Your legal caps
The most you can be asked, for this place.
- Agency feesviewing, application and leaseAdd the surface
- Move-in inspectionétat des lieuxAdd the surface
- Deposit1 month of rent excluding chargesAdd the rent
- Other feesNot allowed: application, booking, reminder…€0
Type the amounts asked to check them.
Caps for leases signed since 1 January 2026 (loi ALUR, decree of 1 August 2014, law of 6 July 1989).
Agency fees and deposit, in short
When you sign a lease, three amounts can be asked of you: the agency's fees, the move-in inspection and the deposit. Each has a cap set by law, and anything else is not allowed.
Agency fee caps in 2026
| Zone | Viewing, application and lease | Move-in inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Paris and very tight zone | €12.10/m² | €3.03/m² |
| Tight zone (large cities) | €10.09/m² | €3.03/m² |
| Elsewhere | €8.07/m² | €3.03/m² |
Per square metre of living area, for leases signed since 1 January 2026. Revised every year in line with the rent reference index (IRL).
What an agency can charge
The viewing, putting your application together, drafting the lease and the move-in inspection, shared with the landlord: your share is never more than theirs. A private landlord letting without an agency can charge none of it.
The deposit
At most one month's rent excluding charges for an unfurnished place, two for a furnished one, none on a mobility lease. Charges don't count, and it's paid when you sign the lease, never before.
Fees that aren't allowed
Application fees on top of the cap, booking, intermediary or reminder fees, a friendly move-out inspection, and any payment before the lease is signed. A transfer to "hold" a place is a classic scam signal.
Getting the deposit back
One month after you hand back the keys if the move-out inspection matches the move-in one, two months otherwise. After that, the landlord owes you 10% of the monthly rent excluding charges for each month of delay started.
Frequently asked questions
At most €12.10 × 30 = €363 for the viewing, the application and the lease, plus €3.03 × 30 = €90.90 for the move-in inspection: €453.90 in total in 2026.
No. Since the loi ALUR, the tenant's share is capped per square metre of living area, and is never more than the landlord's. For 30 m² in Paris, that's €453.90 at most, far from a month's rent.
Not on top of the cap: they're included in the per square metre cap that covers the viewing, the application and the lease. A private landlord letting without an agency can't charge any.
At most two months' rent excluding charges. It's one month for an unfurnished place, and no deposit can be asked on a mobility lease.
No, always on the rent excluding charges. For a furnished flat at €1,200 plus €80 of charges, the deposit is €2,400 at most, not €2,560.
One month after you hand back the keys if the move-out inspection matches the move-in one, two months otherwise. After that, the landlord also owes you 10% of the monthly rent excluding charges for each month of delay started.
Ask the agency or the landlord to correct it before you sign, quoting the cap. These amounts are set by law, and pointing that out is often enough for the bill to come down.