Rent control: is your home covered and what is the cap?

What is rent control?

Rent control stems from the ELAN law of 23 November 2018 and caps the rent per square metre in participating municipalities located in tight housing zones. Each year, a prefectural order sets, per geographic sector, a reference rent, an increased reference rent (the cap, generally +20%) and a reduced reference rent, based on the number of rooms, the construction period and whether the home is let furnished or not.

When letting or renewing the lease, the rent excluding charges may not exceed the applicable increased reference rent, multiplied by the habitable floor area. The lease must state the reference rent and the increased reference rent: failing that, the tenant may request them and, where appropriate, a reduction of the rent.

Rent control (a per-m² cap in the covered cities) should not be confused with the control of rent increases, which applies across all tight zones and limits the rent rise between two tenants.

How is the maximum rent calculated?

The maximum rent is calculated as: increased reference rent (in €/m²) × habitable floor area (in m²). For example, for a 30 m² home whose increased reference rent is €30/m², the rent excluding charges may not exceed €900 per month.

A rent supplement may be added to the cap when the home has exceptional comfort or location features not reflected in the reference rent (for instance a terrace, a remarkable view or high-end equipment). This supplement must be justified and stated separately in the lease; the tenant may challenge it.

This test uses the official schedule where it is built in for your municipality. For other covered cities, enter the increased reference rent shown on your prefecture's website or the local rent observatory.

Which municipalities are covered?

Rent control currently applies notably in Paris, Lille (with Hellemmes and Lomme), Lyon, Villeurbanne, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Grenoble, as well as several municipalities of the Est Ensemble, Plaine Commune and Basque Country intermunicipalities. The list evolves as local authorities apply.

Outside these municipalities, your home may still be subject to the control of rent increases if it is located in a tight zone: in that case the re-letting rent may in principle not increase compared with the previous tenant, except for works or a manifestly undervalued rent.