English guide — updated for the 2025-2026 decree
Paris rent control,
explained
Every lease signed or renewed in Paris is capped by an official ceiling — the loyer de référence majoré— set each year for the city's 80 administrative quartiers, by number of rooms, construction period and furnished status. Current ceilings for a two-room unfurnished flat average from 26,2 €/m² in the east to 36,5 €/m² in the 7th arrondissement, and furnished caps run about 14,0% higher. Here is how the system works — and how to stay both optimised and compliant.
How the cap is calculated
The prefecture publishes, for each quartier, a reference rent per square metre with a ceiling 20% above it (the majoré) and a floor 30% below. Your maximum monthly rent (excluding charges) is simply: official ceiling for your quartier, room count, construction period and furnished status × surface area in m². The decree runs from 1 July to 30 June; leases are judged against the decree in force on the day of signature.
Current ceilings: the highest and lowest quartiers
Average ceiling for a two-room unfurnished flat (mean of the four construction periods), from the 2025-2026 decree:
| Quartier | Arrondissement | Avg. ceiling (2-room, unfurnished) |
|---|---|---|
| Ecole-Militaire | Paris 7e | 36,5 €/m² |
| Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin | Paris 7e | 36,5 €/m² |
| Notre-Dame-des-Champs | Paris 6e | 36,5 €/m² |
| Gros-Caillou | Paris 7e | 36,5 €/m² |
| Invalides | Paris 7e | 36,5 €/m² |
| La Chapelle | Paris 18e | 26,2 €/m² |
| Charonne | Paris 20e | 26,2 €/m² |
| Amérique | Paris 19e | 26,2 €/m² |
| Gare | Paris 13e | 26,2 €/m² |
| Saint-Fargeau | Paris 20e | 26,2 €/m² |
What this means for your strategy
- Furnished letting is the main legal lever: ceilings around 14% higher on average, one-year leases, and strong international demand in central Paris — at the cost of furnishing and equipment obligations.
- Pre-1946 buildings enjoy the highest ceilings: Haussmann-era character is rewarded by the decree itself, not just by the market.
- A 'complément de loyer' can lawfully exceed the cap for genuinely exceptional features (Eiffel Tower view, terrace) — but it must be documented in the lease and defensible before the conciliation commission.
- Energy matters: class G flats are already banned from new leases, F follows in 2028 — and both bar any complément de loyer. Renovation planning is now part of rental strategy.
AD Gestion verifies the cap, the re-letting limit and the lease wording for every property we manage — in French and in English. Our free simulator computes your exact ceiling from the official figures (interface in French, figures universal).
Frequently asked questions
Rent control in practice
What is the maximum rent I can charge in Paris?
Your ceiling is the 'loyer de référence majoré' of your administrative quartier — an official price per square metre set annually by prefectoral decree, varying by number of rooms, construction period and furnished status — multiplied by your surface area. For a typical two-room unfurnished flat, current ceilings average from about €26/m² in the eastern quartiers to €36.5/m² in the 7th arrondissement. Example: a 40 m² two-room flat capped at €30/m² cannot be rented above €1,200/month excluding charges.
What happens if my rent is above the cap?
The tenant can challenge the rent at any time, the prefecture can order you to comply and reimburse the excess, and fines reach €5,000 for individuals (€15,000 for companies). Enforcement in Paris is active, including automated scanning of listings. Compliance from day one — the rent stated in the listing and the lease — is the only safe approach.
Can I ever exceed the ceiling? The 'complément de loyer'
Only through a 'complément de loyer', allowed for exceptional features the official reference does not capture — a remarkable view, a large terrace, rare amenities. It must be stated and justified in the lease, and is barred for flats with certain defects (energy class F or G, shared toilets, etc.). Poorly documented complements are routinely cancelled by the conciliation commission, with retroactive reimbursement.
Do the caps apply to furnished rentals and short leases?
Yes. Furnished rentals have their own — higher — ceilings (on average about 14% above unfurnished), and the 'bail mobilité' (1-10 months, for eligible tenants) is also capped. Short-term tourist rental of a second home is a separate, heavily restricted regime in Paris requiring an authorisation that is rarely obtainable; long-term furnished letting is the sustainable strategy.
Is rent also capped between two tenants?
In principle, yes, twice over: the new rent must respect the quartier ceiling AND generally cannot exceed the previous tenant's rent (indexed), save for exceptions such as substantial improvement works or a clearly under-rented flat. We check both limits before every re-letting.
Where do the official figures come from?
From the annual prefectoral decree, published as open data by the City of Paris: 2,560 values covering the 80 administrative quartiers × 4 room counts × 4 construction periods × furnished/unfurnished. AD Gestion publishes the exact figures for every quartier on this site (in French) and applies them to every lease we manage — see also our free rent-cap simulator.
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