Moving Out in France: Notice Letter, Inventory, Utilities Cancellations, Deposit Return

If you are still early in your rental journey, the move-out rules will make more sense if you understand the lease mechanics first: French Lease Explained: Charges, Deposit, Notice, Furnished vs Unfurnished. If you want the full end-to-end renting playbook built for Americans, start here: Renting in France as an American: The Step by Step Playbook.

Why move-out matters more than Americans expect

In the U.S., many renters treat move-out as a simple handover: you leave, you return keys, you get your deposit back if the place is reasonable. In France, move-out is a documented process that connects several systems: the lease, the notice method, the exit condition report, utility contracts, internet equipment returns, and the deposit return timeline.

Most problems happen when tenants treat move-out as an emotional moment, not a project. The winning approach is boring but effective: a timeline, written proof, and a clean “closing file” for your address.

Step one: understand your notice period and how notice is considered received

Your notice period is not just a rule in the lease. It is the timeline that shapes everything else: when you can stop paying rent, when you must schedule the exit inspection, and when you should cancel subscriptions.

The most important move-out mistake Americans make is treating notice as informal. In France, the method and timing of notice can matter. Your goal is to ensure you can prove that notice was delivered and to avoid surprises about when the notice period starts.

Even if you do not memorize technical details, you should adopt one principle: your notice should be documented, and you should be able to show when it was sent and when it was received. If you send a message casually and later the landlord claims they did not receive it, you can end up paying extra rent because the notice clock did not start.

If you are unsure what your notice period is or what your lease type implies, revisit the lease guide: French Lease Explained: Charges, Deposit, Notice, Furnished vs Unfurnished.

Step two: write a clean notice letter that is easy to process

A notice letter should be short and factual. It should state that you are giving notice, specify the address, and confirm the intended move-out date. It should not be a long narrative. You are not negotiating. You are initiating a formal step.

Many Americans overexplain because they want to be polite. In France, politeness comes from clarity. The easiest way to avoid back-and-forth is to make your letter unambiguous.

If you need help drafting a notice letter in French or ensuring that the delivery method aligns with your rental situation, this is a classic On-Demand Concierge request: On-Demand Concierge.

Step three: plan the exit inspection early, because scheduling delays are common

The exit condition report, often called the état des lieux de sortie, is the deposit moment. It is the formal snapshot of the property at the end of your tenancy, and it is compared against the move-in report.

Americans often wait too long to schedule this. If an agency manages the apartment, they may have limited availability. If a landlord manages it, they may not prioritize scheduling until you push it forward. Either way, you should plan early.

Your goal is to choose a date that gives you time to clean properly, fix small issues, and document condition. If you schedule the inspection at the last minute, you lose flexibility and increase stress.

If you want the deposit protection logic explained clearly, including how the move-in report affects deposit disputes, read: Security Deposit and Move In Inspection: How to Protect Your Deposit in France.

Step four: prepare the apartment like a comparison document

The exit inspection is not a “vibe check.” It is a comparison. The apartment is compared to what was documented at entry, and the outcome can affect your deposit.

This is why move-out preparation is about details. You want the apartment to be clean, functional, and aligned with the entry condition as much as possible. If something was already damaged at entry and documented, you want it to remain consistent. If something changed, you want to assess whether it is normal wear or something you should address before inspection.

A practical approach is to review your move-in inspection report a week or two before the exit inspection. Use it as your checklist. That document tells you what the apartment was “officially” like when you arrived, and it therefore tells you what the inspector will reference when you leave.

Step five: document meters and key returns, because billing errors happen

Utilities and keys are two areas where small omissions create avoidable disputes.

At move-out, you should capture meter readings if relevant. Save photos with timestamps if possible. This helps prevent being billed for usage after you leave or being blamed for an inconsistency later. If your building has collective utilities, this may be simpler, but you should still capture what is applicable.

Keys and access badges should be counted and recorded. If you cannot prove what you returned, you can end up with deductions for “missing keys,” even when the situation is simply unclear. Again, the goal is not mistrust. The goal is clarity.

If you want the move-in utilities logic as a reference point, especially if you are moving to a new place and want the setup to be clean, revisit: Utilities After You Sign: Electricity, Gas, Water, What to Do in the First 72 Hours.

Step six: cancel or transfer subscriptions with a plan, not in a panic

The subscriptions that most often cause post-move problems are internet and phone, followed by electricity and gas when they are in your name. Americans often forget that cancellations can require equipment returns or specific steps, and they discover it only after receiving another bill.

The winning move is to treat subscriptions like part of your move-out project timeline. You identify what is in your name, you determine whether it should be cancelled or transferred, and you initiate the process early enough that you are not rushing during your last week.

Internet in particular can involve equipment return steps and timing considerations. If you want to understand the internet contract lifecycle and why move-out becomes annoying when you lose track of account details, read: Internet in France: Fiber Installations, Delays, and the Best Workarounds.

Phone plans can also have cancellation rules, especially if you are on a contract. If you want to avoid surprise billing after you leave an address or leave France, review: Getting a French Phone Plan: SIM, eSIM, Contracts, and Cancellations.

Step seven: update your address and keep your proof documents organized

If you are moving within France, your proof-of-address story changes. Many admin tasks rely on your current address being consistent. After you move, you will gradually build a new proof-of-address stack for your new home.

This matters because Americans often carry old addresses across systems for too long and then get blocked in new processes because their documents do not match. A clean move-out includes a clean move-in path at the next address.

If you want to avoid proof-of-address loops, especially if your next step is temporary housing again, review: Proof of Address in France: What Counts When You’re in Airbnb.

Deposit return, what to expect in practice

Deposit return depends on the exit inspection and on whether the landlord believes deductions are justified. The best way to protect your deposit is to make the comparison objective. That means a thorough move-in report, a clean exit, and clear documentation.

Many deposit issues become emotional because the evidence is weak. If the evidence is strong, the discussion becomes administrative and is often resolved faster.

If you anticipate a complex situation, such as a furnished apartment with many items, or if you know there are disputes, it is worth preparing your documentation and keeping communication written and structured.

Communication style that prevents unnecessary conflict

Move-out is a moment when people are stressed, and stress makes messages worse. Americans sometimes send long, emotional emails that create friction. A better approach is short, factual messages: confirm dates, confirm procedures, confirm what is required, confirm what will happen with keys and deposit.

You do not need to be cold. You need to be operational.

If you want help coordinating the move-out process in French, confirming the right steps with the agency, and keeping documentation clean, On-Demand Concierge can handle targeted support for move-out admin: On-Demand Concierge.

If you want your move-out handled as part of an end-to-end admin system

Many Americans discover that the hardest part of France is not one task, it is managing many tasks at once while maintaining consistent documentation. Move-out is where that complexity shows up again.

If you want a single point of contact for managing subscriptions, cancellations, and administrative transitions as part of a larger settlement plan, that is what Full Everything Support is designed for: End-to-End Relocation.

Closing perspective

Moving out in France is easiest when you treat it like a project: confirm your notice rules and document delivery, schedule the exit inspection early, prepare the apartment using the move-in report as the comparison baseline, capture meter readings and key returns, cancel or transfer subscriptions with time to spare, and keep your address documentation organized. When you do that, deposit return becomes a process, not a fight, and your next chapter in France starts cleanly.