Mid-term rental software: leases, payments and occupancy, without spreadsheets

Until now, mid-term lettings were treated as leases for a use other than housing (article 3 of the Urban Leases Act and its preamble), with more freedom to agree terms and a statutory deposit of two months’ rent. Royal Decree-law 29/2026, in force since 8 October 2026, changes that: it creates the temporary residential lease within article 2 of the Urban Leases Act and excludes accommodation or lodging contracts from the "other use" category. As of this page’s date, the decree is pending ratification by Congress; if it is not ratified it lapses, as happened to Royal Decree-law 26/2026 on 2 October.

• A real, provable reason. The lease covers the housing need of someone temporarily away from their usual home (article 2.3). The lease must state the reason expressly and the landlord bears the burden of proof; without it, the lease is treated as a standard residential lease from signing (article 7.2).
• A term of more than 31 days and, as a general rule, up to 12 months (article 9 bis). If 12 months are exceeded without the reason justifying it, or more than two consecutive temporary leases are chained between the same parties for the same home, the first is deemed a standard residential lease.
• Rent across successive leases. If several temporary leases are signed in a row for the same home, the rent in later ones cannot rise by more than the current IRAV index (article 17.8).
• Guarantees. In temporary leases, any guarantee on top of the deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent, and the tenant cannot be required to take out rent-default insurance (article 36.5).
• Repairs. The landlord maintains the home and covers minor wear-and-tear repairs; if they do not respond within five working days to the tenant’s notice, the tenant may carry out the repair and deduct it from the next month’s rent (article 21 bis).

Mid-term leases signed before 8 October 2026 keep their regime until the end of the agreed term and then end without extension; if renewed, the new lease is governed by the temporary residential rules (eighth transitional provision of the Urban Leases Act). These rules also apply without prejudice to rules issued by regions with powers over civil law or housing, such as Catalonia (twelfth additional provision).

Letting a furnished home marketed through holiday channels, for profit and subject to tourism rules, falls outside the Urban Leases Act (article 5.e), and its maximum length cannot exceed thirty-one days. It is governed by each region’s tourism rules, not by these. On the tax side, from 1 December 2026 lettings of furnished homes for up to 30 nights become subject to VAT if the same decree is ratified (article 20.Uno.23 of the VAT Act).

Royal Decree 1312/2024 created a single registry for short-term rentals, including mid-term lets offered on platforms, and a Single Digital Rental Window, effective from 1 July 2025. The Supreme Court judgment of 19 May 2026 (published in the BOE on 8 June) struck down the provisions governing the single registration procedure and the requirement to register with the Land or Movable Property Registry to obtain the number; other Supreme Court judgments from May and June 2026 rule the same way. The Single Digital Window remains. If you market through platforms, check with your adviser which regional or local registries apply to you.