The classification of a municipality as a tense zone modifies the notice period, the rent cap upon re-letting, and the tax on vacant housing. For a tenant signing a lease in 2026, knowing whether the targeted address is included in the perimeter updated by decree no. 2025-1267 of December 22, 2025, concretely changes the conditions of the contract.
December 2025 Decree and Tense Zone: What Has Changed in the Zoning
The latest decree in force, decree no. 2025-1267 of December 22, 2025, sets the list of municipalities classified as tense zones. This text is what the official simulator on service-public.fr has been using since December 24, 2025, to determine if an address is affected.
Related reading : How to choose between a thumb lock and a key lock for your security?
The zoning is based on one main criterion: belonging to a continuous urbanization zone of more than 50,000 inhabitants where the imbalance between housing supply and demand is significant. In practice, 1,149 municipalities spread across 28 urban areas are classified in metropolitan France.
The perimeter evolves by urban area, not municipality by municipality. If your city borders an already classified urban area, the likelihood of classification in a future revision increases.
See also : How to Easily Export a Driving Route from ViaMichelin for Your Trips
According to FNAIM, 46% of the French rental stock is currently located in tense zones, showing that the system now covers almost half of the market. To consult the list of cities in tense zones 2026 on Immobilier et Particuliers, simply enter the name or postal code of the targeted municipality.
Official Tense Zone Simulator: Limits and Verification Pitfalls
The simulator on service-public.fr remains the reference tool. It directly queries the database of the current decree and provides a binary answer: the municipality is in a tense zone, or it is not. The verification takes less than a minute.
Its main limitation lies in the date of the lease signature. The simulator asks if the lease was signed, renewed, or extended after December 24, 2025. For a lease prior to this date, the old perimeter applies. A tenant whose lease dates back to 2023 and has not been renewed remains subject to the zoning of the 2013 decree, not that of December 2025.
Three Checks to Cross Before Signing
- Enter the exact address (not just the city) in the official simulator, as some neighboring municipalities in the same urban area do not have the same status
- Check the effective date of the lease: only leases signed or renewed after December 24, 2025, are subject to the new perimeter
- Compare with the list published in the annex of decree no. 2025-1267 to clear up any doubts, as the simulator may sometimes display an ambiguous result for recently integrated municipalities
The simulator does not take into account any potential future extensions of the perimeter. It reflects the law in force, not reclassification projects.
Concrete Consequences of Classification in a Tense Zone for the Tenant
The table below summarizes the differences between a lease signed in a tense zone and one outside of it, according to the decree in force as of December 24, 2025.
| Criterion | Tense Zone | Outside Tense Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant’s notice period (termination) | 1 month | 3 months (except in specific situations) |
| Rent at re-letting | Capped at the last applied rent | Free |
| Tax on vacant housing | 17% the first year, 34% thereafter | Not applicable |
| Increase upon renewal (2026) | Capped at 3.5% via the IRL | Free within the limit of the IRL |
The reduced notice period of 1 month is the most immediate advantage for the tenant. In a non-tense zone, the 3-month notice can only be shortened in specific cases (job transfer, job loss, allocation of social housing).
Thermal Strainers and Rent Freeze in Tense Zones
Since 2025, housing classified G in the DPE can no longer be subject to a new lease. In a tense zone, this prohibition is combined with the rent cap at re-letting.
A landlord who renovates a G-rated property to put it back on the market will not be able to freely set the rent if it is within the perimeter of the decree. Energy renovation does not lift the cap in a tense zone, unless sufficient improvement works have been carried out.
Anticipating a Future Reclassification of Your Municipality
No official schedule sets the frequency of perimeter revisions. The transition from the 2013 decree to the December 2025 one took more than ten years. There is no indication that the next update will occur quickly, but certain signals can help assess the risk.
- Your municipality belongs to an area of attraction whose center is already classified as a tense zone: extensions historically occur by contiguity
- The local rental vacancy rate is low and rents have been rising faster than the IRL for several years
- The municipality is included in a local housing program mentioning tensions in the rental market
These indicators do not guarantee reclassification, but they signal real tension. A tenant moving into a municipality bordering a tense zone should regularly check the official simulator after each publication of a new decree.
The tense zoning is not a fixed label. The only reliable data remains the decree in force at the date of the lease signature. Checking the exact address, cross-referencing with the contract date, and reading the annex of decree no. 2025-1267: these three steps take a few minutes and prevent discovering too late that a three-month notice applies where one was counting on one month.