Late rent in France: when and how to chase it

French law gives tenants no grace period: rent is due on the date set in the lease (article 7 of the law of 6 July 1989). From the next day you may remind the tenant, first informally, then, if nothing happens, with a mise en demeure (formal notice) sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. You may not charge late fees. You may, however, turn to the guarantor from the first missed payment.

This guide covers the first days and weeks of a late payment, before any court procedure.

Rent is due on the lease date#

The tenant must pay rent and charges on the agreed dates, usually at the start or the end of the month, and monthly if they ask. Service-Public, the French government's information site, mentions no tolerance period. A tenant in difficulty may ask for extra time or instalments; you are free to accept, and the agreement should be written and signed by both of you.

The order of reminders#

The timings in the « when » column are common practice, not law: nothing in French law sets a timetable before the commandement de payer (formal demand to pay served by a bailiff). What follows, from the commandement de payer to eviction, is in Unpaid rent in France: what to do, step by step.

Step	When	How
Friendly reminder	A few days after the due date	Phone, text or e-mail, neutral tone
Reminder letter	No answer after a week	Letter or e-mail: amount, period, due date, time to pay
Mise en demeure	Still unpaid after the reminder	Registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt
Guarantor, Visale or insurance	From the first unpaid rent	Claim from the guarantor; Visale claims within 30 days
Report to the CAF or MSA	Threshold set by the code (below)	Only if the tenant receives housing benefit
Commandement de payer	After the formal notice	Served by a commissaire de justice (bailiff), if the lease has a termination clause

The steps follow Service-Public's page on unpaid rent and eviction: a simple letter recalling the sums owed, then a formal notice by registered letter.

A good reminder states the amount (rent and charges separately), the period and the due date, the usual payment method, a reasonable deadline such as eight days, and an invitation to get in touch. Keep it factual: a judge may read it one day. The free formal notice template for unpaid rent prepares the mise en demeure as a PDF.

What you may not do#

• Charge late fees. The landlord is forbidden to charge late fees; a lease clause allowing them is unfair and set aside.
• Deduct rent from the tenant's salary, even with their consent.
• Enter the home without the tenant's agreement: they have exclusive use of it.
• End the lease yourself. Only a judge terminates the lease, or records that the termination clause has taken effect six weeks after an unsuccessful commandement de payer (article 24).

Guarantor, CAF and conciliation#

Guarantor. You can claim from the guarantor from the first unpaid rent. If a commandement de payer is served on the tenant, article 24 requires serving it on the guarantor within fifteen days; otherwise the guarantor owes no penalties or late interest.

CAF or MSA. If the tenant receives French housing benefit (APL, ALF, ALS), you must report the arrears to the CAF or MSA once they qualify, and the definition changes on 1 January 2027:

Period	Benefit paid to…	Arrears to report once the debt reaches…	Text
Until 31 December 2026	you, the landlord	2 × the month's rent and charges, net of the benefit	CCH, art. R. 824-1
Until 31 December 2026	the tenant	2 × the month's rent and charges	CCH, art. R. 824-1
From 1 January 2027	either	3 months after a first missed payment, whatever its amount, or over €450	CCH, art. R. 824-2, 2027 version

Failing to report exposes the landlord to a fine. If the benefit is paid to you directly, see also housing benefit paid to the landlord in France.

Conciliation. For a debt of €5,000 or less, an attempt at conciliation is mandatory before asking a judge to terminate the lease.

Time limit. You have three years to claim unpaid rent.

Example#

Rent is €780 plus €40 of charges, due on the 5th. Nothing arrives on 5 March 2027. On 9 March you text the tenant; on 16 March you e-mail a reminder letter for €820 with eight days to pay; on 25 March you send the mise en demeure by registered post and write to the guarantor. If the tenant then pays €400, give a receipt (reçu) for €400, not a quittance: see partial rent payment: quittance or receipt.

Common mistakes#

• Waiting two or three months before writing: the debt grows and the guarantor hears too late.
• Leaving no written trace of a phone call.
• Agreeing to instalments orally instead of a signed schedule.
• Counting on the deposit: it does not cover rent during the lease, and the tenant cannot use it to skip the last month either (see can a tenant skip the last month's rent?).

The free rent receipt template produces a quittance or a receipt for a part payment as a PDF, with no sign-up.

Sources#

• Article 7 of law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, tenant's obligations (Légifrance, in French)
• Article 24 of the 1989 law, demand to pay and guarantor (Légifrance, in French)
• Article 7-1 of the 1989 law, three-year limit (Légifrance, in French)
• Unpaid rent and eviction, Service-Public (in French)
• Can a landlord charge late fees?, Service-Public (in French)
• Paying rent in the private sector, Service-Public (in French)

Last checked on 9 November 2026