ALUR Law: what are the rules for your tenancy?

Finally, you’re moving into your own flat! Long live freedom, time to say goodbye to mum and dad (or maybe see you next Sunday for a nice roast?). Before you officially become (almost) independent, there are a few things you should know. The ALUR law (as we said it has its own allure) regulates rentals governed by a student lease. The duration of the lease, a shortened notice period, a cap on the deposit: Nemea Appart'Etud explains the main points of this law (we'll keep it short).

What is the ALUR law?

 Are you ready? Let’s have a bit on concentration now. The Alur law was enacted in 2014 (validated if you prefer). By the way, Alur stands for accès au logement et pour un urbanisme rénové (access to housing and for a renewed urbanism – see nothing to do with style but kinda alluring anyway right?). Among other things (we said we’d keep it short), this law modified the regulatory framework for student rentals defined by a law dating from 6th July 1989 (the Middle Ages to you). The changes are favourable to tenants (good news, eh?) with a strengthening of the student lease regime, giving you some legal security.

ALUR Law: the essentials to remember your future move

Duration: the student lease is characterised firstly by its specific duration of 9 months, which is based on the university year. Under no circumstances can the landlord terminate the lease before the end of the term (so you won't have to go back to mum and dad early). The term of the lease is not renewable and is not tacitly renewed. This means that the contract is not automatically renewed, so you have to anticipate the end of the lease, but you don't have to pay rent in July/August (perfect for taking a break with your mates). If the tenant wishes to leave before the end of the lease, the Alur law shortens the notice period to 1 month if the accommodation is located in a ‘high demand’ area (if you have struggled to find it) and there’s no need to give a specific reason for leaving.

Fees (deposit/agency fees...): another advantage of this law: agency fees are capped and the rates must be displayed in the agency's window (if they’re not then don’t even go inside). If you rent furnished accommodation, there’s also a limit on the cost of the security deposit. In concrete terms, the deposit you have to pay before entering the accommodation (the one that hurts your wallet) is limited to the equivalent of 2 months' rent excluding charges.

Furniture and equipment: do you rent furnished accommodation? Article 8 of the Alur law sets out a precise list of the furniture and equipment that the dwelling must contain.