If you want to live in Mallorca for a few months, you will almost always sign the same type of contract: the seasonal rental contract, in Spanish arrendamiento de temporada. It is the legal home of the monthly rental, and it works differently from a standard residential lease. Here is how it really works, as of 2026.
The three contract worlds in Mallorca
| Holiday let | Seasonal rental | Long-term rental | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | under 30 days | 1 to 10 months | open-ended by design |
| Who it is for | tourists | people with a temporary housing need | people whose life is based here |
| Licence | ETV licence required | no licence | no licence |
| Right to extend | none | none, ends on the agreed date | yes, up to 5 years by law |
The seasonal rental sits in the middle: longer than a holiday, shorter than a life. That is exactly what MUVAWAY is built for: homes from 1 to 10 months.
What defines a seasonal contract
The reason matters, not just the length. Legally, what counts is that you need the home temporarily: a work project, a semester abroad, a winter in the south, the transition after a move. Serious contracts state this reason in writing. That protects both sides, because without a documented reason a contract can be reclassified as a standard residential lease in a dispute, with full extension rights for the tenant.
The end date is fixed. The contract ends on the agreed date, no notice needed, no automatic renewal. If you want to stay longer, you negotiate again. For owners that is the big advantage over long-term letting; for tenants it is the price of flexibility.
The terms are freely negotiated. Rent, utilities, extension options: in a seasonal rental, what the contract says largely goes. All the more reason to make sure everything important is actually in it.
What belongs in a good contract
- Names and ID numbers of both parties, CIF for companies
- Address and description of the property, ideally with an inventory list
- The reason for the temporary stay, stated explicitly
- Fixed start and end dates
- Rent, payment method and what utilities are included
- Deposit: for seasonal rentals the legal standard is two months of rent
- A handover protocol with condition notes and meter readings
The classic mistakes
Mistake 1: a holiday let in seasonal clothing. Renting by the week to tourists and calling it seasonal requires, in reality, an ETV licence. The fines for skipping it are serious in the Balearics.
Mistake 2: no reason in the contract. If the temporary need is missing from the text, the owner can end up facing a tenant with long-term rights.
Mistake 3: keeping it verbal. Especially when an inventory is provided, the handover protocol decides at the end whether the deposit comes back in full.
How it works at MUVAWAY
MUVAWAY arranges stays of 1 to 10 months, but a genuine temporary purpose, not duration alone, determines whether a tenancy is seasonal. The contract is between tenant and landlord. Under the new central contract model, agreed payments use MUVAWAY's assigned Stripe links; existing contracts keep their agreed payment method.
Deposit, deadlines and who holds what
For genuine seasonal tenancies, article 36.1 LAU requires a statutory deposit of two months' rent on conclusion of the agreement. MUVAWAY forwards it in full and separately to the landlord without waiting for move-in. The landlord must lodge it with IBAVI on time and provide proof. Payment processing is not escrow; the applicable lodging deadline must be checked against the contract and current IBAVI requirements.
The landlord directly repays the undisputed balance within 14 calendar days after key return, independently of IBAVI reimbursement. Deductions must be itemised, quantified and evidenced. Statutory interest rights remain unaffected. MUVAWAY records actual repayment and agreed deductions; an agreement alone is not proof of payment.
The statutory deposit is due on conclusion of the agreement. One month's rent is an advance due within 48 hours of signature, always before handover. Remaining rent and agreed extras are due at handover after inspection; fees arise on actual key handover. For stays of at least four months, remaining rent may be split between handover and mid-term with the landlord's agreement. The signed schedule controls. Under the central model do not also transfer the same funds to the landlord. Keys follow the handover record and receipt of all amounts due by then.
Utilities: flat rate or metered
This is where most disputes arise, and they arise after move-out. Over a few months, metered billing is impractical: readings often arrive weeks later, by which time the tenant is long gone.
The clean solution is a fixed monthly flat rate stated in the contract and paid with the rent. The tenant knows the monthly cost in advance; the owner carries the risk if someone runs the air conditioning around the clock. If you would rather not, agree a ceiling above which usage is billed — but then put it expressly in the contract, with meter readings at both ends.
What is always in the rent with us: Wi-Fi. The final clean is a one-off flat fee after move-out, set by the owner and usually around €150, and it is stated on the listing. Both are the classic end-of-tenancy disputes, and both are avoidable if you assign them in advance.
What happens if someone wants to leave early
A seasonal contract runs to the agreed date. Unlike a permanent tenancy there is no statutory right for the tenant to give notice after six months — the rule in Article 11 LAU applies to residential tenancies, not to seasonal lets.
In practice: someone who rents for four months and wants to leave after two owes the remaining two, unless the contract says otherwise. That is exactly why an exit clause is worth negotiating when the reason is uncertain — a project that might be extended or cancelled, for instance.
The reverse holds too: an owner cannot end it early because a better offer came along. The commitment runs both ways, and that is the real value of a written contract.
Language, form and signature
The contract may be bilingual, and with international tenants that is the norm. In a dispute before a Spanish court the Spanish version governs — so a bilingual contract should contain a sentence stating which version prevails.
Notarisation is not required. A digital signature is enough, as long as it identifies the signatory. What you should keep: the signed version, the handover record, the payment receipts and a copy of the ID.
How it works with us is on how it works. What it costs is on the fees page. And if you want to know why the reason for the stay is in the contract, the temporary purpose explains it. Properties are under rent.
This article is general guidance and does not replace legal advice for your specific case.