You have a property to rent out and you figure that a bed, a table and something to cook pasta on will do the job. Not quite. Since 2015, a decree has set out precisely what a home must contain to be legally called furnished. Eleven categories of equipment, no more, no less, and missing even one can be enough to get your rental requalified.
The good news? The list is short, logical, and most owners already have about three quarters of it at home. Let's go through it, then look at what is most often missing.
What the decree says, word for word
The reference text is the decree of July 31, 2015. It defines the minimum furniture for a furnished home, and its goal was clear: to put an end to rentals sold as furnished with a mattress on the floor and two mismatched plates.
The kitchen block, the most detailed
Five of the eleven items concern the kitchen, which says a lot about the abuses observed before the decree. You need cooking hobs, an oven or a microwave oven, and a refrigerator. The latter must come with a freezer, or failing that include a compartment able to reach minus 6 degrees.
Add to that the tableware needed for meals and the kitchen utensils. The text gives no specific quantity, which leaves room for interpretation. The common-sense rule is to count for the expected number of occupants, with a margin: for a two-room apartment, four full place settings and enough to cook a real meal, not just reheat one.
Sleeping, storing, lighting
The bedding must include a duvet or a blanket. The bed alone is not enough, and it's a point many people discover late. Bedrooms must also have a way to block out light from the windows: shutters, blinds or blackout curtains, whatever the form, as long as the room can be made completely dark.
Next come a table and seating, storage shelves, light fixtures, and finally cleaning equipment suited to the home. Broom, mop, a vacuum cleaner if the home is carpeted: the text speaks of adapting to the characteristics of the property.
The three oversights that come up all the time
In practice, it's always the same items that are missing.
The cleaning equipment comes out well ahead. A vacuum cleaner and a broom cost less than a hundred euros, yet they are almost systematically skipped, probably because nobody thinks of them as furniture.
Bedroom blackout comes next. A renovated apartment with pretty, light voile curtains looks great in photos but doesn't meet the requirement. You must be able to make the room dark.
Last, the freezer, or rather the minus 6 degree compartment. Many small studio refrigerators don't have one, or show a compartment that doesn't go low enough. Check the data sheet before buying; the rating always appears as stars on the appliance.
Tip: keep the invoices for all this equipment in a dedicated folder. They are useful in case of a dispute, and essential if you declare your rental income under the actual-earnings tax regime (régime réel).
Beyond the minimum, what really decides a tenant
Following the list puts you in compliance. It doesn't rent out your home for you. What makes the difference, in a market where applicants compare ten listings in one evening, comes down to a few items the decree doesn't require.
A washing machine consistently tops the list of requests, far ahead of everything else. Then an internet connection already set up, a real kitchen countertop, and a space to put a computer. Nothing extravagant, but these four points turn a decent home into one that's gone in three days.
That leaves the question of price. Many owners set their rent based on what the neighbor charges, which is the surest way to be wrong in both directions. It's better to estimate what your property can earn based on the official reference rents for your area, taking into account the floor area, the number of rooms and the year of construction. The gap with your initial gut feeling is often telling.
Furnished doesn't mean just one type of contract
Here is what most owners don't know: equipping your home according to the list opens the door to several different contracts, which have neither the same duration nor the same rent constraints.
The classic one-year furnished lease remains the most common. The bail mobilité (mobility lease), created in 2018, allows rentals from one to ten months to students, interns or people on a work assignment, with no security deposit. And for homes that are not the tenant's main residence, the Civil Code lease is governed by articles 1713 and following of the Civil Code rather than by the 1989 law, with much greater freedom over both the duration and the amount of the rent.
This choice is made before the property is put on the market, not after. It determines the type of tenant you're targeting, the length of the commitment, and, in the cities concerned, whether or not you're subject to rent control. You might as well think about it while you're furnishing the home.
What you risk if the list isn't followed
The main penalty isn't a fine; it's more annoying than that. A tenant can ask the judge for the requalification of the furnished lease as an unfurnished rental. The consequences are immediate: the lease term goes from one to three years, the notice period you must observe to have the tenant leave gets longer, and your tax regime shifts from industrial and commercial profits (BIC) to property income (revenus fonciers), which is often less advantageous.
The risk stays theoretical as long as everything goes well. It becomes very real the day the relationship turns sour, because it's exactly the argument a dissatisfied tenant will pull out. To avoid that, there's just one precaution: attach to the lease a detailed, dated inventory of the furniture, signed by both parties, with photos. Fifteen minutes of work that settles the question for the whole duration of the rental.
Frequently asked questions
Is a washing machine mandatory in a furnished rental?
No, it is not on the decree's list of eleven items. Yet it is the item most requested by rental applicants. Its absence has no legal consequence, but it noticeably lengthens the time needed to find a tenant, especially for small homes.
How much tableware exactly should I provide?
The decree speaks of tableware needed for meals, without giving a number. The accepted practice is to count one full set per expected occupant, with one extra unit as a margin. For a studio, two full place settings are generally enough, along with the matching cooking utensils.
Can you rent a home as furnished if an item is missing?
Nothing physically prevents you, but the lease becomes open to challenge. The tenant can go to the judge to obtain requalification as an unfurnished rental, which changes the duration of the contract and your taxation. It's simpler to complete the list before putting the property on the market.
Is the furniture inventory mandatory?
Yes, for any furnished rental. It must be drawn up during the move-in inspection and attached to the lease, signed by the owner and the tenant. It is also your best protection in case of a dispute, provided you attach dated photos.
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