Your formal notice to pay, ready to send.
The unpaid months and their total, the time given, what the law provides next: a PDF letter to send by registered post.
Formal notice to pay
To fill in- Landlord
- to fill in
- Tenant
- to fill in
- Home
- to fill in
- Unpaid month
- to fill in
- Total claimed
- to fill in
- Time to pay
- 8 days from receipt
- Copy to the guarantor
- none
A letter template, not advice on your situation. For a dispute, see a commissaire de justice (bailiff) or a lawyer.
The letter is written in French: it goes to the tenant of a French lease, and a French judge would read it if the dispute went further.
With Kivlo
Reminders go out on their own.
When a rent stays unpaid, Kivlo sends the friendly reminder, then the formal notice, and closes the case as soon as the rent is paid.
- Friendly reminder, then formal notice, by email or registered letter with AR24
- Sent automatically by email, after the number of days late you choose
- Each automatic formal notice reported to you the day it goes out
Total claimed To fill in
The formal notice for unpaid rent, in practice.
When to send it
As soon as a rent remains unpaid after the date the lease sets, and after a friendly reminder went unanswered. Paying the rent and charges on the agreed dates is the tenant's first obligation (article 7 of the law of 6 July 1989).
The formal notice is a letter, not a procedure: it puts the tenant on notice and starts legal-rate interest on the sums owed (articles 1344 and 1344-1 of the Civil Code). It prepares the next step if the tenant does not pay.
How much time to give
No text sets a delay for the formal notice: it must simply leave the tenant time to pay. Kivlo gives 8 days, from the receipt of the letter.
The 6 weeks often quoted belong to the commandement de payer, the next step (article 24 of the law of 6 July 1989).
How to send it
By registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt: the date of receipt starts the delay, and the acknowledgment proves the sending if the dispute reaches a judge. Keep a copy of the letter and the acknowledgment.
If the lease has a guarantor, send them a copy. The commandement de payer must by law be served on them within 15 days (article 24).
What comes next
Without payment in time, a commissaire de justice (bailiff) serves the tenant a commandement de payer. If the lease holds a termination clause, it takes effect 6 weeks after that order went unanswered, and the judge can find the lease terminated.
Mistakes to avoid: claiming a month twice, adding sums that are not rent or charges, or threatening an eviction: only a judge can order one.
Sources: Civil Code, art. 1344 · Civil Code, art. 1344-1 · Law of 6 July 1989, art. 7 · Law of 6 July 1989, art. 24 · Law of 6 July 1989, art. 4 · Law of 6 July 1989, art. 7-1 · Service-Public: unpaid rent
Rules checked on November 9, 2026. General information, not a substitute for personal advice.
The other questions that come up at this point
- During the leaseHow do I make a rent receipt?A compliant PDF, rent and charges itemised.Make a receipt
- During the leaseWhen must I return the deposit?The deadline and the late penalty.Compute the date
- During the leaseWhat notice to leave or take back a home?The notice length and its end date.Compute the notice
- Rent and rulesHow much can I raise my rent this year?The IRL review, computed with the latest INSEE index.Compute the review
The formal notice for unpaid rent: your questions.
No, the law does not require one: you may instruct a commissaire de justice to serve the commandement de payer straight away. But the letter costs little, often settles the arrears at no cost, and shows the judge you left the tenant time to pay.
An email can put the tenant on notice, but it poorly proves receipt. A registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt, by post or electronic, gives the delay a certain starting date: that is the one to keep for a dispute.
You may claim payment from the guarantor from the first unpaid rent. Sending them a copy of the formal notice warns them early. The commandement de payer must be served on them within 15 days, or they owe neither penalties nor late interest (article 24 of the law of 6 July 1989).
Yes: the formal notice starts legal-rate interest on the sums owed, with no loss to prove (article 1344-1 of the Civil Code). A late-payment penalty written into the lease, however, is forbidden (article 4 of the law of 6 July 1989).
For three years from the day you knew, or should have known, it was unpaid (article 7-1 of the law of 6 July 1989). After that, your claim is time-barred.
Next comes the commandement de payer, served by a commissaire de justice. The detail and the delays are in our guides Commandement de payer: deadline, content and cost and Unpaid rent in France: what to do, step by step.
Nothing is sent: the PDF is made in your browser. Kivlo sees neither the names, nor the addresses, nor the amounts, and nothing is kept when you close the page.