Preparing your move
Renting by the month in Spain: what changed in October 2026
Since 8 October, a temporary rental must state why you are away from home, last more than 31 days and generally no more than 12 months. What to check before signing, with examples from Valencia.
Nomad Hub editorial team · Editorial update:
What changed on 8 October 2026
Until now, a "seasonal rental" in Spain was a lease for use other than a home: the parties agreed on almost everything, and the tenant had few of the protections of a standard residential lease. Royal Decree-law 29/2026, in force since 8 October 2026, adds the temporary housing lease to the Urban Leases Act. It covers the housing needs of someone who is temporarily away from their usual home for a justified reason they can prove. Renting a single room is included.
Seasonal contracts signed before 8 October keep their previous rules until the agreed term ends. If they are renewed, the new rules apply.
The reason must be in the contract
The contract must state explicitly why you are temporarily away from home. The reason must be real and provable, and it is the landlord who has to prove it. If the contract leaves it out, the lease stops being temporary: it is treated as a standard residential lease from the day it was signed, with its minimum term and extensions.
For remote workers, the key question is whether your need really is temporary. If you keep a home elsewhere and come for a few months for a project or a specific stay, a temporary lease fits. If you are moving to Spain to live there, for example with the international teleworking residence, the starting point is a standard residential lease. Expect the landlord to ask for documents that support the reason. This guide is not legal advice: if your case is unclear, get advice before you sign.
Terms: from 32 days to a year
- Length: more than 31 days and, as a general rule, no more than 12 months. A stay of 31 days or fewer is not a temporary housing lease: if it is a tourist stay, each region's rules apply.
- Extensions: if the reason still applies, the lease can be extended by express agreement, up to 12 months in total unless the reason continues.
- Back-to-back contracts: if the lease runs past 12 months without justification, or more than two temporary contracts follow one another between the same parties for the same home, the first is treated as a standard residential lease.
- Leaving early: once a month has passed since signing, you can end the contract with at least ten days' notice, without compensating the landlord.
Deposit, guarantees and rent
The legal deposit for a residential lease is one month's rent. In a temporary lease, any additional guarantee cannot exceed one more month, and you can never be required to buy rent-default insurance. When the lease ends, both parties must sign a document recording the condition of the home.
Two more rules protect you. If a flat is let on successive temporary contracts, the rent on the later ones cannot rise by more than the current IRAV index. If it is let room by room, the rooms together cannot cost more than the whole flat. The landlord must also keep the home in good condition and respond to a repair request within five working days. If they don't, you can do the repair and claim the cost back.
Putting it into practice in Valencia
In a city like Valencia, it helps to search in two stages. First, a few weeks in a neighbourhood that works for your routine: Ruzafa has most of the cafés and coworkings, El Cabanyal is by the beach and Benimaclet is quieter. From there, view flats in person before committing for months. The city guide covers neighbourhoods and places to work, with sources for every detail.
If you are applying for residence, ask before signing whether the contract lets you register your address: in Spain you need that registration for several steps after approval. To compare monthly rental platforms and colivings, accommodation and coliving explains the criteria we use.
Take this next step
- The contract states in writing the real reason for your temporary move.
- It lasts more than 31 days and, as a rule, no more than 12 months.
- A one-month deposit plus, at most, one more month as an additional guarantee.
- Nobody requires you to buy rent-default insurance.
- You know whether the contract lets you register your address (empadronamiento).