Mobility lease, furnished student lease or standard furnished lease: which contract for an international student tenant? The length of stay decides.
To rent to an Erasmus student, three furnished leases are possible, and the length of stay decides: the mobility lease (1 to 10 months, non-renewable, no deposit) is made for a semester; the furnished student lease (9 months, no tacit renewal) suits an academic year; the standard furnished lease (1 year, renewable) is for a longer stay. Choosing the right contract spares you unpleasant surprises: unwanted renewal, misplaced deposit, unsuitable notice. This guide compares the three options from the landlord's point of view, referring to official sources for up-to-date clauses.
Three furnished leases, three uses
Renting furnished to a student does not come under a single contract. Depending on duration and profile, the legal framework differs.
- The mobility lease (bail mobilité) comes from the 2018 ELAN law. It targets people in mobility, including students, for a term of 1 to 10 months, non-renewable. Its most useful feature for an Erasmus stay: no deposit may be requested. In return, it does not extend beyond 10 months; to stay on, the tenant must sign a new lease (standard furnished).
- The furnished student lease lasts 9 months and is not tacitly renewable: it matches an academic year and ends without you having to give notice. It does allow a deposit.
- The standard furnished lease lasts 1 year (tacit renewal) and is for a more settled stay. It is the "default" contract for a furnished main residence.
Keep the logic in mind: the shorter the stay and the closer to a semester, the more the mobility lease is the obvious choice. The mandatory clauses of each contract are on service-public.fr and anil.org: always rely on them rather than a template found at random.
The three leases compared
| Criterion | Mobility lease | Furnished student lease | Standard furnished lease | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | 1 to 10 months | 9 months | 1 year | service-public.fr |
| Renewal | Non-renewable | No tacit renewal | Tacit renewal | anil.org |
| Deposit | Forbidden | Allowed | Allowed | service-public.fr |
| Target audience | People in mobility (incl. students) | Students | Everyone (main residence) | service-public.fr |
| Suited to an Erasmus semester | Ideal | Possible (year) | Poorly suited | anil.org |
The number of months, notice periods and exact clauses may change: check the page for your lease on service-public.fr before drafting. We deliberately do not set any tax duration or ceiling here: those belong to another regime, covered in our guide on the taxation of a furnished student letting.
The mobility lease, tailored to an Erasmus stay
For a student coming for a semester, the mobility lease solves three problems at once:
- Duration. A semester fits within the 1–10 month range, with no one-year commitment.
- End of lease. Non-renewable: at expiry, the property frees up automatically, with no notice procedure.
- No deposit. An international student does not always have the cash for a deposit; its prohibition removes a barrier to entry.
Which leaves the logical question: "with no deposit, how do I cover myself?" That is where the mobility lease pairs perfectly with Visale, the free public guarantee that replaces the deposit and covers unpaid rent. The mobility lease + Visale duo is the most reassuring combination for renting to an Erasmus student without a French guarantor: we detail it in Visale for landlords and, more broadly, in the guide renting your room to an Erasmus student in Bordeaux.
Chaining two students in one year
Many landlords want to rent by the semester: one student from September to January, another from January to June. The non-renewable mobility lease lends itself well to this: you sign a new contract with each tenant. Two points to watch:
- The mobility lease concerns the tenant's main residence and an audience in mobility: it is not a disguised "seasonal" lease. Each tenant must match the target audience.
- Think about a compliant furnished property: to qualify as furnished, the property must contain the equipment on the regulatory list, or risk being reclassified as an unfurnished letting. We list it in furnishing a student rental.
Chaining tenants also means reading each application properly, without demanding forbidden documents: see which documents to ask a student for.
Got a room or a studio to let in Bordeaux? List it for free on Studroof and reach Erasmus students arriving on fixed dates. You sign and get paid directly — 0% commission, Studroof never handles the money. Studroof is neither an agency nor a property manager: it is a listings platform that puts you in touch, nothing more. List your room now from the landlord hub.
FAQ — Which lease for an Erasmus student
Which lease for a one-semester Erasmus student? The mobility lease (ELAN law 2018) is the best fit: 1 to 10 months, non-renewable, no deposit. It matches a one-semester stay exactly. Mandatory clauses are on service-public.fr and anil.org.
Does the mobility lease allow a deposit? No. The mobility lease forbids a deposit. To cover yourself anyway, pair it with Visale, the free public guarantee that replaces the deposit and covers unpaid rent (actionlogement.fr).
Can I chain two students in the same year? Yes. Since the mobility lease is non-renewable, you can sign a new contract with a second student (for the second semester, for instance), provided each tenant matches the mobility audience and the property remains compliantly furnished.
What is the difference between a furnished student lease and a mobility lease? The furnished student lease lasts 9 months and allows a deposit; it matches an academic year. The mobility lease lasts 1 to 10 months, with no deposit, and targets shorter mobility stays. Details on service-public.fr.
Do I have to give notice at the end of a student or mobility lease? No: the furnished student lease (9 months) is not tacitly renewable and the mobility lease is non-renewable. They end at expiry without a notice procedure, unlike the standard furnished lease.
This article is for information and does not replace official sources or legal advice. Studroof is a passive listings platform, not an estate agency or a property manager. Lease terms, notice periods and clauses change: always check your situation on service-public.fr and anil.org. Last updated: September 2026.