
Furnished or unfurnished, and why it matters
The two are different legal regimes, not just different listings. An unfurnished lease runs three years and the tenant may leave on three months' notice, reduced to one in a zone tendue — which Paris is. A furnished lease runs one year, or nine months for a student, with one month's notice throughout.
Furnished is the flexible option and the more expensive one per square metre, and it is what most short-term arrivals take. Unfurnished is cheaper, more secure, and requires you to buy a kitchen — French unfurnished genuinely means unfurnished, frequently including light fittings.
The practical traps
The état des lieux — the inventory at check-in and check-out — is the document that decides whether you get your deposit back, and it is taken seriously. Photograph everything and be pedantic about the entry version; a French check-out inspection is more rigorous than a British one.
Deposits are capped at one month unfurnished and two furnished, and must be returned within one month of check-out if the inventories match, two if they do not. That is considerably more tenant-friendly than the Swiss three-month blocked account.
Agency fees charged to the tenant are capped per square metre and vary by zone. Anyone quoting a percentage of annual rent is not following the law.
Common questions
Is rent control in Paris actually enforced?
Yes. Listings must state the reference rent and the legal maximum, and a tenant charged above the ceiling can require the excess to be repaid. It is not a guideline: the ceiling is set by prefectural order and the current table applies from 1 July 2026.
Do tenants in Paris pay council tax?
No. The taxe d'habitation was abolished on main residences in 2023, so a tenant in their principal home pays no residence tax. You will pay building charges and, in most leases, the household waste tax, and home insurance is legally compulsory — but there is no council tax equivalent.
What deposit will I be asked for in Paris?
One month's rent for an unfurnished flat and two months for a furnished one, both capped by law. It must be returned within one month of check-out where the inventories match, and two months where they do not.