Fitting a cat flap when you rent: the landlord's consent, the right door, and what you'll be asked when you move out
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To fit a cat flap when you rent in France, you first need your landlord's written consent: cutting into a door alters the property, and without that yes they can ask you to put it back as it was when you leave. Reread your lease, suggest the least visible door, and set out in writing what happens when you move out.
Do you need your landlord's consent to fit a cat flap in a rented home?
Yes, and in writing. In France, according to the Service-Public guide on how tenants use the home and carry out works, you have exclusive use of the property, as long as you keep to the lease, but you can't carry out major alterations there without the landlord's written consent.
The real question is whether a cat flap counts as a simple fit-out or as an alteration. According to France's National Consumer Institute, with the CGL tenants' association, repainting is fit-out, which the landlord cannot object to; knocking down a partition wall or changing the layout of the home is an alteration, which needs their written consent.
The law doesn't name cat flaps. But a hole cut in a door can't be neatly filled: that's why the Pelux 4-way locking cat flap page says it plainly, in a rental, the landlord's written consent comes first. Futura Sciences points to the concrete risk: without prior permission, having to replace the whole door when you leave.
Which door should you suggest to your landlord?
A back door or a cellar door, rarely seen, is easier to discuss than a front door, which secures the home and which the whole building sees.
| Door you have in mind | What works in your favour | What gets in the way |
|---|---|---|
| Back door onto a courtyard or garden | Already a practical, everyday door | An outside door: they'll want to know who fits it and what becomes of it when you leave |
| Cellar, garage or utility room door | Barely visible, often the easiest to get approved | First check it really is part of the home you rent |
| Interior door (laundry, litter tray room) | Stays inside the home, touches neither security nor the outside of the building | On hinges, it lifts off: you can offer a spare door (see below) |
| Front door onto a shared landing | No particular advantage | It secures the home, opens onto shared areas, and the building's co-ownership rules may have a say |
| Patio door or window | None for this cat flap | The supplier designs it for a door or a wall, not for glass |
Before you write, measure the thickness of the door you've chosen: the Pelux cat flap is fitted by cutting into a door or wall up to 50 mm thick according to the supplier, with no breakdown by size; for the flat S, the thickness it takes hasn't been given.
A cat flap that's easy to describe in your request
Mechanical, with no battery or microchip, it locks to in only, out only, closed or open, and the brush around its flap cuts draughts. Discover the 4-way locking cat flap →
How do you write the request to your landlord?
According to AFOC, the Force Ouvrière consumer association, you should send a precise request and keep written proof of the consent, which should also set out what happens to the works when the lease ends.
- The exact door: which one, where, and which side faces outside.
- The model: a mechanical cat flap, with its overall dimensions (S 19 × 19.7 × 1.8 cm, M 19 × 19.7 × 5.5 cm, L 23.5 × 25 × 5.5 cm). The supplier hasn't yet given the cut-out size: say so, and offer to send the measurement taken from the cat flap once it arrives.
- Who fits it: you, or a tradesperson, at your own cost.
- What happens when you leave: the cat flap stays, or the door is replaced, or the original door goes back.
- A request for a written reply, dated and signed, which you keep with your lease.
An idea for an interior or cellar door on hinges: fit the cat flap to a replacement door, store the original and put it back when you leave.
No reply? Don't cut. The rule under which silence counts as consent, described by Service-Public, covers specific works, adapting a home for disability and energy renovation, not a cat flap.
What can your landlord ask for when you move out?
Without written consent, according to the same AFOC, the landlord can, when you leave, require the property to be put back as it was at your expense or keep the alteration without compensating you. If the works threaten safety or the proper working of fittings, they can require it to be put right immediately, at your expense.
If the written consent says nothing about what happens to the works, AFOC says the landlord keeps the choice at the end of the lease: keep the cat flap and refund the added value, or require it to be put right at your expense. Hence point 4 of your request, to be settled before you cut. The same logic applies to a balcony: before fixing a net there, see what your landlord and the building's co-owners can say.
What if a cat flap isn't possible in your home?
If your landlord refuses any cutting, or your only way out is a patio door or a window, the Pelux cat flap isn't the right fit: the supplier designs it for a door or a wall, and mentions neither glass nor double glazing. There is no drill-free option in the Pelux range.
When it's left open, a mechanical cat flap lets through any animal its size: before looking for a way out, read the dangers of the outdoors for a cat. And if your cat stays indoors, a cat can be happy in a flat without any cutting; the rest of the safety and care range leaves your doors alone.
Frequently asked questions
Can my landlord stop me having a cat?
According to the Service-Public guide cited above, a French landlord is not allowed to stop their tenant keeping a pet, unless it is a dangerous animal. Having a cat and cutting a door for them are two separate questions: the cat is allowed, the cut-out still needs consent.
Is a cat flap in a wall easier to get approved than one in a door?
Rather the opposite: a door can be replaced, a hole in a wall touches the building itself. The Pelux cat flap fits a wall up to 50 mm according to the supplier, but in a rental it's the biggest request you can make.
Should you wait for consent before ordering the cat flap?
You don't have to. As the cut-out size hasn't been given, having the cat flap in hand lets you measure it and attach it to your request. Either way, don't cut anything before the written yes. The cat flap comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Key takeaways
- In a French rental, cutting a door for a cat flap needs the landlord's written consent, before any cutting.
- A back door, cellar door or interior door is easier to get approved than a front door onto a shared landing.
- The written request sets out the door, the model, who fits it, and what happens when the lease ends.
- Without consent, the landlord can require the door to be put back as it was, at your expense, when you leave; on glass, or where no cutting is allowed, the Pelux cat flap isn't the right fit.