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Your lease, explained

In Luxembourg a residential lease protects the tenant strongly. Once signed, it usually runs until the tenant leaves or one of a few legal reasons ends it. Here is what a lease must contain, how it can end, and who pays for what while you live there.

The lease must be in writing

A lease for a home must be written, otherwise it is not valid. It must state:

  • the landlord and the tenant;
  • the start date;
  • the address, the rooms let and the cadastral reference;
  • the rent without charges, and the advances on charges;
  • any supplement for furniture;
  • the deposit, if there is one;
  • that both sides can take a rent dispute to the rent commission (Commission des loyers).

Fixed term or open-ended

A lease can be signed for a fixed term or with no end date. When a fixed-term lease ends, it does not simply stop: it continues automatically with no end date, unless the landlord has one of the legal reasons below.

Leaving as a tenant

The notice period is 3 months, unless the lease sets a longer one. Send your notice in a way you can prove, such as a registered letter.

When the landlord can end the lease

The landlord can end the lease for only three reasons:

  1. Own use. The landlord needs the home for themselves or a relative up to the third degree.
  2. The tenant does not meet their obligations, for example unpaid rent.
  3. Another serious and legitimate reason.

Selling the home is not a reason. The lease continues with the new owner.

For own use, the landlord must give 6 months' notice by registered letter, explain the reason and quote article 12(3) of the lease law. A fixed-term lease cannot be ended early for own use unless the lease allows it.

You can ask for more time. The justice of the peace (juge de paix) can give a tenant up to 12 more months. In any case the tenant must leave at the latest 15 months after the landlord's letter, or 12 months when a new owner gives notice within 3 months of buying.

If a court orders an eviction, the tenant can ask for a delay of up to 3 months, twice renewable (9 months at most). You must show that you are genuinely looking for a new home, and ask at least 3 days before the deadline.

Repairs and charges

  • The landlord keeps the home in good repair and pays for major repairs.
  • The tenant pays for minor, everyday repairs.
  • Charges the landlord can pass on are limited to energy, routine upkeep, minor repairs and taxes linked to using the home, and only amounts the landlord can prove. They can be paid as monthly advances or as a fixed amount.
  • Shared building costs are settled once a year. You can ask to see the co-ownership's accounts that apply to you.

If the tenant dies or leaves the home

The lease continues for a spouse or registered partner who lives there, and for family members who have lived there for at least 6 months.

A long-term tenant's right to buy first

A tenant who has rented the home for at least 18 years has a right of first refusal if the landlord sells it.

Disputes

  • About the rent: the rent commission of your commune (see the legal rent cap).
  • About the lease itself: the justice of the peace.

Last checked 7 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, ask a lawyer, a tenants' association or your commune.

Sources: Lease law of 21 Sept 2006, consolidated text of 1 Aug 2024, arts. 2, 5, 12–18 · guichet.lu: concluding a lease · guichet.lu: ending a lease