Last verified: 4 October 2026, based on the official pages cited at the bottom of the page.
The condition report (état des lieux): the document that protects your security deposit (dépôt de garantie)
The condition report (EDL) describes the condition of the home and its equipment at move-in and at move-out. It is the comparison of the two that determines what the landlord can keep from your security deposit: to keep any amount, they must rely on the move-in and move-out condition reports and justify the deduction (quotes, invoices, unpaid rent demands left unanswered). Normal wear and tear (vétusté) is not your responsibility.
As for the amount: for an unfurnished home, the deposit cannot exceed 1 month's rent excluding service charges; for a furnished home, 2 months' rent excluding service charges. If the rent is paid quarterly in advance, the deposit is forbidden—and it is also forbidden for a mobility lease (bail mobilité).
Here's how to do a solid condition report, from getting the keys to getting your deposit back.
Step 1 — Understand how it works: joint condition report
The move-in condition report is done together, you and the landlord (or the agency): this is the principle of contradictory report. The official rules:
- The home must contain the items listed in the lease (bail), and the condition report must be done in good lighting conditions.
- It is recorded in writing, on paper or electronically, and must allow comparison of the condition of the home at move-in and move-out.
- At signing, the condition report is given to both you and the landlord (in person or electronically), and both parties must sign it.
If the move-in condition report is done by you and a professional (real estate agent), you pay part of the fees, but your share is capped: half the fees charged by the agency, and a maximum of €3.03 including tax per m² of living space.
If one of the two refuses or is absent
Either party can call in a commissaire de justice (formerly bailiff): this is a rental inspection report. They notify both you and the landlord (or agency) by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception), at least 7 days in advance. Their fees are regulated (order applicable from March 2026): in mainland France, for a home up to 50 m², the report costs €132.82, plus €18.06 for notification letters and €11.28 for travel expenses. The total is split equally between the tenant and the landlord.
💡 Refusing to sign does not work in your favour: if you refuse the move-in condition report, you are considered to have received the home in good repair, and it is up to you to prove the poor initial condition—for example, with photos taken by a commissaire de justice (a paid procedure). It's better to note everything on the spot, disagreement by disagreement.
Step 2 — Before the appointment: what to bring
On the day, you should bring:
- Charged smartphone — you will photograph every room and every defect.
- Tape measure to check the area stated in the lease (bail).
- Flashlight or your phone's light for dark corners.
- Pen to write neatly on the document.
- The signed lease to check for consistency (listed equipment, area).
- Checklist of equipment to tick off for a furnished home.
🚨 In practice, allow plenty of time. A rushed condition report done in a few minutes and signed without reading is the one that will cost you at move-out. If the landlord tries to hurry you ("Come on, it's perfect, let's sign"), still take the time to read the document and note every defect before signing.
Step 3 — The room-by-room method
For each room (entry, living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, balcony, cellar):
Surfaces to inspect
- Floors: parquet, tiles, lino, carpet → scratches, stains, loose joints, holes.
- Walls: paint, wallpaper → cracks, anchor holes, stains, yellowing.
- Ceilings: water stains, cracks, broken light bulbs.
- Baseboards: chips, peeling paint.
- Doors and windows: paint, handles, locks, seals, cracked glass.
- Shutters (swing or rolling): full operation, fixings.
- Switches, sockets: number, condition (yellowed = report), working order.
Equipment to test
- Taps: turn on each mixer tap, check hot and cold water, drainage.
- Toilet flush: make sure it works.
- Heating: turn on each radiator, even in summer — the condition of heating elements can be added during the first month of the heating period (see Step 5).
- Extractor hood, hobs, oven: turn on and test each one.
- Fridge, washing machine: open, check inside, turn on.
- Ventilation (VMC): hold a piece of paper up to the vent — it should be drawn in.
- Smoke detectors: present and working.
Details people forget
- Meters: if the service charges are not paid as a fixed amount, the readings from individual water or energy meters must be included in the condition report. And if the home has an individual heating or hot water system (or a collective one with individual metering), the landlord must add the readings for each type of energy to the condition report.
- Keys: the condition report must mention the keys or any other means of access (front door, mailbox, cellar, garage, badge). Count them and have them listed.
- Mailbox: check that your name can be displayed on it as soon as you move in.
📷 Tip: photograph every meter and every room. The condition report (état des lieux) can include images, and dated photos will help you if there is a later dispute about service charges or a deduction from your deposit.
Step 4 — How to describe defects
The classic trap: you write "small stain" and the landlord charges you for replacing the carpet when you leave. Be ultra precise.
Instead of ❌ "Damaged paint", write ✅ "South wall of the bedroom: stains above the radiator, yellowed paint, horizontal crack near the baseboard."
Instead of ❌ "Scratched parquet", write ✅ "Living room parquet: deep scratches near the window, split board at the entrance to the hallway."
The description of each room can be supplemented with comments or reservations, and illustrated with images — this is provided for by the regulations. The condition report must be signed by you and the landlord (or by representatives on each side).
📷 Tip: number your photos, link them to a room, and keep them until you move out. What matters is the condition report signed by both parties.
Step 5 — Deadline to request changes to the move-in condition report
If you discover a defect after signing (a leaking tap, a window that won't close), it's not too late: you can ask the landlord to amend the move-in condition report:
- 10 calendar days after the date of the condition report, for any element concerning the home.
- During the 1st month of the heating period for the condition of heating elements (cold radiators, boiler that won't start).
In practice, make this request in writing, with your photos, and keep proof of sending. If the landlord (or agency) refuses, you can refer the matter to the departmental conciliation commission for the area where the home is located.
🔥 For heating or hot water (individual system, or collective with individual metering), also think about the meter readings: it's up to the landlord to add the readings for each type of energy to the condition report, both at move-in and move-out.
Step 6 — The exit condition report: don't sign too quickly
Tip: before you leave, do a thorough cleaning (scrub the floors, clean the windows, degrease the oven, defrost and clean the fridge), fill in any wall plug holes you made with filler, and remove any adhesive without tearing the paint.
On the day of the exit condition report, take the entry condition report with you and compare them line by line. To withhold anything, the landlord must rely on both reports and justify every amount: quotes or invoices for work, a letter demanding unpaid rent that went unanswered…
Normal wear and tear (vétusté)
Normal wear and tear means the wear or deterioration resulting from time or normal use of materials. You are not responsible for it: the law makes routine maintenance and tenant repairs your responsibility, "unless they are caused by normal wear and tear, poor workmanship, construction defects, accident or force majeure" (law of 6 July 1989 on rental relations). When you sign the lease (bail), you can also agree with the landlord on a normal wear and tear scale to compare the condition of the home at move-in and move-out.
Return of the security deposit (dépôt de garantie)
The time limit starts from the day you return the keys (in person or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception)), so remember to provide your new address and your bank account details (RIB):
- Exit condition report matches the entry report: refund within 1 month maximum.
- Exit condition report does not match the entry report: refund within 2 months maximum.
If there is a delay, the amount owed increases by 10% of the monthly rent excluding service charges for each month of delay started — unless the delay is because you did not provide your new address when returning the keys. To claim your deposit and this penalty, send a formal notice by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. And be careful: deducting the deposit from the last rent payment is illegal; you must pay your rent in full even if the deposit is late.
If the home is in a collective building, the landlord can keep a provisional amount for the service charges, justified and capped at 20% of the deposit; they must then settle the accounts and return the balance within one month after the building's accounts are approved.
Step 7 — Dispute: the procedure before going to court
If the landlord withholds an unjustified amount or does not return the deposit:
- Formal notice by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception). Tip: attach a detailed list of what you are disputing and a copy of the entry condition report.
- Amicable procedure: justice conciliator or departmental conciliation commission (free), or civil mediator (paid). For a dispute up to €5,000, this step is mandatory before going to court.
- Protection litigation judge at the court for the area where the home is located. You have 3 years from the day the deposit should have been returned to take the matter to court.
The ADIL in your département (Departmental Housing Information Agency) can help you with your procedures.
Step 8 — Official resources
- 📋 Service-Public — Entry condition report for a residential lease (bail) — rules for carrying out the condition report (état des lieux), content, time limits for amending the report, fees for the official report.
- 💰 Service-Public — Security deposit (dépôt de garantie) in a residential lease — deposit limits, refund deadlines, late penalties, disputes.
And what about Pionra?
Pionra is not a commissaire de justice. It's the place where newcomers share information: how it really went, in which city, how long it took.
Have you just done this procedure? Share your experience in a comment or in a note — that's what will help those who come after you the most.