One of the biggest adjustments when renting in France, particularly if you’re coming from the US, is understanding how much of the property you can actually make your own. The rules are different from what most Americans are used to, and the answers are rarely as restrictive as people fear.
The short version is this: France has a strong culture of long-term renting, and landlords generally understand that tenants want to build a real home, not just occupy a space. But there are still rules, and there are still things that require approval, and knowing the difference before you sign a lease saves you from both unnecessary worry and accidental missteps.
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Why France is more flexible than you might expect
In the US, renting often comes with a fairly rigid set of rules, no painting, no modifications, leave everything exactly as you found it. This creates a particular mindset around rental properties: you live in them, but you don’t really inhabit them. France operates on a fundamentally different cultural assumption.
In France, the majority of people rent rather than own their homes. This isn’t seen as a temporary state on the way to buying, it’s simply how most people live. As a result, landlords are generally used to the idea that tenants will want to personalise their space, especially if they’re planning to stay for years rather than months. A landlord who understands you’re coming from the US to build a new life in France is usually far more open to reasonable requests than you might assume.
The key is approaching changes as a conversation, not a confrontation, and getting approval before you act, not after.
That said, the rental agreement will almost always contain a clause requiring you to seek the landlord’s written approval before making any modifications. This isn’t designed to block you, it’s standard practice. The practical reality is that most landlords say yes, as long as the change is reasonable and you’re clearly treating the property with care.
What's generally fine and what needs more thought
Before going into the detail, here’s a straightforward overview of where the lines tend to fall:
- Painting walls (with approval)
- Adding or improving a garden
- Installing white goods you'll take with you
- Putting landlord's furniture in storage
- Bringing your own furniture into a furnished flat
- Hanging pictures and shelves
- Structural changes of any kind
- Permanent fixtures you can't reverse
- Removing built-in features
- Major kitchen or bathroom alterations
- Installing air conditioning systems
- Changes that affect the property's DPE rating
Painting walls and making it feel like yours
Painting is probably the first thing people want to do when they move into a property, and in France, it’s one of the most commonly approved requests. Landlords who are renting to long-term tenants generally understand that wanting to paint a room is a sign that someone intends to stay, not leave. That’s good news for both parties.
The important step is getting approval in writing before you pick up a brush. This protects both you and the landlord, and it removes any ambiguity at the end of the tenancy about the state of the property at the time of the état des lieux, the inventory check that happens when you move in and move out. If a wall colour was agreed in advance, it’s documented. If it wasn’t, it could be considered a modification you’re required to reverse.
Gardens are one of the areas where landlords tend to be most enthusiastic. A tenant who wants to tend and improve the outdoor space is generally seen as a long-term, invested resident, exactly the kind of tenant a landlord wants.
The same principle applies to hanging shelves, putting up curtain rails, or making other cosmetic changes. Small holes for picture hooks are generally expected and unremarkable. Larger modifications, bolting heavy shelving to walls, for instance, are worth mentioning in advance.
Adding a garden or improving outdoor space
If your rental comes with outdoor space, French landlords are typically very open to tenants who want to improve it. Planting flowers, creating a vegetable patch, laying down paving stones, adding raised beds, these are the kinds of changes that make a property more appealing and more valuable, and most landlords see them as a positive rather than a problem.
The same approval-first approach applies here. A quick conversation, or a message in writing, outlining what you’d like to do gives the landlord the chance to raise any concerns and gives you a clear record of the agreement. For anything more substantial, like adding a structure or significantly altering the layout of an outdoor space, it’s worth being more specific about what you’re proposing and what the result will look like.
If you paint walls in a colour the landlord didn't agree to, you may be asked to repaint them in a neutral colour before leaving, at your own cost. Agreeing the colour upfront avoids this entirely.
Adding white goods and taking them with you
This is an area that surprises a lot of people coming from the US. In France, unfurnished properties often come completely bare, no oven, no dishwasher, sometimes no light fittings. If you add these things yourself, they are yours, and when you leave, you take them with you. This is not only permitted, it’s expected.
The practical implication is important: anything you add to the property that wasn’t listed in the original état des lieux is yours. A dishwasher you installed, a washing machine you brought, a microwave you bought, all of these leave with you at the end of the tenancy. The only exception would be if you’ve made a specific arrangement with the landlord for them to contribute to the cost, in which case the situation might be different and worth documenting clearly.
- Unfurnished rentals: you’re expected to equip the property yourself, and everything you bring leaves with you
- Furnished rentals: the landlord’s appliances stay; anything you add on top is yours to take
- Shared cost arrangements: if the landlord contributes to an appliance, agree in writing who owns it at the end of the tenancy
What if you don't like the landlord's furniture?
Renting a furnished flat in France and not loving the décor is a very common situation, and there’s more flexibility here than most people expect. The first option, and often the easiest, is simply to have a conversation with the landlord about removing items you don’t like. If a sofa or a set of chairs isn’t too difficult to deal with, many landlords will agree to have them removed rather than stored, which simplifies things for everyone.
If the landlord wants to keep their furniture on the premises, the accepted route is to put it in storage, at your cost, and bring in your own pieces. This is a common arrangement that landlords are familiar with, and it’s rarely a deal breaker as long as the furniture is properly looked after in storage. You’ll want to make sure this is agreed in writing and noted in the inventory so there’s no confusion at the end of the tenancy about what was there originally.
When you move in, the état des lieux will list everything in the property. If you're putting the landlord's furniture into storage, make sure the inventory reflects what's been removed and where it's being kept. This protects both of you at the end of the tenancy.
Ask first, always in writing
Whatever you’re considering, painting, planting, installing, removing, or replacing, the principle is consistent: ask before you act, and get the agreement in writing. This isn’t about distrust between landlord and tenant. It’s about protecting both parties and making sure that when you eventually leave the property, the handover is clean and clear.
In practice, most landlords who’ve chosen to rent to a long-term expat tenant are already invested in the relationship. They want you to be happy in the property, because a happy tenant is a tenant who stays. That goodwill creates more room for reasonable requests than the formal rules might suggest, but it works best when you approach it as a partnership rather than a negotiation.
- Send a message rather than asking verbally: a WhatsApp message or email creates a written record without feeling overly formal
- Be specific about what you want to do: vague requests get vague answers; a clear proposal is easier for a landlord to approve
- Mention it early: raising changes at the start of a tenancy, when the relationship is fresh, tends to go better than waiting until you’ve already been there a year
- Reference it in the inventory if relevant: if a change is significant enough, make sure it’s noted in the état des lieux so there’s no ambiguity later
FAQs: What can you change in a French rental
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