What is furnished accommodation?

You arrive in town or in the region and, to find accommodation quickly, you choose to rent furnished accommodation: know that you are entitled to a minimum of comfort, which is not limited to a table and a bed ...

Be aware that no law gives a list of furniture and objects that must be provided by the lessor. But case law (all stops and judgments that the Courts and Tribunals have rendered for the solution of a given legal situation) gives a definition of the equipment of a furnished apartment.

Tips:

The very principle of a furnished apartment is to allow the tenant to be able to live normally, as soon as he arrives in the accommodation, in all the rooms, therefore to cook, wash, sleep ...

Therefore, it must be equipped with essential elements such as a bed (or sofa bed) with a duvet or blanket, a table, chairs, a storage cupboard, lighting fixtures. The window in the room where you are going to sleep must be able to close with shutters (blinds).

The accommodation must also contain the material necessary for everyday life.

The kitchen must include the necessary household appliances (hob or stove and refrigerator), as well as kitchen utensils (pots, pans), but also crockery (plates, cutlery, glasses, etc.).

Good to know. An inventory of the furniture and equipment made available to you by the owner must be attached to the rental contract. It must mention the state of use of the furniture and equipment.

On the other hand, even if the furniture does not have to be new, it must be in good condition of use and repair. The owner should replace them if necessary. You should know that all the rooms must be furnished because the accommodation must be immediately habitable by the tenant.

If one room remains empty while the others are sufficiently equipped to live normally, the rental is not considered furnished.

Of course, nothing prevents you either from completing the furniture made available by the owner, or from replacing it in whole or in part, unless the lease forbids you to do so (which is rare in practice). However, observe the following conditions:

- re-read your lease carefully. This can oblige you, for example, to inform your landlord or to obtain his authorization before changing anything in the accommodation;
- do not throw away any furniture or items of equipment supplied by the owner, except with the written consent of the latter. Indeed, when you leave, the accommodation must be equipped as it was on your arrival.

Small tips very important:

L’etat des lieux : hautement recommandé !
In furnished rentals, the inventory is not mandatory (not to be confused with the inventory, which is only a list). But the absence of this document is not in your interest because then you are presumed to have received the accommodation in perfect condition. This implies that on your departure, if the lessor considers that an element has a defect or that a tool is defective, they will be at your expense and must be replaced ... You must therefore require an inventory as soon as you enter location.