Security deposit checker (French law)
Enter the lease type, the rent, and the amount requested: we'll tell you whether the security deposit complies with the legal cap.
France vs the United States: what's different
General information only, not legal advice — drafted from general knowledge and may be incomplete, outdated, or vary locally. Always verify with a local source before relying on it. Rental law in the US is set mostly at the state (and sometimes city) level, so these points describe common patterns, not a single nationwide rule.
Security deposit cap
Capped by law: 1 month's rent (unfurnished) or 2 months (furnished).
No federal cap. Many states cap it (often 1–2 months' rent), but a meaningful number of states set no cap at all — it depends entirely on the state.
General information, not precisely sourced — verify locally.
Notice period to end a lease
1 month (tight rental-market cities) or 3 months (elsewhere) for the tenant; longer for the landlord with specific grounds required.
Typically 30 days for a month-to-month tenancy, but a fixed-term lease usually just ends on its stated date with no "notice" concept — again, state and lease-specific.
General information, not precisely sourced — verify locally.
Guarantor practice
A personal guarantor or the free public Visale guarantee (Action Logement) is common and normalized.
Landlords more commonly rely on a credit/income check and sometimes a co-signer, rather than a formal third-party guarantor system.
General information, not precisely sourced — verify locally.
Rent increases during the lease
A fixed-term lease's rent generally can't be raised mid-term outside narrow legal exceptions; annual revision (if any) follows the IRL index.
Mid-lease increases are generally not allowed either, but once a lease ends or converts to month-to-month, increases are usually far less restricted than in France (no nationwide index).
General information, not precisely sourced — verify locally.
Written lease requirement
A written lease matching a legally defined model is mandatory for a primary residence.
Oral leases can be legally valid in many states for shorter terms, though a written lease is standard practice and required above a certain lease length in some states.
General information, not precisely sourced — verify locally.