The rent is only one part of your housing expenses. After the first month (see First month expenses), you must regularly pay a number of expenses. At the beginning of each month, you must pay the rent and payment towards maintenance charges. Every other month, you will receive your utility bills (gas, electricity and telephone) for payment. Finally, as a renter, you must pay local taxes in September. The amount of this tax depends on the location of the residence and the surface area of the property.   

You only pay this tax if you were the person residing in the lodgings on January 1st. If you move during the year, you have to pay the whole of the tax. 
 
Setting the initial rent
The initial rent can be decided freely between the owner and the renter.

Rent increases during the duration of the lease
The rent can be revised once a year if such a stipulation is included in the lease contract. If there is no such clause, the rent stays the same during the duration of the rental. There is one exception: the rent can be increased during the course of the rental if, at the time of the signing of the lease, the owner and the renter have agreed on improvements to be paid by the owner.

Lease termination and eviction
The lease may contain a resolutive clause that allows the automatic termination of the lease in case of non-payment of the rent or maintenance expenses. This clause can lead to the eviction of the renter.

Recourse in case of difficulty
In order to avoid an eviction procedure from your rented accommodations, the renter is advised to look for a negotiated solution directly with the owner.

In every French department, there is a Solidarity Fund for Housing that provides financial help in the form of a loan or subsidy. Contact the CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales)  or the ADIL (Agence Départementale pour l’Information sur le Logement) of your department for more information.

Maintenance charges
You must pay the owner, at the beginning of each month, the rent and usually an advanced or interim payment for maintenance charges. This advance is a monthly estimate of the charges paid by your owner for which you must compensate him. In general, they include the cost of cleaning, heating and lighting the collective sections of the residence, of care-taking (the concierge’s salary), elevator operation and maintenance, your water expenses and, when applicable, a garbage collection tax. These charges may also include heating, in the case of central heating (electrical heating is always paid directly by you).
Once a year and when you leave, the owner must present a detailed account of all these expenses. At that time, depending on the status of the account, you will be reimbursed the difference or you will have to pay the balance. Note that the owner is required to explain the distribution of the charges and to hold all records and bills at your disposal up to one month after paying the balance. In rare cases, you may be asked to pay the maintenance charges once a year. In that case, you pay the whole amount in one lump sum.

Example : rent for a two-room apartment (40 m˛):
· In Strasbourg : 427 Euros rent + 31 Euros maintenance charges
· In Paris : 763 Euros rent + 54 Euros maintenance charges
 

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