What is the minimum surface area of a dwelling to rent?

Verified 29 October 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

A rental unit must have a minimum surface area. The minimum area differs depending on whether the accommodation is rented or rented colocation. If the size of the dwelling is below this standard, the dwelling is not decent and the owner is prohibited from renting it.

What applies to you ?

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A rental unit must respect a minimum surface area. This is one of the criteria for decent housing.

The housing must have at least one main room with:

Let's say one living space of at least 9 m² and a ceiling height of at least 2,20 m
Let's say one habitable volume not less than 20 m³

Warning

departmental health regulations may impose more restrictive conditions.

A flatshare is the rental by several tenants of the same dwelling constituting their main residence. It can take the form of several rental agreements signed between each roommate and the landlord, or a single lease signed by all the roommates and the landlord.

The rental of a dwelling to a couple entered into at the time of the signing of the lease or to a married couple is not a colocation.

A rental unit must respect a minimum surface area. This is one of the criteria for decent housing.

Each lease must specify the room with which each roommate has private use and the common areas available to all roommates (kitchen, bathroom, living room...)

Each roommate must have a room with an area of at least 9 m² and of a volume of not less than 20 m³ (common parts not taken into account).

Please note

the decent housing is evaluated by taking into account all the elements, equipment and rooms of the dwelling (and not just the room of which the tenant has private use).

A rental unit must respect a minimum surface area. This is one of the criteria for decent housing.

The accommodation must have a minimum surface of 16 m² for 2 roommates. For each additional roommate, an additional 9 m² is needed.

Warning

departmental health regulations may impose more restrictive conditions.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

Telephone administrative information - Allo Public Service
The informants who answer you belong to the ministry in charge of housing and city planning.
Cost: free service
Attention: the service does not have access to users' personal files and therefore cannot provide information on their progress.
The service is available at the following times:
Monday: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Tuesday: 8:30 to 12:15
Wednesday: 8:30 to 12:15
Thursday: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Friday: 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m
Request a call
Departmental Agency for Housing Information (Adil)

Decree No. 2002-120 of 30 January 2002 on the characteristics of decent housingDimensions of parts: general case

FAQ

Colocation: what are the rules?

Decent housingService-Public.fr
Characteristics of decent housingLegifrance
Undignified habitat (unhealthy, dangerous, ...): what recourse?National Agency for Housing Information (Anil)

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What is the minimum surface area of a dwelling to rent?

What applies to you ?

Who can help me?

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