Skip to main content

Housing and property · Renting · permits

The permis de louer: France’s prior authorisation to let, town by town

In some French towns, letting a home inside a zone set by the local council requires prior authorisation, or a declaration within fifteen days of signing the lease. Authorisation is requested on the official form with the diagnostics file; with no reply within one month, it is deemed granted (article L635-4 of the Construction and Housing Code). Letting without applying risks a fine of up to 5,000 euros, but the lease stays valid.

Go to the toolSee the texts cited
  • Official texts cited
  • Sources checked on
  • Drafted with AI assistance, our method

By the AlphaDeep legal editorial team

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.

Julie by AlphaDeep

Illustrative conversation
Example question

Which Cerfa form is used for the permis de louer?

Julie Illustration

Form cerfa 15651 for the letting declaration, cerfa 15652 for the prior authorisation request, and cerfa 15663 to transfer an authorisation to a new owner. The technical diagnostics file is attached.

Read the references

You are letting a home in a French town that controls lettings: I can tell you which step to take and when.

French law

3 free questions at signup. Avoid names and sensitive information.

Answer

How can you tell whether your town uses the permis de louer?

Ask the town hall or the intercommunal authority in charge of housing: they draw up, by local decision, the zones that require a declaration or an authorisation, sometimes limited to a few buildings. There is no official national list.

The decision also sets the types of housing covered, where to file and the start date, at least six months after it is published.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-1Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-1Service-public: letting in a degraded-housing zone

Answer

Prior authorisation or declaration: what is the difference?

A declaration is made afterwards, within fifteen days of signing the lease, and you receive a receipt. An authorisation is requested before letting: the town can refuse it or attach conditions if the home is not decent or threatens the occupants’ safety.

Either way, the step is repeated for each new letting.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-3Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-3Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4

Summary card: a declaration within fifteen days or a prior authorisation, one month’s silence, fines up to €15,000.
The rental permit in France: declaration or authorisation.
Tool

Which step applies to your property?

Three questions about your town and your lease: the tool shows the scheme, the form, when to file and the risk of a fine.

julie://tool/guichetNothing leaves your browser
What does your town require for this home?
Which contract?
Did you buy the home with an authorisation still valid?

Fictional example · step to take

Prior authorisation before signing the lease: form cerfa 15652 with the technical diagnostics file. With no reply within a month, authorisation is granted.

  1. A fine of up to €5,000 without a request; €15,000 for a repeat within three years or letting despite a refusal
  2. Authorisation renewed for each new letting; it lapses if no letting follows within two years
  3. The home may be inspected, between 6 am and 9 pm
  4. The lease stays valid even without the step: the penalty falls on the landlord

Zones, types of housing and where to file are set by each local decision.

Answer

Which leases are covered: renewals, furnished lets, social housing?

Only signing a new lease under the law of 6 July 1989, unfurnished or furnished, counts. A renewal, tacit roll-over or amendment is not a new letting and needs no step.

Homes let by a social housing body, and those under a housing agreement with the State, are outside both schemes.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-1Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-1Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-1

Answer

How long does the town hall have to reply?

One month for the authorisation: if no express decision is notified within that time from filing, silence counts as authorisation. For a complete declaration, the receipt comes within a week; if it is incomplete, the town sets a deadline of one month at most to complete it.

A tacit authorisation does not certify that the home is decent.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R634-3Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-8

Comparison

What separates the two schemes?

Declaration or authorisation: the two schemes
SchemeStepTime limitMaximum fine
Letting declarationForm cerfa 15651 and the technical diagnostics fileWithin 15 days of signing; receipt within a week€5,000
Prior authorisationForm cerfa 15652 and the diagnostics file, before lettingReply within a month, otherwise tacit authorisation€5,000; €15,000 for a repeat or despite a refusal
Transfer after a saleForm cerfa 15663, with the original holder’s consentEffective when the transfer declaration is filedNot applicable

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-3Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R634-3Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-7Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-3Service-public: letting in a degraded-housing zone

Answer

What can you do after a refusal?

The refusal gives reasons and lists the works or changes needed: once they are done, file a new request. Letting despite a refusal risks a fine of up to €15,000, after a month to present observations.

The refusal is sent to the family allowance fund, the MSA and the tax services. No authorisation is possible in a building under an insalubrity or danger order.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-3Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-7Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-6Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-9

The law

What does article L635-4 of the Construction and Housing Code say?

A défaut de notification d’une décision expresse dans un délai d’un mois à compter du dépôt de la demande d’autorisation, le silence gardé par le président de l’établissement public de coopération intercommunale compétent en matière d’habitat ou le maire de la commune vaut autorisation préalable de mise en location. L’autorisation préalable de mise en location doit être renouvelée à chaque nouvelle mise en location.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4In force since 27 March 2014Read on Légifrance

In plain English: If no express decision is notified within one month of filing the authorisation request, the silence of the intercommunal president or the mayor counts as prior authorisation to let. The authorisation must be renewed at each new letting.

A tacit authorisation says nothing about whether the home is decent: it prevents neither a later inspection nor action against substandard housing.

Frequent questions

What else do landlords ask?

Which Cerfa form is used for the permis de louer?

Form cerfa 15651 for the letting declaration, cerfa 15652 for the prior authorisation request, and cerfa 15663 to transfer an authorisation to a new owner. The technical diagnostics file is attached.

Service-public: letting in a degraded-housing zoneCode de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-3

How much does a permis de louer application cost?

The Construction and Housing Code, which governs the request, sets no filing fee. The main cost is the technical diagnostics file you must attach; check the town hall’s own arrangements.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-3

Does the authorisation carry over to the next tenant?

No. The authorisation must be renewed for each new letting, and it lapses if no letting follows within two years of being issued.

Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-3

Can a letting agent apply on your behalf?

Yes. Service-public states that the owner or their representative, a notary or letting agent for instance, can obtain the authorisation before the letting.

Service-public: letting in a degraded-housing zone

Sources

Which texts is this guide based on?

  1. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-4Légifrance
  2. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-1Légifrance
  3. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-3Légifrance
  4. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-7Légifrance
  5. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-8Légifrance
  6. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-6Légifrance
  7. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L635-9Légifrance
  8. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-1Légifrance
  9. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-3Légifrance
  10. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article L634-4Légifrance
  11. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R634-3Légifrance
  12. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-1Légifrance
  13. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-3Légifrance
  14. Code de la construction et de l’habitation, article R635-4Légifrance
  15. Service-public: letting in a degraded-housing zoneService-public.fr

Texts cited last checked: 17 October 2026

Next steps

Which question comes next?