The legal baseline: the minimum list for a furnished home
Decree no. 2015-981 of 31 July 2015 sets the list of furniture items for a furnished dwelling in France. It first lays down a principle: each room must be furnished in a way suited to its purpose. It then lists eleven minimum items.
- Bedding including a duvet or blanket.
- A means of blacking out the windows in rooms intended to be used as bedrooms.
- Hobs.
- An oven or a microwave oven.
- A fridge and a freezer, or at least a fridge with a compartment reaching -6 °C or lower.
- The crockery needed for meals.
- Kitchen utensils.
- A table and seats.
- Storage shelves.
- Light fittings.
- Cleaning equipment suited to the property's characteristics.
This decree applies to furnished homes let as the tenant's main residence, for example under a standard furnished lease or a mobility lease. A holiday let rented by the night falls under a different regime, but this list remains the right starting point: guests expect to find at least all of this. And if you plan to switch to a mobility lease in winter, your property will have to comply.
Bedroom blackout counts twice over in Nice: in summer the sun rises early and heat comes in through the windows. Shutters or blackout curtains improve both sleep and coolness.
The smoke alarm: a legal obligation for the owner
Every dwelling in France must have at least one smoke alarm, under articles L142-1 to L142-4 and R142-1 to R142-5 of the Construction and Housing Code. According to service-public.fr, for holiday lets and furnished rentals, the owner bears all the obligations: installation, maintenance and replacement.
The alarm must carry the CE marking with a reference to standard NF EN 14604. It should preferably be fitted in the hallway or landing serving the bedrooms, and service-public.fr recommends one alarm per floor in a home on several levels, such as a duplex.
In practice, for an Airbnb, that means testing the alarm regularly, replacing the battery or the device when needed, and never removing it because it goes off when a guest cooks. On Airbnb, you can show it in the safety section of your listing.
A missing or broken smoke alarm is a risk for your guests and a potential problem with your insurer after a claim. Check it at every change of season.
The essentials Airbnb requires
Beyond the law, Airbnb defines its own essentials. According to the Airbnb Help Centre, these are toilet paper, soap for hands and body, one towel per guest, one pillow per guest and bed linen for each bed. Airbnb states that a listing which displays these essentials without providing them may face penalties.
That is the bare minimum. In practice, guests in Nice expect more, and the difference between a decent listing and a top-rated one comes down to the details below.
What really matters to guests in Nice
Nice has its own specifics: hot summers, an international clientele, many families, short stays during events and long stays in winter. Your equipment should reflect that.
Air conditioning, essential in summer
From June to September, a property without air conditioning in Nice loses part of its market, and those who book anyway often mention it in their reviews. Reversible air conditioning has a double advantage: it cools in summer and heats in winter. Check your building's rules before installing an outdoor unit. Standing fans in each bedroom remain useful as a complement, especially for guests who prefer not to sleep with the air conditioning on.
Fast, reliable Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is no longer a bonus. Business travellers, remote workers on long stays and families streaming films in the evening all need a stable connection. Choose fibre where the building is connected, place the router centrally and state the speed in your listing.
A smart lock or key box
Self check-in has become a strong expectation, especially with flights landing late at Nice Côte d'Azur airport. A smart lock lets you generate a code for each stay and avoid handing over keys. Check compatibility with your door and the building's rules. Our page on check-in and check-out in Nice explains how to organise arrivals.
Beach kit
In Nice, the beach is a few minutes from many neighbourhoods. Beach towels separate from the bathroom ones, a folding parasol, two or three beach mats and a cool bag are appreciated and often mentioned in reviews. Nice's beaches are pebbly: water shoes in a few common sizes are a touch many guests only discover on arrival.
Families: travel cot and high chair
A travel cot and a high chair, flagged in the listing, open your property to families with young children. They take up little space and can tip the balance between two similar listings. Choose equipment that meets current safety standards and check its condition between stays.
Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom: the room-by-room checklist
Beyond the legal minimum, here is what guests expect to find in a well-equipped holiday let in Nice.
- Kitchen: coffee machine (ideally compatible with common capsules, plus a filter option), kettle, toaster, pans in good condition, sharp knives, chopping board, colander, bottle opener, corkscrew, wine glasses, dishwasher if space allows.
- Bathroom: hairdryer, bath mat, lidded bin, well-lit mirror, towel hooks.
- Bedroom: a quality mattress with a mattress protector, two pillows per person, blackout curtains, plenty of hangers, bedside tables with a lamp and a nearby socket.
- Living room: comfortable sofa, smart TV, ambient lighting, a table where all guests can eat.
- Upkeep: washing machine (essential beyond a week), drying rack, iron and ironing board, vacuum cleaner.
Consistency matters as much as quantity: six beds advertised means six plates, six glasses, six chairs. A missing detail gets noticed, and shows up in the reviews.
Linen and consumables: the basis of a good rating
Linen is one of the most visible items for a guest and one of the most demanding logistically. A simple rule: provide at least two complete sets per bed and per bathroom, so one is in use while the other is being washed. In high season, with back-to-back turnovers, a third set avoids many emergencies.
Choose good-quality white linen that is easy to check and launder. Replace it as soon as it looks dull or worn: a tired towel appears in guests' photos and in their reviews.
- Welcome kit: coffee, tea, sugar, salt, pepper, oil, enough to get through the first evening.
- Bathroom: spare toilet paper, soap, shower gel, shampoo.
- Kitchen: washing-up liquid, a new sponge, bin bags, kitchen roll.
- Cleaning: basic household products suited to the property's surfaces.
Restocking consumables and managing linen are part of what we handle in our Airbnb cleaning service in Nice, with a check at every turnover.
Safety: fire extinguisher, first-aid kit and information
Beyond the mandatory smoke alarm, a few safety items are strongly recommended. The law does not require them in a private home, but they protect your guests, your property and your liability.
- A fire extinguisher suitable for domestic use, placed near the kitchen in a visible spot.
- A fire blanket in the kitchen.
- A complete first-aid kit, with plasters, antiseptic, compresses and tweezers.
- A carbon monoxide alarm if the property has a combustion appliance (gas boiler or water heater).
- A clear information sheet: emergency numbers (112, 15, 17, 18), location of the electricity meter and water stopcock, full address of the property.
On Airbnb, list these items in the dedicated section of your listing. They reassure guests, particularly families, and show that the property is seriously maintained.
Equipment and star rating: two birds with one stone
Holiday-let classification, from 1 to 5 stars, is based on a set of criteria published by Atout France. Many of these criteria concern equipment: floor area, bedding, kitchen, bathrooms, multimedia, services offered. The process is voluntary and paid for by the owner; an accredited assessment body inspects the property, and the classification is valid for five years, according to service-public.fr.
There is a tax benefit too. For 2026 income, a classified holiday let under the micro-BIC regime benefits from a 50% allowance up to €83,600 of revenue, against 30% up to €15,000 for an unclassified one. If you are equipping or re-equipping your property, you might as well aim for the classification criteria. Check where you stand with our holiday-let rating simulator for Nice, and for your personal tax situation, consult a chartered accountant.
Where to invest first: our method
Rather than thinking in terms of an overall budget, think in order of priority. We do not give typical amounts, because prices vary too much with the size of the property, the range chosen and its starting condition.
- First, compliance: minimum furniture, smoke alarm, bedroom blackout.
- Then sleep: mattress, pillows, linen. This is what guests judge most harshly.
- Then climate comfort: air conditioning, fans, heating.
- Then connectivity and self check-in: fast Wi-Fi, smart lock.
- Finally, the touches that earn reviews: beach kit, welcome kit, travel cot.
Once the property is equipped, you have to show it. Equipment that does not appear in the photos does not exist for a guest comparing listings. Our styling advice is in Airbnb decoration in Nice, and our photography tips in Airbnb photos in Nice.
If you want to know what your property is missing, request a free Airbnb listing audit. And if you would rather delegate equipment, restocking and upkeep, our Airbnb concierge service in Nice takes care of it for 20% excl. VAT (24% incl. VAT) of revenue, with a €250 contingency fund for small urgent repairs.
