# Long Term Rentals



## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Why is it that almost every long term rental I have looked at offers this rather daft 11 month term? I would have thought this should have been 12 months? Are there any problems agreeing to a 11 month term other than the inconvenience of seeking renewal or moving a month earlier?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

chris&vicky said:


> Why is it that almost every long term rental I have looked at offers this rather daft 11 month term? I would have thought this should have been 12 months? Are there any problems agreeing to a 11 month term other than the inconvenience of seeking renewal or moving a month earlier?


as of last month (June 2013) the rules for long term rentals changed

they can now offer a 6 month or 12 month contract, automatically renewable for 3 years


a lot of agents & owners (usually non-Spanish ) think that an 11 month contract protects them & they can make you move out after that time - it's a load of old ·$%&/()= 

going back quite a long time, if a tenant was in your property for less than 12 months they had no tenants rights - but that changed so long ago that I can't remember when, and if a property is your home you have full rights from day 1 anyway

I've signed month contracts previously though - simply because it actually makes no difference

if you find a place you want - just make sure the agent/owner knows about the changes in the law - & that they know that YOU know too...


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

The 11 month contract is widely misunderstood, particularly by Spanish landlords. It dates back from a time when a 12 month contract offered tenants certain rights, the most important of which was the ability to be able to stay in the property for 5 years. This has now changed to 4 years but essentially if you have an 11 month contract and then renew and have another 11 month contract, once you have been in the property for a total of 12 months you receive tenants rights to stay for 4 years (assuming you don't break the terms of the contract by, for example, not paying the rent or knocking the house down). My parents received the usual 11 month contract but when it came time for renewal their Spanish landlady told them that once they had been there for 12 months they could stay for 4 years so she gave them a 3 year contract.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Xabi beat me to it lol


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> as of last month (June 2013) the rules for long term rentals changed
> 
> they can now offer a 6 month or 12 month contract, automatically renewable for 3 years
> 
> ...


Thank you.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

thrax said:


> The 11 month contract is widely misunderstood, particularly by Spanish landlords. It dates back from a time when a 12 month contract offered tenants certain rights, the most important of which was the ability to be able to stay in the property for 5 years. This has now changed to 4 years but essentially if you have an 11 month contract and then renew and have another 11 month contract, once you have been in the property for a total of 12 months you receive tenants rights to stay for 4 years (assuming you don't break the terms of the contract by, for example, not paying the rent or knocking the house down). My parents received the usual 11 month contract but when it came time for renewal their Spanish landlady told them that once they had been there for 12 months they could stay for 4 years so she gave them a 3 year contract.



... actually this is not quite correct any more. With the recent changes in law (June this year), what Lynne says is correct.

Contracts of more than 6 months (although normally 12) are AUTOMATICALLY renewable if the tenant wants for up to 3 years now. They do NOT need a new contract nor do they have to pay agents fees or new-contract fees etc.

This means that the (maximum) total amount of time that a tenant can stay in a property without the need for a new contract is, as Thrax says, now 4 years.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

So what is our position? We have been in this property for four years, moved in in May 2009 with a series of these 11-month contracts, the next due for renewal on December 15th. It is our sole place of residence.
We are excellent tenants, though I says it as shouldn't...We pay our rent in two lump sums in advance and care fot the property as if it were our own. We've made several improvements such as painting walls etc. 
We'd like to stay for maybe three to five years more.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> So what is our position? We have been in this property for four years, moved in in May 2009 with a series of these 11-month contracts, the next due for renewal on December 15th. It is our sole place of residence.
> We are excellent tenants, though I says it as shouldn't...We pay our rent in two lump sums in advance and care fot the property as if it were our own. We've made several improvements such as painting walls etc.
> We'd like to stay for maybe three to five years more.


just carry on the way you are ....

it's your home .................

you've been in situ since before the changes so afaik they don't apply to you - although we've 'been there before' with your 11 month contracts 

pretty much the only reason for you to ever move out now is if YOU want to - or if the landlord needs the house as his own residence, or that of his immediate family


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> just carry on the way you are ....
> 
> it's your home .................
> 
> ...


Thanks for that - yet again. Much appreciated.

The reason I keep pestering with questions is that I'm considering offering our landlord a deal, a further reduction in our rent if we promise to stay for three years at least. He is very reasonable but not much of a businessman. He inherited Daddy's business and doesn't work, unless you call owning but not managing a puti club 'work'. I think his job may be to sample the merchandise for quality....

We are not only good tenants in the sense of paying rent upfront, keeping the house in excellent condition etc. but also in being very indulgent with him. He usually comes over twice a year, sometimes with a girlfriend, sometimes with his wife, a very nice Russian woman. Sandra is a bit of a prude and doesn't like that but I can't say I'm bothered. We let him keep two BMWs in our garage as we either park outside the house or on some hard standing in the 'field'. No way would I use the garage for our LandRover as it's down a steep slope and you'd either have to reverse up it or down it and as our house occupies a corner position exiting the drive is rather daunting, whether front or backwards.

When he is in Spain he comes to the garage nearly every day to fiddle with his cars. Sometimes he tells us in advance, mostly he doesn't. This too annoys Sandra but again I don't mind as he doesn't come in the house. I quite like him and joke about his womanising...he has invited me to Austria as his guest and it's a genuine offer. I'm old enough to be his mother and he is constantly bemoaning the fact I haven't got a daughter although if I had I wouldn't let him near her.

Property prices have dropped here by 50% so I'm thinking rents should too. I think he would lie down in front of the removal van if we moved out and I've scared him by showing him empty houses that have been squatted and vandalised...

So I'm getting my ducks in a row so I can put something to him when this worthless contract ends in December.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

The last two rentals I have looked into have had clauses in the contract to allow the landlord to have viewings to sell the property during the rental term. Is this legal? The law to protect tenants can be ignored just by entering a clause in the contract?


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