Hotel, Aparthotel, or Furnished Rental: Choose Your Accommodation in France Based on Your Stay Length

A few days, three months, or a year in France: the right accommodation formula depends first on your length of stay and the contract you sign. This guide helps you distinguish between hotels, tourist residences, and furnished rentals. Learn about durations, security deposits, notice periods for each lease type, and spot pitfalls before you commit. It also flags what our sources don't yet cover, like pricing.

The Three Options at a Glance

Hotels, tourist residences, and furnished rentals operate under different frameworks. For a furnished rental, the contract depends on its use: tenant's primary residence, secondary residence, or vacation rental. Each comes with a furnished lease, mobility lease, or tourist rental contract^[1].

A tourist residence, often called an aparthotel, consists of furnished apartments for passing tourists, typically rented by the week^[2]. Our sources don't detail an aparthotel's services or exact legal framework. Before booking, ask the operator which services are included (cleaning, linens, reception) and what contract you'll sign.

A furnished rental is a home equipped with the furniture and essentials needed for daily living, letting you move in immediately without buying furniture^[3]. The law requires a mandatory furniture list: the owner must provide sleeping, cooking, and dining facilities^[3].

Choose Based on Your Stay Length

A tourist rental is rented by the day, week, or month, and the same tenant cannot occupy it more than 90 days per year^[1]. This is the formula for short stays. If you plan to stay longer in one place, another contract type will likely suit you better. Check with the owner what works for your situation.

One to Ten Months for Work, Studies, or an Internship: The Mobility Lease

A mobility lease is reserved for tenants who, on the lease start date, are in one of these situations: professional training, higher education, apprenticeship contract, internship, voluntary service commitment, professional relocation, or temporary work assignment. You must prove this with a document^[4]. It's signed for a minimum of 1 month and maximum of 10 months. It's neither renewable nor automatically extended: the duration can be changed only once by amendment, without exceeding 10 months total^[4]. If your situation doesn't fit these cases, this lease isn't available to you. For several months, consider a standard furnished lease instead and verify with the owner.

One Year or More: The Standard Furnished Lease

A furnished lease is typically set for a minimum of one year and automatically renews unless either party opts out^[3]. For students, the duration can be reduced to nine months, with no automatic renewal^[3].

What About Hotels?

Our sources don't specify maximum duration or pricing for a standard hotel, or cost comparisons between hotels, aparthotels, and furnished rentals. To compare, calculate the total price (nightly rate or rent, utilities, cleaning, taxes) over the same duration and verify stay conditions directly with the property.

The Furnished Lease: Deposit, Notice, and Obligations

In a furnished rental, the owner can request a security deposit of up to two months' rent, excluding utilities^[3]. If the contract doesn't mention it, the landlord cannot require one^[5].

You can leave the home anytime, provided you notify the owner and give one month's notice by letter^[3]. A registered letter with proof of receipt is preferable, even if no formal process is required^[5]. The owner can only give notice at the lease end, with three months' notice and a valid reason^[3].

When you leave, you must return all furniture provided^[3].

Insurance is not mandatory for furnished rental tenants, but you remain responsible for damage to the property or furnishings; it's therefore highly recommended, especially since the landlord can request proof of insurance upon move-in^[5]. They cannot impose a specific insurance company on you^[5].

Build a Strong Application and Rent Directly

Without an intermediary, your lease is your main protection. The rental agreement must be in writing^[5]. Rental charges must be included in it: if not, the landlord cannot require anything from you on this basis^[5].

Before signing, review at minimum:

• the type of lease (furnished, mobility, tourist furnished) and its duration;
• the rent and charges;
• the security deposit amount;
• insurance clauses.

Also plan for a move-out inspection: at the end of the rental, both parties must complete a move-out inspection report^[5]. Our sources don't document direct rental scams (fake listings, deposits): for any questions about a contract, your department's ADIL offers free personalized support^[3].

Pitfalls, Scams, and Red Flags

The Furnished Hotel Rented by the Month

There is no legal or regulatory definition of furnished hotels, also called prefectural hotels or furnished lodgings^[2]. Most often, these hotels provide no hotel services or amenities^[2]: don't count on housekeeping or linens without verifying first.

If you rent a room by the month or year in a furnished hotel and reside there permanently, you fall under a special tenant status that better protects your rights, as provided by article L 632-1 of the construction and housing code^[6]. So make sure the nature of the contract you're signing is clarified in writing.

The Unregistered Tourist Furnished Rental

Depending on the municipality, the owner of a tourist furnished rental may need to register with the town hall or even obtain a change-of-use authorization^[1]. Ask the landlord if they've completed these steps with the town hall.

Rent Increase at Lease End

At the end of a furnished lease, the landlord can increase the rent without restriction, provided they give you at least 3 months' notice and sign an amendment to the contract with you^[5]. If you plan to extend, anticipate this deadline.

Deductions From the Security Deposit

If furniture is damaged or missing, costs can be deducted from the security deposit, and if the deposit isn't enough, the landlord can request an additional amount^[3]. Without a move-in inspection, you're presumed to have received the property in good condition and must return it as such^[5]. The furniture inventory, which describes the condition of each item, must be signed to be valid^[5].

Checklist Before Signing

• Determine the actual length of your stay, then the contract that matches it.
• Less than 90 days in the same place: tourist furnished rental; 1 to 10 months for training, higher education, apprenticeship, internship, civic service, relocation, or temporary assignment: mobility lease, non-renewable; several months outside these cases, or one year or more: standard furnished lease if the property becomes your primary residence^[1], which you can typically leave anytime with one month's notice (check your contract clauses)^[3].
• In a furnished hotel, ask which services are actually provided.
• Require a written contract and a signed inventory with photos.
• Get renters insurance.
• Note the lease end date to anticipate a possible rent increase.
• For pricing, compare the total cost over the same duration for each option.