Guide to Rental Accommodation in Spain
Short-Term Holiday Rental
There are many self-catering properties for rent in Spain. Properties have been built for that purpose or are available form absentee owners. They will mainly be apartments near the sea, a golf course or a villa in the mountains. Many detached villas with a swimming pool or rustic country houses are also available through upmarket letting agents.
Short-term holiday rental companies can advertise their wares more effectively through a website than by thousands of very expensive brochures. Information can be assimilated very quickly making the web ideal for accessing the up-to-date availability of any holiday rental. Viewing the alternatives on the screen, checking the price and availability, booking and paying by credit card are but a few clicks away. Ecommerce is rapidly taking over as the most effective method of booking a holiday rental.
Holiday rental contracts are called arrienda de temporada. The property is furnished. The straightforward, standard contract is in Spanish or English. With a returnable deposit required to cover any damages caused by the temporary tenant. The contract is for a specific period of time at a stated price. The renewal of the contract is at the agent's or landlord's discretion.
Long-Term Rental
Properties available for long-term rental are found mainly, but not exclusively, in the city. They can be furnished or unfurnished. It is an expensive method of accommodation only for those with special needs. Over a five year period it is obviously cheaper to buy and then sell than it is to rent.
Like most countries Spain has its letting law. It is called Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos and came into force in 1995. The contract for a long-term rental is called arrienda de vivienda. The law provides for long-term rentals to be of five years' duration thus giving the tenant a degree of security. If the landlord offers a contract of three years' duration, which is accepted, and then the tenant wishes to stay on for another two years it is automatically renewed on the same terms. If the tenant wishes to leave after three years then the contract is terminated.
Annual rent increases in line with inflation take place during the contracted term. A new level of rent is set at the commencement of a new contract.
