Rent payment plan with a tenant: how to write it
Content, receipts, current rent on top, no penalties, what a private plan cannot do next to a court one, Visale and over-indebtedness: writing a plan for rent arrears.
Kivlo · Updated November 9, 2026 · Sources checked November 9, 2026 · 4 min read
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A payment plan (échéancier) is an agreement under which the tenant pays off the arrears in dated instalments, on top of the current rent. Service-Public, the French government's information site, recommends putting it in writing and both signing it, and notes that a conciliateur de justice (a volunteer court mediator) can help you reach it for free. For each partial payment you must give a receipt (article 21 of the law of 6 July 1989).
This guide is part of our series Unpaid rent in France: what to do, step by step.
Why offer a payment plan
A tenant acting in good faith through a temporary difficulty often repays faster in instalments than at the end of a court procedure. A plan avoids costs, keeps the lease alive and leaves a written record of the debt the tenant acknowledges. It can be agreed at any time: after the reminder, after the formal notice, or during the six weeks opened by a commandement de payer.
It is no reason to relax: if the instalments stop, you pick the procedure up where it was.
What the plan should contain
No text sets its content. In practice, this is what it should say to avoid misunderstandings:
| Heading | What to write |
|---|---|
| The parties | Names of the landlord, the tenant, and the guarantor if they sign too |
| The lease | Address of the property, date of the lease |
| The debt | Month-by-month statement, total acknowledged by the tenant |
| The instalments | Amount and date of each one, up to the last |
| Current rent | Paid on top, on its usual date |
| A missed instalment | What happens if an instalment or a rent is not paid |
| Receipts | A receipt given for each instalment |
| Signatures | Date, place, both parties' signatures, one copy each |
Receipts, current rent and penalties
A receipt for each instalment. Article 21 of the 1989 law requires the landlord to give a receipt (reçu) whenever the tenant makes a partial payment. A quittance, which breaks down rent and charges, is given free on request for rent paid in full. No fee may be charged for it.
Current rent on top. The plan covers the arrears only. Each month the tenant pays rent and charges, then the instalment. Write it down plainly: it is what makes the plan workable.
No penalties. Article 4 of the 1989 law treats as unwritten any lease clause providing for penalties or reminder fees. As we read it, a payment plan cannot add them either. A formal notice does, however, make statutory interest run on the sum owed (article 1344-1 of the Civil code): the plan may keep it or waive it, but should say which.
What a private agreement does not do
| Private agreement | Delays granted by a judge | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Whatever you agree | Two years in general (Civil code, art. 1343-5), three years for rent debt if the tenant has resumed paying the full current rent |
| Termination clause | Not suspended by the agreement itself | Effects suspended during the delays, restored at the first missed rent or instalment |
| Proof | The signed document | The judgment |
Only delays granted by a judge suspend the effects of the lease termination clause (article 24 of the 1989 law). As we read it, if a commandement de payer has already been served, an agreement signed during the six weeks should say what happens to the procedure: talk it through with the commissaire de justice (court enforcement officer) before signing.
When the plan goes through someone else
- Visale guarantee. If Action Logement has paid you, it offers the tenant an amicable repayment plan in their online space; the tenant has two months to ask for it. See The Visale guarantee: claiming unpaid rent.
- Over-indebtedness. Once the file is declared admissible, the tenant may no longer pay, even in part, a debt that arose before the suspension. The plan stops: the arrears are handled in the procedure. See The tenant has filed for over-indebtedness.
- The guarantor. They remain liable for the debt as long as it is unpaid. They can sign the plan alongside you, and it is better to keep them informed: see The guarantor doesn't pay.
Worked example
Rent of €700 plus €50 of charges, so €750 a month. The tenant owes February, March and April 2027: 3 × €750 = €2,250. You agree on €250 a month for 9 months, on top of the rent. A few dates from the schedule:
| Due date | Paid that month | Arrears left |
|---|---|---|
| 5 May 2027 | €750 rent + €250 | €2,000 |
| 5 June 2027 | €750 + €250 | €1,750 |
| 5 September 2027 | €750 + €250 | €1,000 |
| 5 December 2027 | €750 + €250 | €250 |
| 5 January 2028 | €750 + €250 | €0 |
Nine instalments from May 2027 to January 2028: 9 × €250 = €2,250. Each month the tenant pays €1,000 and gets a receipt for the instalment.
A model to adapt
This text is a model, not legal advice: adapt it to your situation. In France it is written in French; the English below shows what each line says.
Payment plan agreement
Between [landlord's name], landlord, and [tenant's name], tenant of the property at [address], let under a lease dated [date].
The tenant acknowledges owing €[amount], being the rent and charges for [months], as set out in the attached statement.
The tenant undertakes to repay it in [number] instalments of €[amount], on the [day] of each month, from [date] to [date], in addition to the current rent and charges, paid on their usual date.
A receipt is given for each instalment.
If an instalment or a rent is not paid on its date, the landlord may resume recovery of the whole sum still owed.
Signed at [place] on [date], in two copies.
Signatures of the landlord and the tenant.
Have your own case checked
This is general information, not advice for your own case. Before signing a payment plan, especially once a procedure has started, have it read by a commissaire de justice or a French lawyer, or by the local ADIL (Agence départementale d'information sur le logement), found through ANIL, which gives free housing advice.
Sources
- Unpaid rent and eviction of the tenant, Service-Public (in French)
- Article 21 of law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, quittance and receipt (Légifrance, in French)
- Article 24 of law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989 (Légifrance, in French)
- Article 1343-5 of the Civil code, grace period (Légifrance, in French)
- Articles L722-2 to L722-16 of the Consumer code (Légifrance, in French)
Last checked on 9 November 2026
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Frequently asked questions
Does a rent arrears payment plan have to be in writing?
Service-Public, the French government's information site, recommends putting the agreement in writing and both signing it. Without it, proving what was agreed is hard.
Can the plan add late-payment penalties?
The law of 6 July 1989 voids lease clauses charging penalties or reminder fees. As we read it, a payment plan cannot add them either. A formal notice does, however, make statutory interest run, which the plan may keep or waive.
Do I give a receipt for each instalment?
The landlord must give a receipt (reçu) for any partial payment. A quittance, the formal rent receipt, is given free on request for rent paid in full.
Does a payment plan stop the termination clause?
Not by itself. Only payment delays granted by a judge suspend the clause's effects. As we read it, if a commandement de payer has already been served, the agreement should say what happens to the procedure: check with the commissaire de justice.
What if the tenant has filed for over-indebtedness?
Once the file is declared admissible, the tenant may no longer pay, even in part, debts that arose before the suspension. A private plan stops there: the arrears are dealt with in the procedure.
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Kivlo editorial team
Updated November 9, 2026 · Sources checked November 9, 2026 · 4 min read