Rent Increases During a Lease in France

This guide is for internationals who have recently signed a lease in France and want to know when their rent can go up before the lease ends. After reading it, you will be able to recognise a lawful increase, follow the official calculation and know which steps exist if the figure looks wrong.

• When a landlord may raise the rent
• The IRL and the calculation
• Notice and the one-year window
• Increases linked to works
• What a tenant can check, and how to contest
• FAQ

When a landlord may raise the rent

According to Service Public, the owner of a home let under a bail d’habitation (residential lease) can increase the rent during the lease only in certain cases. The rules differ between a logement vide (unfurnished home) and a logement meublé (furnished home). This guide covers the rules the page sets out for unfurnished homes, where there are three routes:

• Annual revision, once a year, only if the lease contains a clause de révision (revision clause). Without this clause, the rent cannot be revised.
• An exceptional increase after improvement works paid for by the landlord, agreed with the tenant.
• A contribution to shared savings on charges after energy-saving works paid for by the landlord.

Homes governed by the loi de 1948 (a 1948 rent law), homes under an agreement with Anah (logement conventionné Anah) and logement social (social housing) follow specific revision rules not covered here.

Homes rated F or G. Revising the rent is forbidden for a home rated F or G on the DPE (energy performance certificate) if the lease was signed, renewed or tacitly renewed on or after 24 August 2022 in metropolitan France. In Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, La Réunion and Mayotte, the same applies to leases signed, renewed or tacitly renewed on or after 1 July 2024.

The IRL and the calculation

The indice de référence des loyers (IRL, rent reference index) is the basis for the annual revision. The yearly increase is capped at the change in the IRL over one year. The index is published each quarter by Insee (the national statistics institute), with separate values for mainland France, Corsica and the overseas departments.

The landlord or letting agency needs three figures:

1. the current monthly rent;
2. the IRL for the reference quarter of the current year;
3. the IRL for the reference quarter named in the lease or, if the lease is silent, the latest IRL published by Insee when the lease was signed.

The formula is: new rent = current monthly rent × IRL of the reference quarter this year ÷ IRL of the same quarter the previous year. The result is rounded to the nearest second decimal place.

The page gives this example. A lease signed in mainland France on 20 July 2025 at €600 a month can be revised on 20 July 2026. The index at signature was the 2nd quarter 2025 figure, 146.68. The index at revision is the 2nd quarter 2026 figure, 148.37. The new rent is €600 × 148.37 ÷ 146.68 = €606.91.

The IRL date to use is the one stated in the lease. It can be the anniversary of the lease or another date agreed between landlord and tenant. If a complément de loyer (rent supplement) applies, the amount revised is the base rent plus the supplement.

Notice and the one-year window

The annual revision is not automatic. The landlord must inform the tenant by letter, preferably a lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception (recorded letter with acknowledgement of receipt).

The landlord can apply the revision during the year following the revision date. It is not retroactive and takes effect only from the date of the request. Once the year has passed, a revision that was not applied is lost to the landlord. In the page’s example, if the revision date is 13 March 2025, the landlord can revise the rent until 12 March 2026. If the request is made on 13 June 2025, only rent received from that date can be increased.

Increases linked to works

Majoration exceptionnelle (exceptional increase). The rent can be raised after improvement works paid for by the landlord, either in the home or in the building’s shared areas. These rules do not apply to homes under the 1948 law or Anah agreements. The page gives these examples: new equipment such as a lift, lower running costs such as a boiler that meets the latest standards, and greater safety such as a reinforced door or door entry code. Landlord and tenant agree on the amount, either under a clause already in the lease or by signing an avenant (amendment to the lease). The F and G ban also applies here, with the same dates.

Contribution au partage des économies de charges (contribution to shared savings on charges). A landlord who carries out energy-saving works at their own expense, in the home or in the shared areas of a building completed before 1990, may collect this contribution from the tenant. It is due from the date the works are completed, subject to conditions. The first is that the landlord agreed the works with the tenant beforehand. The full list of conditions is on the official page.

What a tenant can check, and how to contest

A tenant who receives a revision letter can compare it with the lease and the published figures:

• whether the lease contains a revision clause;
• whether the home is rated F or G under a lease signed or renewed on or after the dates above;
• whether the index values match the reference quarter and the correct table (mainland, Corsica or overseas);
• whether the arithmetic and rounding are correct;
• whether the increase starts from the date of the request, within one year of the revision date.

If there is a calculation error, the tenant can contest the increase. The first step is a recorded letter with acknowledgement of receipt that describes the facts precisely. It should come with supporting documents such as legal texts, a copy of the lease and quittances (rent receipts). Service Public provides a template letter.

If the dispute continues after this mise en demeure (formal notice), the next step is an amicable one. It can involve the commission départementale de conciliation (CDC, departmental conciliation board) or a conciliateur de justice (court conciliator), both free, or a médiateur civil (civil mediator), which is a paid service. The amount in dispute determines whether this step is compulsory before going to court. The page does not state the threshold in the text provided. If the matter is not resolved, it goes to the juge des contentieux de la protection (the judge who hears tenancy disputes) at the court covering the home. This must happen within 3 years of the disputed revision date.

FAQ

Can the rent go up if the lease has no revision clause?

Not through annual revision: without the clause, the rent of an unfurnished home cannot be revised. The other routes are an exceptional increase after improvement works, agreed through a lease clause or an amendment, and a contribution linked to energy-saving works in buildings completed before 1990.

How often can the rent be revised?

Once a year, using the IRL date set in the lease, and only if the lease includes a revision clause. The increase cannot exceed the change in the IRL over one year.

Can a landlord claim a missed revision for past months?

No. The revision applies only from the date of the landlord’s request. The landlord has one year from the revision date to apply it. After that, the revision is lost.

Where are the IRL figures published?

Insee publishes the IRL each quarter, and the figures also appear in the Journal officiel (official gazette). Service Public lists recent values for mainland France, Corsica and the overseas departments. The latest mainland value it lists is 148.06 for the 3rd quarter of 2026, an annual change of +1.57%.

Sources: service-public.fr

Last verified: 21 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the prefecture of your département, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (avocat).