Student lease vs. standard furnished lease: Which option should you choose for renting your room for the 2026 academic year?

As the 2026 academic year approaches, the housing market is more dynamic than ever. Many hosts with a spare room are wondering about the best way to rent it out. At Roomlala, we support hosts every day who are looking to take the plunge, but who often run into a crucial question: which type of contract should I choose? Should you opt for a specific 2026 student lease or go for a standard furnished lease? The answer depends on your goals, your need for flexibility, and the profile of your future tenant. In this detailed article, we will explain the difference between a student lease and a furnished lease for you, to help you make the decision best suited to your situation. Whether you are looking to reclaim your room for the summer or ensure continuous rental income throughout the year, we explain everything you need to know about the legislation in force this year.

Understanding the difference between a student lease and a furnished lease

Choosing the rental contract is the first fundamental step for any host wishing to offer a homestay. In France, furnished rentals offer two main options which present quite distinct characteristics in terms of duration and renewal. At Roomlala, we find that understanding these nuances allows our hosts to rent with peace of mind and avoid any unpleasant surprises at the end of the academic year.

See also: Shortage of student accommodation in 2026: Homestays as a key solution for the new academic year, Housing crisis in Portugal: 2026 tax incentives for room rentals and Rental fraud in Spain: New 2026 regulations to secure long-term shared housing

The 9-month student lease: summer flexibility

The student lease is a furnished rental contract specifically designed to adapt to the academic year. Its main characteristic is its fixed duration of 9 months. Unlike other contracts, it provides for no automatic renewal. This means that at the end of the 9 months, the contract ends automatically. For you, as the host, this is an exceptional guarantee of flexibility: you get the use of your room back for the summer period without having to carry out complex procedures or justify a reason for repossession.

To use this student room rental contract, the legislation is strict: you must imperatively require proof of the student status of your future tenant at the time of signing. This could be a student card valid for the 2026-2027 year or a certificate of enrolment. Without this document, the contract could be reclassified as a standard one-year furnished lease, causing you to lose the benefit of the automatic termination after 9 months.

Concrete example: Take the case of Marie, a Roomlala host in Lyon. She rents out the room of her son who has gone to study abroad. By signing a student lease from September to May with a young undergraduate student, she ensures she can get her room back from June to August. This allows her to host her family during the summer holidays, or even offer her room for very short-term rentals to summer tourists, thus optimising her income while keeping control of her home.

The standard one-year furnished lease: stability first

The standard furnished lease, meanwhile, is concluded for a minimum duration of one year. Its main difference lies in its mechanism of automatic renewal: if neither party takes action, the contract is automatically renewed for an additional year. This type of contract is not reserved for students; it can be signed with any tenant profile (young professional, intern, employee on assignment).

This contract is ideal if you are looking for rental stability and do not want to see your room unoccupied during the summer months. Many students, particularly those in Master's programmes, apprenticeships, or those who plan to do a summer internship in the same city, prefer this type of lease so they do not have to move all their belongings in June.

Use case: Paul, a host in Paris, prefers peace of mind. He signed a standard furnished lease with Sophie, a student in business school who is doing a two-year apprenticeship. Thanks to this contract, Paul does not have to look for a new tenant every September. The lease renews automatically, ensuring him regular income over 12 continuous months, without any summer interruption.

Student room rental legislation: Essential rules in 2026

Renting a furnished room cannot be improvised. In 2026, the legal framework has tightened, particularly regarding environmental and comfort issues. At Roomlala, we make it a point of honour to inform our hosts about the latest legislative developments to ensure rentals are perfectly compliant. Here are the two major points of vigilance for this year.

Energy compliance and the 2026 DPE

Regulations related to the Energy Performance Certificate (DPE) are undoubtedly the hottest topic for hosts in 2026. Energy decency rules apply strictly to furnished rentals, including for a homestay. Since 1 January 2025, the Climate and Resilience Act has formally prohibited signing a new lease (or renewing an existing lease by automatic renewal) for housing classified as G on the DPE. These properties are now considered energetically indecent.

If you are planning to offer a student room rental contract for the 2026 academic year, you must imperatively ensure that your overall home shows at least an F rating (knowing that the ban for class F is scheduled for 2028). This measure aims to protect tenants against energy poverty and excessive heating bills, while encouraging the renovation of the housing stock.

Concrete example: If your flat is classified as G, you can no longer legally rent your spare room. Before publishing your listing on Roomlala, you will need to carry out insulation work (such as changing windows or insulating the attic) to reach at least class F. Government grants, such as MaPrimeRénov', are still available in 2026 to assist you with these essential steps.

Mandatory equipment for a student room rental contract

For your contract to be legally recognised as a furnished lease (whether it is 9 months or one year), the room and shared spaces must include a minimum of equipment. The law sets a strict list of 11 mandatory items. If one of these elements is missing, the tenant could request the reclassification of the lease as an unfurnished rental, which would drastically change the rules (3-year lease, different notice periods, less advantageous taxation).

Your tenant must be able to live, sleep, and eat there comfortably upon arrival, bringing only their personal belongings. The list notably includes: complete bedding with a duvet or blanket, shutters or blackout curtains in the room, hobs, an oven or microwave, a refrigerator with a freezer compartment, crockery, kitchen utensils, a table and chairs, storage shelves, light fixtures, and household cleaning equipment adapted to the home.

Use case: When preparing the room, do not just settle for a bed and a desk. Ensure the student has free access to your equipped kitchen (which must contain the mentioned elements) and provide them with dedicated storage space in the fridge and cupboards. At Roomlala, we advise you to make a precise and photographic inventory of this equipment during the move-in inspection to protect yourself.

End of contract, notice period, and security deposit: Everyone's rights

Managing the end of the contract and financial guarantees is often a source of worry for hosts. Yet, the legislation governing the 2026 student lease and the standard furnished lease is very clear and balanced. It protects both the tenant's flexibility and the host's financial security.

On the tenant's side, the rule is very flexible, regardless of the contract chosen. The student benefits from the possibility of leaving the accommodation at any time, simply by respecting a one-month notice period. They must notify you of their departure by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, by a bailiff's act, or by handing it over in person against a signed receipt. This flexibility is crucial for students whose circumstances can change during the year (change of course, unexpected internship in another city).

On the host's side, the situation differs greatly depending on the lease. With the 9-month student lease, you are completely exempt from giving notice: the contract expires by itself on the scheduled date. In contrast, to terminate a standard one-year furnished lease, you must respect a 3-month notice period before the contract expiry date, and above all, justify a legitimate and serious reason (such as selling the property, repossessing it to house a relative, or serious misconduct by the tenant). You therefore cannot end the one-year lease simply because you changed your mind.

Regarding the security deposit, the rule is identical for both types of furnished leases. The law caps this amount at two months' rent excluding charges. This sum, which you collect upon signing the lease, serves as your security in case of damage noted during the move-out inspection or unpaid rent. Concrete example: For a room rented for €400 per month including €50 of charges (i.e., €350 base rent), you can request a maximum security deposit of €700. At Roomlala, we recommend that you clearly detail the fixed charges in the contract to avoid any confusion when returning this deposit.

Taxation and benefits: Why take the plunge with Roomlala?

Beyond the legal aspect, renting out a room in your home offers considerable tax advantages that deserve to be highlighted. Whether you opt for the student lease or the standard furnished lease, you fall under the very advantageous Non-Professional Furnished Rental (LMNP) status. This status is a real lever for optimising your rental income.

Income generated by renting out your room is not considered standard property income but is taxed in the category of Industrial and Commercial Profits (BIC). This regime offers you two possibilities: the micro-BIC regime or the real regime. The micro-BIC regime is the simplest and the most popular with our hosts: it allows you to benefit from a flat-rate allowance of 50% on your rental income. In concrete terms, you will only pay taxes on half of the rent received!

Furthermore, under certain strict rental ceiling conditions set by the tax authorities, renting out a part of your primary residence can even be completely exempt from income tax. This is an exceptional financial opportunity to supplement your income in the face of inflation in 2026.

Concrete example: If you receive €4,000 in rent over the academic year with a 9-month lease, by choosing the micro-BIC regime, only €2,000 will be added to your taxable income. At Roomlala, we facilitate all your steps: from connecting you with students whose identity is verified, to securing payments. You can thus focus on the essentials: offering a warm and human welcome to a student, while enjoying an extremely secure legal and tax framework. Don't wait any longer, prepare for the 2026 school year starting today!