how much do agencies really charge to rent a property in france today?

decoding rental fees for tenants

For tenants, the agency fees you pay when signing a lease in France are strictly regulated and limited to a defined list of services. They cover viewings, handling your application file, drafting the lease and preparing the check‑in inventory.​

The amount charged to the tenant is capped per square metre and cannot exceed either the legal ceiling for the area or the amount paid by the landlord. This double protection is designed to prevent abusive fees and make rental costs easier to anticipate.​

what the legal caps mean in practice