Furnished Rental in France for Foreigners: The Complete Legal & Tax Guide

What Is a Furnished Rental in France?

Under French law, a dwelling qualifies as meublé when it contains all the furniture and equipment necessary for the tenant to live there immediately and normally. This is not a matter of aesthetic generosity: a statutory list of eleven categories of furnishings was established by decree in 2015. A property missing essential items from that list — bedding, kitchen equipment, window coverings, seating, storage — is legally unfurnished, regardless of what is actually present, and the unfurnished rental regime applies by default. The distinction matters enormously: the meublé and nu regimes differ on lease duration, notice periods, deposit cap, tax category, and the applicable regulatory framework.

The Expat Tenant: Core Rights Under French Law

Foreign nationals renting a furnished flat in France are entitled to exactly the same protections as French tenants when the property is their primary residence. The loi ALUR of 24 March 2014 extended to furnished primary-residence rentals the major protections that previously applied only to unfurnished lets. No landlord can contract out of these provisions, regardless of nationality. Since 2017, the lease must conform to a contrat type prescribed by government decree. Any clause that derogates from the mandatory provisions in favour of the landlord is deemed unwritten — the rest of the lease remains valid.

The Non-Resident Landlord: Tax Regimes at a Glance

For foreign nationals who own a meublé property in France, furnished rental income is taxed as bénéfices industriels et commerciaux (BIC) — not revenus fonciers as for unfurnished lets. This single difference opens access to depreciation (amortissement) of the property and fittings, which can reduce taxable income dramatically, sometimes to zero. The first question is whether you are an LMP (loueur en meublé professionnel) or LMNP (loueur en meublé non professionnel). The second is which tax regime — micro-BIC or régime réel — applies or is optimal.

LMP vs LMNP: The €23,000 Threshold

You qualify as LMP — a professional furnished landlord — if two cumulative conditions are met: your annual meublé rental receipts exceed €23,000, and those receipts exceed all other professional income in your household. All other meublé landlords are LMNP. The distinction is consequential: LMP landlords can offset operating losses directly against their global income, are subject to SSI social contributions rather than prélèvements sociaux, and access the professional capital gains regime on sale. Full analysis of LMP vs LMNP status for foreign landlords here.

Micro-BIC vs Régime Réel: The Core Choice

Within each status, the landlord chooses — or is assigned — a tax computation regime. The micro-BIC applies automatically below the relevant threshold and taxes a flat percentage of gross receipts. The régime réel taxes net income after actual deductible charges, including depreciation. The January 2025 reform drastically reduced the micro-BIC attractiveness for unclassified tourist rentals by cutting both the threshold (from €77,700 to €15,000) and the allowance (from 50% to 30%). Full comparison of micro-BIC and régime réel here.

Non-Resident Tax: Cross-Border Considerations

Every non-resident meublé landlord faces the same foundational question: in which country is the income taxed, and is double taxation possible? France has treaties with most OECD countries. All of them follow the OECD model in allocating primary taxing rights over real property income to the country where the property is located — meaning France always taxes French rental income. The treaty then prevents the country of residence from taxing the same income a second time, either by exemption (with progression) or credit.

Ownership Structures for Foreign Investors

The vehicle through which a foreign national holds a French meublé property has significant consequences for tax, succession, IFI, and exit. The three main options are direct personal ownership, an SCI (société civile immobilière), or a commercial company (SARL or SAS). The most important warning for foreign investors: placing a meublé property inside a standard IR-transparent SCI triggers automatic commercial reclassification to IS (corporate tax) — one of the most frequent and costly errors made by foreign investors. Full analysis of the SCI meublé trap here.

Short-Term Rental and Airbnb: The 2025 Landscape

The key obligations for Airbnb hosts as of 2025: (1) declaration at the mairie (always required outside primary-residence exemptions); (2) in 251+ communes including Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, and many coastal towns, prior changement d'usage authorisation is required; (3) the 120-day annual cap on primary-residence rentals, reducible to 90 days by municipal deliberation since January 2025; (4) mandatory registration on the national télé-service (no later than 20 May 2026); and (5) reduced micro-BIC threshold and allowance for unclassified tourist meublé (€15,000 / 30% from 1 January 2025).

Capital Gains and Exit Tax

Selling a French meublé property as a non-resident triggers capital gains tax in France regardless of the seller's tax residence. For LMNP landlords, the gain falls under the régime des plus-values immobilières des particuliers: 19% IR plus 17.2% social levies (or 7.5% for EU/EEA sellers), with taper relief extinguishing IR after 22 years and social levies after 30 years. Critically, from 1 January 2025, the acquisition price used to calculate the gain must be reduced by the total depreciation deducted during the rental period under régime réel — significantly increasing the taxable gain for landlords who benefited from amortissement. The full capital gains guide for non-resident meublé landlords is here.

IFI, Succession, and Estate Planning

French property owned by a foreign national is subject to French succession law for the French assets, regardless of the owner's nationality or country of domicile (subject to the EU Succession Regulation for EU residents). The impôt sur la fortune immobilière (IFI) applies to French real property net assets above €1.3 million. LMP landlords may claim a professional asset exemption from IFI where their activity qualifies as the principal occupation. The pacte Dutreil — reducing the taxable base by 75% for donations and successions of professional assets — is potentially available to qualifying LMP landlords. Full guide to IFI, Dutreil, and estate planning for foreign meublé owners here.

This article is for general information and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. The 2025 tax reform figures are based on legislation in force as of January 2025. Always seek qualified French legal advice before making decisions about meublé rental, acquisition, or disposal.