Seasonal lettings are lettings of furnished or unfurnished housing for the maximum duration of a season (e.g. three months).
As their object is not the tenant’s main residence, seasonal lettings are only governed by the provisions of the French civil code.
However, the law of 2000 (decent housing) and of 20th July 2003 (information on natural and technological risks) apply.
Enforcement in this kind of lease should not be a problem in principle as seasonal lettings are not for a main residence and therefore, all the regulation related to furnished residence as main residence do not apply. However, landlords are advised to check this carefully when signing the lease and clearly mention the tenant’s main residence details.
Please note that for holyday lets, according to article 79 (V) of the law of July 2006, properties subject to seasonal lettings must be classified as ‘commercial’, otherwise, they cannot legally be rented out for periods of less than one year, unless to students, in which case the minimum term is a nine-month lease. Penalties are severe with maximum fines of 25000 €. However owners who want to continue to offer short-term (holiday) lets must apply to have their property reclassified as a commercial property (changement d’usage en locaux à usage professionnel ou mixte).