The intricate nature of renting property in France can make the task a bit daunting to relocating expats. The glossary below is designed to be a resourceful guide, providing explanations for frequently-used words, terms and phrases within the rental property realm. We hope you find it helpful.
A
Agence Immobilière – Real estate agency
A Louer – To rent
Art Deco – Buildings from the 1920-1930s
Arrière Cuisine – Pantry
Ascenseur – Lift or elevator
Assurance d’habitation – Housing insurance which includes your civil liability insurance
à Vendre – To sell / for sale
Avis d’échéance – Rental invoice
Avis d’imposition – Tax bill
B
Banlieur – Suburbs
Bail – Rental contract
Bailleur – Landlord
Balcon – Balcony
Ballon d’eau chaude – Separate hot water tank
Bon état – In good condition
Bon de Visite – Visit Certificate (Some agencies, even for rentals, will ask you to sign a certificate that you have visited a property with them)
Box – Closed garage used to park a car or store items
Buanderie – Laundry room
Bulletins de salaire – payslips
Bureau – Office
C
Carte d’identité – ID card
Caution – This usually refers to a co-signer
Cave – Basement or cellar (for storage)
CC or Charges Comprises – Included Charges. If you see the “CC” term after the rental price, the rental price includes building charges. You may also see the rent listed as a price. In that case, the “HC” term (Hors Charges) means the rental price excludes building charges.
Charges Locatives – The portion of the building charges that the tenant shall pay
Chambre – Bedroom
Chaudière – Heater
Chauffage – Heating
Chauffage Central – Central heating
Chauffe-Eau – Individual water tank
Cheminée – Fireplace
Claire – Bright, well-lit
Classification F or T – Classification F refers to function. Classification T refers to type. The two terms are now used indifferently. We mostly use T to describe the number of rooms. A T3 classification refers to a three-room apartment. Classifications always exclude the kitchen, bathroom and WC.
Clause Particulière – Conditions particular to your lease
Climatisation – Air conditioning
Concierge – Caretaker, who usually lives on site,
Contrat de travail – Work Contract
Co-Locataire – Co-renters
Cour – Courtyard
Cuisine Américaine – The term “American kitchen” refers to an open kitchen plan, where the kitchen is an integral part of the living room and not separated with a door
Cuisine équipée – the kitchen has been equipped with cupboards
Cuisine équipée et aménagée – the kitchen has been equipped with cupboards and kitchen appliances
Cuisine Independante – Kitchen is separate and can be closed with a door
D
Dépendence – Outbuilding
Dépôt de Garantie – Security Deposit
Devis – Cost Estimate
Digicode – Keypad door access
Dossier de Candidature – Rental application documents
Double Vitrage – Double-Glazed Windows
Douche Italienne – Walk-In Shower
Durée du Contrat – Rental Period
Dupleix – Apartment with two levels and an inside staircase
E
Ensoleillé – Sunny
Entrée – Entrance
étage – Floor
étage Noble – The noble floor of a building was the most prestigious floor of a building at the time of construction (higher ceilings, etc.)
état des lieux – Walk-throughs (also referred to as the initial walk-through (état des lieux d’entrée) and final walk-through (état des lieux de sortie))
Evier – Kitchen sink
Exposition – Light exposure
F
Frais d’agence – Real estate agency fees
Fiche de Renseignements – Real estate agency form to submit with your dossier
Foyer – Fireplace (insurance companies will ask if you have a “foyer ouvert” (open hearth) or a “foyer fermé” (closed hearth), depending on the type of chimney duct
G
Galarie d’Entrée – Entry hall
Gare – Train station
Garant – Co-signer or Guarantor (some landlords may request this)
Garantie des Loyers Impayés or GLI – Insurance policy that covers landlords in the event of unpaid rent by their tenants
Guttière – Gutter
H
Haie – hedge
Haussmann – A type of architectural building style invented by Baron Haussmann in the mid-19th century
Hors Taxe or HT – Price, not including sales tax
Honoraires d’Agence – Real estate agency fees
J
Jardin – Garden
Justificatif de domicile – Proof of residence (usually in the form of a recent gas or electricity bill, must be dated less than 3 months)
K
Kitchenette – Small kitchen
Lavabo – Wash basin (as in the guest bath or guest WC)
L
Lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception or LRAR – Registered letter with receipt of delivery
Libre de Suite – Available immediately
Locateur – Tenant
Location – Property for rent
Loft – Apartment created in an old warehouse or workshop
Logement – Accommodations
Loyer – Rent
Lu et approuvé – Text preceding your signature on official documents, confirming that you have “read and approved”.
M
Mandataire – Third-party who has a mandate to sign the lease or manage the property on behalf of the landlord
Maison – House
Mansarde – Slant of the roof which is more vertical than other roofs, allowing for more space in the rooms
Meubles – Furniture
Meublé – Furnished
Mezzanine – Apartment with a separate living space accessible by stairs or a ladder, usually not a closed space
Moderne – Any building from the 1960s onward is considered “modern” in real estate jargon.
Moquette – Carpeting
Mur – Wall
O
Obligations du Locataire – Tenant obligations as per the lease
Obligations du Bailleur – Landlord obligations as per the lease
P
Parties Communes – Communal areas of the building (such as staircase, landings, courtyard, elevator, foyer)
Point de hongrie – Herringbone (referring to the classic French way of laying parquet wood floors)
Préavis – Notice period
Prelèvement Automatique – Direct debit
Pièce – Room (Advertisements include only living spaces and bedrooms larger than 9 m2 in the number of rooms). A room larger than 40m2 is considered to be two rooms (for insurance purposes).
Pièces de Reception – Receiving rooms
Pierre de Taille – Limestone or flat-stone buildings
Placard – Cupboard
Plafond – Ceiling
Plomberie – Plumbing
Propriétaire – landlord
Prise – Socket
Porte Blandée – Armour-plated door
Propriétaire – Landlord
Propriété – Property
R
Rafraicheissement – Freshened-up. Some light renovation work has been done, usually new paint
Ramonage – Chimney sweeping
Recent – A building is considered recent if has been built within the last couples of decades
Refait à Neuf – Completely renovated
Rez-de-Chaussée – Ground floor
Rénové – Renovated
Resiliation – Cancellation of a contract
Responsabilité Civile – Third-party liability
R.I.B. ou Rélévé d’Indentité Bancaire – slip indicating your bank account details (name of bank, account number, IBAN, swift code).
S
Salle à Manger – Dining Room
Salle de Bain – Bathroom
Salle d’Eau – A bathroom with only a shower (The French differentiate bathrooms between one with a bath tub and one with a shower)
Salle à Manger – Dining Room
Salon – Living Room
Séjour – Living room
Single Euro Payments Area or SEPA – An EU public authorities’ integration initiative regarding electronic euro payments. To enroll for automatic debits for your utility accounts, you will need to fill out a SEPA authorization form
Sous-Sol – Basement
Souplex – A basement level room, accessible from inside the apartment
Studette – Small studio or a service room
Standing – Many advertisements refer to apartments with standing, which refers to the quality level of the property. You will find similar references as “standing, grand standing, très grand standing”, etc. Instead of the word “grand”, you may also find the word “haut”.
Surface Habitable – Floor space with a ceiling height under 1.80m
T
Taxe d’habitation – Council tax, or residency tax, due and payable wherever you are living on January 1st
Taxe foncière – Property tax
Tapis – Rug
Toutes Taxes Comprise or TTC – Including sales tax
Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée or TVA -– Value-added tax
Titre Interbancaire de Paiement or TIP – You can pay your utility and insurance bills with a “TIP,” like a check that you date and sign
Traversant – Apartments with windows on both sides of the building (East-West and North-South)
V
Véranda – Veranda, terrace
Vestibule – Entrance hall
Vide – Empty, unfurnished apartment
Viseophone – Video phone used to communicate with a visitor who is trying to enter a building
Vitreaux – Stained glass
Voisinage – Neighborhood
Vue – View
W
Water Closet or WC – Most toilets are separate from the bathrooms in France