New standard lease forms from 1 October: what has changed in them
Decree 2026-596 has rewritten France's standard residential lease forms. What was added, which leases it applies to, why a French lease is a regulated form rather than free text, and what that gives a tenant.
What changed
Since 1 October 2026, France uses updated standard forms for residential leases. Decree no. 2026-596 of 6 July 2026, published in the Journal officiel on 7 July, rewrote three models: unfurnished rentals, furnished rentals, and shared tenancies under a single lease (colocation à bail unique).
The new models apply to leases concluded or renewed from 1 October 2026 onwards.
They do not cover the bail mobilité or seasonal lets — furnished tourist accommodation and chambres d'hôtes. Those have their own regime.
Why « standard form » is the detail that matters
In France, a lease for a main residence is not free text but a regulated form. Standard contracts were introduced by decree no. 2015-587 of 29 May 2015, and since then a landlord does not draft a lease from scratch: they fill in a prescribed model. The 2026 decree amends that model.
For someone who arrived recently, this is practical news rather than legal trivia. The contract put in front of you can be checked against the official form, which is published. A clause that does not appear in the model is a reason to ask a question, not a sign that « this is how it is done here ».
What was added
Termination for an unpaid deposit. The clause résolutoire is the provision allowing a lease to be terminated for non-payment. The updated model lists three grounds: unpaid rent, unpaid charges, and non-payment of the deposit (dépôt de garantie). The rule itself is not new: it has applied since 29 July 2023 (law no. 2023-668), and the decree writes it into the standard form.
Termination is not immediate, though. The rules provide that it can only take effect after a commandement de payer has gone unanswered for 6 weeks.
A mention of main-residence use. Where the dwelling is subject to an obligation to be used as a résidence principale, that information must now appear in the lease: the contract states that the property is occupied as a main residence.
Phone numbers. The form now has a place for the landlord's and tenant's mobile numbers. This field is optional.
Where people tend to get stuck
The deposit. Non-payment of the deposit has been a ground for termination under the law since 29 July 2023; it is now also named explicitly in the standard form. Which leads to a fairly mundane conclusion: the date and method of handing over the deposit are worth documenting — a transfer that leaves a bank trail, or a written receipt — rather than « cash when we meet ». For recent arrivals this comes up often: the bank account is not open yet, and the deposit goes out by whatever means is available, without proof.
The type of contract. A bail mobilité looks like an ordinary furnished tenancy, but it is a different regime, and the new models do not apply to it. Before comparing a contract with the standard form, it is worth reading what the contract calls itself in its heading. The same goes for seasonal lets: a listing can look like long-term housing while the contract is a tourist one.
The 6-week period. It runs not from the day a payment is missed but from a formal commandement de payer — a document served by a commissaire de justice. A quiet arrears and a running deadline are different stages.
Source
Service-Public.gouv.fr, « De nouveaux modèles de bail entrent en vigueur le 1er octobre 2026 », published 23 September 2026. Legal basis: decree no. 2026-596 of 6 July 2026, amending decree no. 2015-587 of 29 May 2015.
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