Tenants in France who stop paying their rent obviously run the risk of their landlord losing patience and throwing them out - but only between the months of April and October. That's thanks to the trêve hivernale - the winter truce that means you cannot be thrown out onto the streets while the country is in the depths of winter. The trêve hivernale is enshrined in law and also applies to utility companies - your electricity and gas cannot be cut off in the winter no matter how badly you are in arrears. And in France not all landlords are wealthy, many people inherit property and for some older people the rental income from a property they have inherited is a vital supplement to their pension. But in general, the rights of tenants are better protected in France than in many other countries.

Source: The Local December 05, 2019 06:11 UTC