A long-term rental could suit you if the contract covers your stay and the delivery, repair and collection services meet your needs. Buying may be a better option if you can keep, reuse or resell the appliance after you move out. If you choose a second-hand or refurbished model, take particular care to check its condition and the seller. Either way, compare the costs and practicalities over the actual length of your stay, including what happens when you leave the accommodation.
If you know when you’ll be moving out, first ask for an inventory of the accommodation and find out what services are available. If an appliance is missing, being able to have it collected or resell it may be just as important as getting it installed.
A work assignment or training course may end before an appliance rental contract does. Check what’s included in your furnished accommodation, then look at the terms for ending the contract or moving the appliance if you leave earlier than planned.
A second-hand or refurbished appliance could be worth considering if you can check its condition and arrange transport. If you’re buying from a professional seller in France, also check the product description and keep your proof of purchase.
Consider it: if your stay matches the contract term and you’d rather hand the appliance back than arrange to move it.
The trade-off: you won’t own the appliance. What’s included and whether you can end the contract early depend on its terms.
Consider it: if you can keep the appliance, use it in another home or arrange to resell it.
The trade-off: you’ll need to plan for installation and what to do with the appliance when you move.
Consider it: if you want to keep upfront costs down and can check the appliance’s condition and that it works properly.
The trade-off: check the description, accessories and transport arrangements. The protections available depend, among other things, on who the seller is.
To decide, start with the length of your stay and which appliances are actually missing, then compare the costs and practicalities up to the date you move out.
| Priority | What to check | What I need |
|---|---|---|
| Duration and cost | Compare the minimum contract term with the length of your stay. Add up the payments and any fees due until you move out, then check the terms for ending the arrangement and, if you buy, what you can keep or resell. | If my moving date changes, I want to know what I’ll still have to pay and how to collect or return the appliance. |
| Installation and repairs | Check the accommodation inventory, dimensions and connections. For a rental, clarify what’s covered by delivery, installation, maintenance, repairs and collection. | I only want to get what’s genuinely missing, without finding out when I move that I have to shift a large appliance on my own. |
| Ownership and moving out | Check whether the contract provides for the appliance to be returned or includes an option to buy. If you buy, plan to keep, donate or resell it. | If I can use the appliance after this stay, keeping it may matter more to me than having it collected on a set date. |
| Condition and seller | For second-hand or refurbished appliances, check the stated condition, that it works and which accessories are included. Find out whether you’re buying from a professional seller or directly from a private individual. | I want to know what condition the appliance is in before arranging installation, and who to contact if it doesn’t match the description. |
These two figures may not cover the same period or include the same services. If you leave early, the amount you owe on a rental may also change.
Ask how much you’ll pay over the period you expect to need the appliance, and check the terms for ending the contract. If you buy, factor in delivery and moving arrangements, and consider whether you might resell it without assuming how much you’ll get.
Depending on the contract, you may also have to pay an initial fee, insurance or an early termination penalty on top of the rental payments.
Action Logement says that furnished temporary accommodation may include a fridge. Buying or renting before you know what’s provided could make moving in more complicated than it needs to be.
Ask for a written inventory and check shared facilities, available space and connections before choosing any missing appliances.
Under the long-term rental arrangement described by the French National Consumer Institute, you don’t become the owner of the appliance. Rent-to-own is a separate type of agreement.
Read the contract type and return terms carefully. Only plan to buy the appliance at the end if the contract expressly includes an option to do so.
In France, the Ministry of the Economy states that the statutory guarantee of conformity applies to new, second-hand and refurbished goods sold by a professional to a private individual. The same guarantee does not apply in the same way to a direct sale between private individuals.
Check who the seller is before paying. For a second-hand appliance, make sure it works, check its condition and accessories, and keep a record of its description.
These fridge-freezers and washing machines are for buying if your accommodation doesn’t already have one. Choosing one doesn’t replace comparing the cost of buying and renting over the length of your stay.
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If your accommodation doesn’t have a fridge-freezer, check that its dimensions will fit the space and access routes: this Low Frost model is 54 cm wide and 176 cm tall. Also plan how you’ll move it or pass it on at the end of your stay.
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If your accommodation doesn’t offer laundry facilities, this model has a stated capacity of 8 kg. Before buying, check the space, water connections and waste outlet, then plan how you’ll move it when you leave.
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If your accommodation is missing a fridge-freezer, compare its stated capacity of 355 L with your needs and the space available. This freestanding model features Total No Frost technology and has a C energy rating. Check that it will fit through the access routes when you install it and move out.
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If your accommodation doesn’t have a washing machine, consider whether the stated 10 kg capacity suits your household’s laundry needs. This freestanding model has an A energy rating. Check the connections, available space and moving arrangements before you buy.
Not if the minimum contract term is longer than your stay. The French National Consumer Institute describes appliance rental periods of 6 to 48 months. If you’re staying for just a few weeks, check the actual rental term on offer before committing.
Check the term and total cost up to the date you move out, then find out what’s included in delivery, installation, maintenance, repairs and collection. Read the return terms and check what happens if you end the contract early. These details determine what you’ll need to do and pay if your stay changes.
Boulanger Location and BUT, for example, list household appliances such as washing machines and fridges. Before comparing renting with buying, check with the rental provider which specific appliances are available, the terms on offer and whether they deliver to your address.
Yes, if a professional seller sells the appliance to a private individual in France. The Ministry of the Economy states that the statutory guarantee of conformity covers new, second-hand and refurbished goods in these circumstances. For a direct sale between private individuals, don’t assume you have the same guarantee. Check who the seller is and keep a copy of the product description.
Buying could still make sense if the accommodation is missing the appliance and you can keep it, reuse it or arrange to resell it after your stay. Check the inventory first, then compare the costs and practicalities of transport with those of renting for a term that fits your moving date.