Mid-term, long-term and seasonal rentals: the differences and which one suits you (2026)

With regulatory pressure on holiday rentals growing (regional licences, the Registro Único (single rental registry) that the Supreme Court has just annulled, comunidades de propietarios (owners' associations) that are more and more restrictive), more and more owners are looking at alternatives. The problem is that «seasonal rental», «mid-term» and «long-term» are not synonyms, and confusing them has real legal consequences.

Holiday rentals: the starting point

A holiday rental is the days-or-a-few-weeks model, aimed at travellers and regulated by the tourism rules of each comunidad autónoma (autonomous region): it needs a regional licence or registration and, with some exceptions, it is advertised on platforms such as Airbnb or Booking with a booking engine.

What is a seasonal rental?

A seasonal rental (alquiler de temporada) is governed by article 3 of the LAU (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, Spain's tenancy law), as a «use other than housing», and requires a specific reason that can be proven: temporary work, studies, building work on the tenant's main home, and so on. It does not need a holiday-let licence, but not just any excuse will do either. We explain which reasons are genuinely valid in valid reasons for a temporary rental.

What is a mid-term rental?

«Mid-term» is not a legal category with its own name in the LAU, but a commercial label used by platforms and managers for stays of roughly one to eleven months: typically relocated professionals, master's students or digital nomads. In practice it is usually set up as a seasonal rental (with its justified reason) or, for longer stays, it starts to get close to the main-residence regime. It is the model we explore in our article on Flex Renting.

What is a long-term rental (main residence)?

When the property becomes the tenant's main residence (usually contracts of one year or more, which can be extended), it falls under the LAU's general regime for residential tenancies, with the protections and minimum terms this brings for the tenant. It does not need a holiday-let licence because, quite simply, it is no longer tourist accommodation.

Comparison table

	Typical length	Legal framework	Holiday-let licence?
Holiday	Days – weeks	Regional tourism regulations	Yes
Seasonal	Weeks – months, with a justified reason	LAU art. 3 (use other than housing)	No
Mid-term	Approx. 1 to 11 months	Commercial category, usually treated as seasonal	No
Long-term (main residence)	1 year or more	LAU, residential tenancy	No

Which one suits you if you do not have (or cannot get) a holiday-let licence?

It depends on your property and your target market. If you want to keep earning from short stays and you can prove a real reason, a seasonal rental is the most direct alternative. If your property or your location is a better fit for relocated professionals or students, mid-term rentals can give you more stability with less turnover. Many owners combine both models depending on the time of year to maximise occupancy.

At beBalmy we help you decide which model suits your property and we manage it from start to finish. Request your free valuation.