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How to rent your flat mid-term: a step-by-step guide to getting started

Got a furnished flat and wondering whether mid-term renting is right for you? Here it is without the jargon: what it is, what you need and how to start taking bookings in just a few minutes.

What is mid-term renting and why start?

Mid-term renting means letting your home on a seasonal basis, from 11 nights to 9 months, under article 3.2 of Spain's Tenancy Act (LAU), which covers seasonal lettings. It is neither a tourist let nor a long-term tenancy: it is the sweet spot between the two. Your guests are usually snowbirds spending winter on the coast, digital nomads, healthcare workers on temporary postings or Erasmus students. Responsible people looking for a temporary home, not a weekend party. For you it means less turnover than holiday lets, higher income than long-term renting and far less red tape. Getting started is simple and the risk is minimal.

What you need to list (and what you DON'T)

You need very little: a furnished, habitable home, a few good photos in natural light and the basic details of the property (size, rooms, equipment). That is enough to get going. Now the key part: what you don't need. Because this is a seasonal letting under LAU 3.2, and not a tourist rental, you do not need a tourist licence (VUT) or to register as a tourism activity. You also don't need an accountant or agency to begin. We handle the legal and administrative side, so your only job is to have the flat ready.

List your flat on Elvestay step by step

Listing is a guided process you can complete in just a few minutes. We walk you through every step. First, the property details: location, size and features. Then you upload your photos and tick the amenities (wifi, washing machine, parking, whatever you offer). Next you set the price and availability. Finally, you review and publish. There is no listing fee and no monthly charge: we only take a 14% commission when a booking is confirmed. If you don't rent, you pay nothing. It really is that simple.

Set price and availability without the hassle

You decide how to price. You can do it manually, by monthly amount (for example, €1,200/month), in a mixed mode, or let our dynamic pricing engine do the work for you. That engine analyses 7 market signals (occupancy, competition, events, day of the week, lead time and more), recalculates every 6 hours and respects the floor and ceiling you set, so you never rent below what you want. You manage your calendar from the dashboard and sync availability via two-way iCal with Airbnb, Booking and Vrbo, with no risk of overbooking.

What happens after your first booking

When the first booking comes in, everything is taken care of. We automatically generate the seasonal tenancy contract (LAU 3.2) in the guest's language, with eIDAS electronic signature and an integrity seal via SHA-256 hash. To get paid you choose between two models: under Model A we charge the guest and pay you by SEPA transfer on the 10th of the month after check-in; under Model B you charge the guest directly and we invoice you the commission in arrears. You handle the deposit however you prefer: directly by bank transfer or cash, or via Swikly with a card pre-authorisation and no actual charge. And our support is always behind you.

Everything Elvestay offers

Over 40 real differentiators that set Elvestay apart from Airbnb, Booking and traditional rentals. No empty promises — everything is live.

LAU art. 3.2 without VUT licence

11 nights to 9 months under seasonal rental legal framework. No tourism licence, no Generalitat risk.

Transparent commission

We only charge on confirmed bookings. No signup fee, no monthly subscription, no card to enter.

Public profitability calculator

Estimate your net return LAU vs VUT in seconds with shareable URL. No registration required.

Pricing and profitability(8)▼

Multi-strategy pricing

4 modes in one click: manual, fixed monthly, hybrid day+month or automatic engine. Keep your calendar intact when switching.

Dynamic pricing engine

7 signals (season, your occupancy and competitors', events, day of week, lead time, market, manual adjustment) recalculate every 6 hours.

Nightly plus monthly simultaneous

Base monthly price for snowbirds and nomads plus per-night override in peak season. Set and forget.

Manual adjustment ±50%

Raise or lower the final price by a fixed percentage on top of automatic calculation. Useful if the engine runs high or low in your area.

Floor and ceiling per listing

The engine never goes below the minimum or above the maximum you set. Complete control over your extremes.

Transparent 365-day breakdown

365 daily suggestions with signal chips: see exactly why the price changes each day.

Public profitability calculator

Estimate your net return LAU vs VUT in seconds with shareable URL. No registration required.

AI-powered rate reader

Upload Excel, PDF or photo of prices and AI imports your calendar in seconds. Review and apply.

Legal security(7)▼

LAU art. 3.2 without VUT licence

11 nights to 9 months under seasonal rental legal framework. No tourism licence, no Generalitat risk.

Automatic LAU contract per booking

Instant generation in guest's language with non-editable clauses compliant with LAU.

eIDAS art. 25.1 electronic signature

Full legal weight with SHA-256 PDF hash, IP, timestamp and signer's geolocation.

Complies with CV Law 9/2024

Current legal framework in Comunitat Valenciana. Compliance managed by the platform.

GDPR art. 28 DPA on sign-up

Data processing agreement signed for hosts. No surprises at audit time.

Automatic false temporality detection

Pattern detection (same guest >270 nights/year same listing) blocks bookings that look like habitual dwelling rental.

Armoured legal clauses

LAU+GDPR+eIDAS+DAC7 clauses are non-editable. Anti-abusive clause validator in your house rules.

Financial security(7)▼

Transparent commission

We only charge on confirmed bookings. No signup fee, no monthly subscription, no card to enter.

Stripe Connect with 3D Secure SCA

European payment compliant with PSD2. Funds held in escrow 72h post check-in to resolve disputes.

Dual-model security deposit

Choose: collect the deposit directly (Bizum/cash) or have Elvestay manage it via Swikly (card pre-authorisation without actual charge).

Two payment models

Model A: Elvestay charges guest and pays you. Model B: you charge directly and invoice commission at month end.

Verifactu-ready invoices

Complies with RD 1619/2012 with atomic sequential numbering. Hash chain ready for RD 1007/2023.

Automatic rectifying invoices

Cancellations generate rectifying invoice without intervention. Your accounts always balance.

Monthly SEPA payouts on the 10th

Consolidated transfer with per-booking breakdown. Your money arrives on predictable dates.

Operational security(6)▼

No-show workflow with split refund

10:00 next-day window plus 48h dispute. Clear partial refund policy for guest and host.

Document proof for stays ≥ 90 nights

Guest uploads documentation that justifies temporality. Strengthens your LAU 3.2 legal position.

Auto-cancel unpaid bookings

Daily cron cancels and frees dates if guest hasn't completed payment within deadline. Keeps your calendar clear.

Official DNI/NIE/Passport validation

Official mod-23 algorithm client+server-side with 18+ age minimum. No fake identities get through.

RLS mandatory plus explicit GRANTs

Anti-IDOR at database level. No host can see or touch listings or bookings that aren't theirs.

iCal sync with SSRF protection

Blocks loopback/RFC1918/metadata IPs when importing external URLs. Your platform can't be attacked from a malicious calendar.

Multi-channel and synchronisation(4)▼

Bidirectional iCal Airbnb + Booking + Vrbo

Import blocks and export your Elvestay calendar. Rotatable token per listing.

Avantio PMS import

Direct connection for agencies already using Avantio. Brings properties, rates and availability.

Competitor signal in pricing engine

The engine reads public iCal availability from competitors in your area to raise prices when real demand exists.

Signed and rotatable iCal token

Each listing has a signed export URL. Regenerate it and the old one stops working instantly.

International and support(4)▼

Platform in 7 languages

100% translated UI: Spanish, English, German, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Italian. Source markets covered.

Message and review translation with DeepL

Guest chat and reviews translate live to 30+ languages. Serve anyone without language barriers.

Auth emails in 7 languages

Signup, recovery, magic link and email change arrive in the user's language. Professional from minute one.

Correct hreflang on all pages

Google understands which language to offer each market. Your listing ranks locally across 7 regions.

Onboarding(5)▼

Host sign-up in 10 minutes

Guided 4-step flow: tax ID, bank, photos, calendar. No paperwork, no manual verification required.

Airbnb-style guest-to-host promotion

Any guest can promote to host without new sign-up. Same email, same account.

Photos optimised to WebP/AVIF

Cloudinary serves each image in the optimal format for the browser. LCP < 2.5s and better SEO ranking.

Virtual tour integrated 7 providers

Matterport, Luma, Polycam, Kuula, Klapty, Giraffe360 and YouTube. Paste the link and it embeds.

Host anti-fraud detection

Detection of hosts with >3 listings/city/year (risk of turning habitual dwelling into hidden VUT).

Tools and communications(4)▼

Automatic communication templates

5 triggers: confirmation, X days after, X days before check-in, check-in day, X days after check-out. Editable with placeholders.

Automatic highlights on listings

'Superhost', 'replies <1h', 'near POI X' generate automatically based on your activity. More conversions without curation.

Listing-level contract editor

Additional clauses, PDF annex, jurisdiction, house rules, pets/smoking policy. Fully configurable without losing legal protection.

Complete analytics dashboard

Views, conversions, payouts, commissions, disputes, photo ranking. Decide with data.

Do I need a tourist licence to rent mid-term?
No. Mid-term renting is a seasonal letting under article 3.2 of Spain's Tenancy Act (LAU), not a tourist rental. That is why you do not need a tourist licence (VUT) or to register as a tourism activity. It is one of the big advantages over short stays: you start without that administrative burden and within a clear, stable legal framework for your home.
How much does it cost to list my flat on Elvestay?
Listing is free. There is no sign-up fee and no monthly charge. We only take a 14% commission when a booking is confirmed, so you only pay when you earn. If your flat is listed but receives no bookings, it costs you absolutely nothing to keep it visible on Elvestay while you wait for the right guest.
When and how do I get paid?
It depends on the model you choose. Under Model A, Elvestay charges the guest and pays you by SEPA transfer on the 10th of the month after check-in. Under Model B, you charge the guest directly and we invoice you the commission in arrears. You pick whichever fits best with how you like to manage your property.
How does the deposit work?
You have a dual model. You can collect the deposit yourself directly by bank transfer or cash, or let Elvestay handle it through Swikly via a pre-authorisation on the guest's card with no actual charge. That way you have protection against possible damage without needlessly holding their money. You choose the option that suits you on each booking.
Do I have to draft the contract with the guest myself?
No, we do it for you. When the booking is confirmed we automatically generate the seasonal tenancy contract (LAU 3.2) in the guest's language, ready to sign with an eIDAS electronic signature and protected by a SHA-256 hash that guarantees its integrity. You don't have to download templates or visit an agency to get started.

Get started today with your first listing

List your flat for free in just a few minutes and start receiving mid-term bookings. No sign-up fee and no tourist licence.

List my flat for free