The checklist gridAudit grid · Agency fees
Estate agent fees in France in 2026: the caps when renting, the rules on a sale and the fees the agency cannot charge you
When renting in France, the landlord pays the agency; the tenant only shares the visit, file, lease drafting and entry inventory, never paying more than the landlord nor more than €12.10, €10.09 or €8.07 per m² by zone, and €3.03 per m² for the inventory in 2026 (law of 6 July 1989, article 5; sheet F375).
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General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
Let’s look at your situation
Say whether it is a letting or a sale, give the area or the price, the zone and the amounts the agency asks for.
Example questions
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Which caps apply to the tenant in 2026?
Caps per square metre of habitable area, raised by 0.87% on 1 January 2026.
| Service | Very tight zone | Tight zone | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visit, file and lease drafting | €12.10 | €10.09 | €8.07 |
| Entry inventory | €3.03 | €3.03 | €3.03 |
| Example: visit, file and lease for 40 m² | €484.00 | €403.60 | €322.80 |
| Example: entry inventory for 40 m² | €121.20 | €121.20 | €121.20 |
| Other letting fees | Paid by the landlord | Paid by the landlord | Paid by the landlord |
In every case, the tenant’s share does not exceed the landlord’s: the lower of the two amounts applies. The very tight zone is zone A bis (decree no. 2014-890, article 1).
Sources: Arrêté of 17 July 2025 · Service-public F375 · Decree 2014-890, art. 1 · Law 1989, art. 5
Which fees should you challenge first?
Five mistakes to spot first on the agency’s bill or in the lease.
A tenant share that is too high
It can exceed neither the landlord’s share nor the zone’s cap per square metre (law of 6 July 1989, article 5).
The exit inventory billed
The tenant pays nothing for an amicable exit inventory made with both present (sheet F375).
Advert or letting fees
Apart from visit, file, lease and entry inventory, the agency’s fee is for the landlord alone.
Caps missing from the lease
A lease made through an agency reproduces the sharing rules and caps, on pain of nullity (article 5).
On a sale, a fee claimed too early
Nothing is due before the sale is concluded and recorded in a written deed (law of 2 January 1970, article 6).
Are the fees the agency is asking for allowed?
Choose letting or sale, then give the area, the zone and the amounts billed, or the price, the scale rate and the fee: the grid checks each fee and works out the legal maximum. The example: 42 m² in a tight zone, €900 of lease fees and €260 of inventory, half of each claimed from the tenant.
Fictional example · the fee grid
€28.96 claimed above the share allowed.
- Tenant maximum: visit, file, lease
- €423.78
- Tenant maximum: entry inventory
- €127.26
- Total maximum for the tenant
- €551.04
- Overcharged
- €28.96
1 · Compliant2 · Forbidden0 · To check
| Clause or point checked | Compliant | Forbidden | To check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant share: visit, file, leasearticle 5; 2026 cap | Forbidden | ||
| Tenant share: entry inventoryarticle 5; €3.03 per m² | Forbidden | ||
| Caps reproduced in the leasearticle 5, on pain of nullity | Compliant |
Indicative result: the area used is the habitable area, and a sale scale may have cumulative bands or flat fees to read in full.
What can the tenant be asked to pay?
Only a share of the fees for the visit, building the file, drafting the lease and the entry inventory; the rest of the agency’s fee is for the landlord alone (law of 6 July 1989, article 5).
For each of these services, the tenant’s share exceeds neither the landlord’s nor a cap per square metre of habitable area. The lease fees are due on signing, the inventory fees once the inventory is done.
Source: Law 1989, art. 5
Which caps apply in 2026?
For visit, file and lease: €12.10 per m² in a very tight zone, €10.09 in a tight zone and €8.07 elsewhere; for the entry inventory, €3.03 per m² everywhere (sheet F375).
The 2014 decree set €12, €10, €8 and €3; these amounts can be revised each 1 January on the rent reference index (article 3), and the arrêté of 17 July 2025 raised them by 0.87% from 1 January 2026.
Sources: Service-public F375 · Decree 2014-890, art. 2 · Arrêté of 17 July 2025
On a sale, who pays the agency, and when?
Whoever the written mandate names, a mandate required before any negotiation (decree of 20 July 1972, article 72), which sets how the fee is calculated and who bears it (article 73); the agency cannot claim from anyone else.
No fee is due before the sale is actually concluded and recorded in a written deed (law of 2 January 1970, article 6). The displayed scale gives maximum prices including VAT, not a set tariff (arrêté of 10 January 2017, article 2).
Sources: Decree 1972, art. 72 · Decree 1972, art. 73 · Law 1970, art. 6 · Arrêté of 10 Jan. 2017, art. 2
What do tenants, sellers and buyers ask?
When are the lease fees due?
On signing the lease; the entry-inventory fees, once it is done (law of 6 July 1989, article 5).
Is the exit inventory chargeable?
Not if it is amicable and made with you and the agent present: the tenant pays no fee (sheet F375).
Is the agency’s scale a fixed tariff?
No: it displays maximum prices including VAT; a lower amount can be agreed in the mandate (arrêté of 10 January 2017, article 2).
What price is the displayed percentage based on?
On the price without fees, when the buyer pays; the advert then shows the price with and without fees (arrêté of 10 January 2017, article 3).
What does article 5 of the law of 6 July 1989 say?
The principle, the landlord pays, and the only services shared with the tenant.
La rémunération des personnes mandatées pour se livrer ou prêter leur concours à l’entremise ou à la négociation d’une mise en location d’un logement, tel que défini aux articles 2 et 25-3, est à la charge exclusive du bailleur, à l’exception des honoraires liés aux prestations mentionnées aux deuxième et troisième alinéas du présent I.
Les honoraires des personnes mandatées pour effectuer la visite du preneur, constituer son dossier et rédiger un bail sont partagés entre le bailleur et le preneur. Le montant toutes taxes comprises imputé au preneur pour ces prestations ne peut excéder celui imputé au bailleur et demeure inférieur ou égal à un plafond par mètre carré de surface habitable de la chose louée fixé par voie réglementaire et révisable chaque année, dans des conditions définies par décret. Ces honoraires sont dus à la signature du bail.
In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): The fee of agents who arrange or negotiate the letting of a home is paid by the landlord alone, except the fees for the services in the next two paragraphs. Fees for visiting with the tenant, building their file and drafting a lease are shared between landlord and tenant. The amount including VAT charged to the tenant for these services cannot exceed the landlord’s and stays at or below a cap per square metre of habitable area set by regulation and revisable each year. These fees are due on signing the lease. Our note: the third paragraph applies the same rule to the entry inventory, with its own cap per square metre.
Which texts do agency fees rest on?
- Law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, article 5 (letting fees)Légifrance
- Decree no. 2014-890 of 1 August 2014, article 1 (zones)Légifrance
- Decree no. 2014-890 of 1 August 2014, article 2 (base caps)Légifrance
- Arrêté of 17 July 2025 revising the caps, article 1Légifrance
- Law no. 70-9 of 2 January 1970, article 6 (mandate, fee after the deed)Légifrance
- Decree no. 72-678 of 20 July 1972, article 72 (written mandate)Légifrance
- Decree no. 72-678 of 20 July 1972, article 73 (fee and who pays)Légifrance
- Arrêté of 10 January 2017, article 2 (scale of maximum prices)Légifrance
- Arrêté of 10 January 2017, article 3 (sale adverts)Légifrance
- Estate agency fees when renting a home (sheet F375, in French)Service-public.fr · checked on 12 January 2026
Texts cited last checked: 27 September 2026