Renting an apartment in Paris : the deposit vs the security deposit

The aim of this post is to help you prepare your file for a furnished rental in Paris and to explain the different payments you will need to make to complete this process.  

The deposit (l’acompte)

The deposit (l’acompte) or down-payment is a sum of money paid once all parties have signed the lease. It is necessary to reserve an apartment and is deducted from the first rental payment.

With Lodgis the down-payment is determined by the following:

• No deposit is required for rentals of less than 3 weeks, unless stipulated in the contract
• 30% of the total rent for stays from 3 weeks to 3 months
• 1 month’s rent for stays of 3 months or more

Note that the total deposit amount cannot exceed the equivalent of 2 months rent for a furnished rental or primary residence. We accept the following payment methods for the deposit:

• Bank card (Visa and Mastercard)
• Bank transfer (the sender is responsible for any associated charges)

The security deposit (le dépôt de garantie)

The security deposit (le dépôt de garantie) is designed to cover any potential damages caused during your stay (broken dishes, damaged furniture, etc.)

If, at the end of your stay, no damages are identified, the owner will return the security deposit to you. Otherwise, the cost of repairing any damages will be deducted from the security deposit and part (or none) of the remaining amount will be returned to you within 60 days of your departure.

For weekly rentals, the security deposit is usually returned on the date of departure.

Amount of the security deposit with Lodgis:

• For rentals from 21 days to 60 days (59 nights), it will correspond to 50% of one month’s rent
• For rentals from 2 to 6 months, it will correspond to one month’s rent
• For rentals periods of more than six months, it will correspond to two months’ rent

[eltd_blockquote text=”LODGIS TIP: Make sure that you do an inspection (état des lieux) and inventory (inventaire) when you arrive at the apartment and keep a safe copy of these documents. They will be useful when you leave to carry out the necessary checks! ” title_tag=”” width=””]

If you have any questions regarding the deposit or security deposit, feel free to contact us for more advice!

We recommend taking at look at our article Will you need to pay the French council tax (taxe d’habitation) for a furnished rental property?