L’état des lieux d’entrée précède l’état des lieux de sortie.

to precede

Breakdown of L’état des lieux d’entrée précède l’état des lieux de sortie.

• l’état des lieux de sortie: the move-out condition report
• l’état des lieux d’entrée: the move-in condition report

Questions & Answers about L’état des lieux d’entrée précède l’état des lieux de sortie.

What exactly is l’état des lieux in French, and why does it appear twice?

In everyday French, un état des lieux is a fixed expression, especially in housing and rental contexts. It means the official inspection/report describing the condition of a property.

It appears twice because the sentence is contrasting two different inspections:

• l’état des lieux d’entrée = the check-in / move-in inspection
• l’état des lieux de sortie = the check-out / move-out inspection

French often repeats the full noun phrase for clarity in formal or legal-style writing.

Why is it des in état des lieux? Does it just mean of the places?

Grammatically, des here comes from de + les, so literally it looks like state of the places. But you should really learn état des lieux as a set phrase, not word by word.

Historically and literally, it refers to a description of the state of the premises/places. In modern usage, especially in renting, it functions as one unit meaning property condition report or inspection report.

So yes, des is technically of the, but the whole expression is idiomatic.

Why do we say d’entrée but de sortie?