Selling a rental property:
vacant or occupied, which to choose?
“Selling a rental property is above all about choosing the right buyer at the right time.”
Are you a landlord who wants to sell? Two strategies are open to you: sell the property occupied, to an investor who takes over the current lease, or wait for the end of the lease to sell it vacant to a buyer who will live in it.
For an unfurnished rental, the notice to sell must be served at least six months before the end of the lease. The tenant then has a right of first refusal: they can buy in priority at the price and on the terms stated. For a furnished rental, the notice period is three months and the tenant has no legal right of first refusal.
Selling occupied lets you sell without waiting and keep the rent until signing, but the price is generally lower than for a vacant property. Selling vacant widens the pool of buyers, at the cost of a longer timeline. The right choice depends on the lease end date, the rent charged and your timetable.
The documents to prepare for a rental property:
- The lease and its amendments
- The latest rent receipts and the move-in inspection
- The amount of the security deposit
- The reference rent if the property is in a rent-control zone
We help you compare both scenarios with figures, then target the right buyers: our investor clients for an occupied sale, our buyer database for a vacant sale.
About the author
Walid Fourhal Founder of Horizons Immobilier
Walid advises sellers, buyers and investors in Paris and Île-de-France, from the initial valuation through to closing at the notary’s office, in both French and English. He holds the French real estate license “Transactions sur immeubles et fonds de commerce” no. CPI 9201 2025 000 000 047, issued by the CCI Paris Île-de-France.
