Glossary: renting and rent-control vocabulary

The definitions below explain terms found throughout the application, with benchmarks for France. They are general information, not legal advice: when in doubt, ask your local authority, a housing advice agency (ADIL) or a professional.

An amount added to the base rent of a dwelling in a rent-controlled city when the dwelling has exceptional features of location or comfort compared with similar dwellings in the same area (for example an outstanding view, a large terrace, a rare amenity). It is added to the rent without being subject to the cap.

• Conditions: the base rent must not exceed the increased reference rent; the feature must not already be reflected in the reference rent; it must not give rise to expenses already recoverable from the tenant as charges.
• In the lease: the supplement amount and the features justifying it must be stated, in addition to the base rent.
• Challenge: the tenant can challenge it, first amicably and then before the departmental conciliation commission, within 3 months of signing the lease. If the supplement is not justified it can be removed and any excess paid refunded.
• In the application: enter it in the unit's rent editor with its justification. The Rent field stays the total excluding charges, supplement included; the rent-control check compares only the base rent with the cap.

Rent excluding charges without the rent supplement. This is what rent control compares with the per-m² cap. With no supplement, the base rent equals the unit's rent.

In a rent-controlled city, the prefect sets every year a per-m² reference rent by district, number of rooms, construction period and type of rental (unfurnished or furnished). The increased reference rent (+20%) is the cap the base rent must not exceed; the decreased reference rent (-30%) is a benchmark for challenging a rent the landlord set too low at renewal. The maximum rent calculator gives a dwelling's cap.

An area where the rent of unfurnished or furnished dwellings is capped at re-letting and renewal. It differs from a tight zone, which relates among other things to the tenant's shorter notice period and the tax on vacant housing. The list changes over time: check it on the official sites.

The rent excluding charges pays for the dwelling; recoverable charges reimburse the landlord for costs linked to using the dwelling (water, routine upkeep, lift…), as advance payments with an annual adjustment for an unfurnished lease or as a flat fee for a furnished one. Rent control applies only to the rent excluding charges.

The set of information and supporting documents (ID, address, activity, income, guarantor) a tenant presents to a landlord to assess their application. The law limits the list (decree no. 2015-1437). See My tenant file.

Share of net monthly income spent on rent and charges: (rent + charges) ÷ income. A common benchmark (about one third) but never an automatic reason for refusal.

Individual (relative, friend) or legal entity (Visale, professional guarantor such as GarantMe or Unkle, surety company or organisation) committing to pay the rent if the tenant cannot. Visale is a free Action Logement guarantee for eligible people.

A 0–100 indicator of a tenant's history (payments, deadline, landlord review). Informative and transparent. See the reliability score.