Owner Guide
How to turn the four empty months of holiday letting into one- to three-month stays without slipping into a long-term tenancy.
Quick answer
From November to February a holiday-let house in the Axarquía sits almost empty: beach tourism disappears and weekend bookings do not cover the bills. The alternative is the seasonal stay of one to three months: German, Dutch, British and Scandinavian retirees escaping winter, remote workers, and local families between homes. It is contracted as a seasonal tenancy (outside Spain's main-home tenancy rules), it demands heating, real Wi-Fi and a house that is comfortable in January, and well managed it turns winter into a third product between holiday letting and long-term renting.
What they all share: they are not coming to a hotel. They want a house with a full kitchen, a washing machine, heating that works, Wi-Fi and someone to call. And they do not want to pay August prices.
A one- to three-month winter let is a seasonal tenancy (article 3 of Spain's tenancy law, LAU): a use other than main residence, with an end date, no compulsory extension and none of the main-home tenant protections. The guest keeps their residence in their own country or city; that must be stated in the contract along with the reason for the season.
| Essential | Why |
|---|---|
| Heating in bedrooms and living room (heat pump, radiators or underfloor) and a fireplace if there is one | Nights drop to 8-10 °C and coastal houses were not built for cold |
| Fibre Wi-Fi or at least a stable 50 Mb | The remote worker's first question and the retiree's second (video calls with the grandchildren) |
| Full kitchen with oven, washing machine and ideally a dryer | Living for a month is not a week's holiday; laundry does not dry on the terrace in January |
| Winter linen and towels, blankets, duvets | Summer sets are not enough |
| A comfortable sofa and a table to eat and work at | More time is spent indoors than you think |
| Parking or easy street parking | Most hire a car by the month |
And two things that do not show in the listing: a mid-stay clean every two weeks with a linen change, and an agreed electricity allowance. Heating a house all day in January costs money; include a reasonable amount, settle the excess at the end, and explain it before signing.
A winter monthly price is neither August divided by four nor the area's residential rent. It sits between the two: above residential rent, because the house comes furnished with utilities and service, and well below summer holiday rates. The rule we use is simple: cover every fixed winter cost with a margin and stay competitive with what a German retiree finds in Torrox Costa or a remote worker in Nerja.
From this winter we offer stays of 28 nights or more at three of our houses (Villa Nerja, Casa Alborán and Villa Miramar) through a dedicated winter long-stays page: the guest asks for a price, we quote within 24 hours with what is included, and they book direct. The rest of the year those houses stay in holiday letting. It is the model we recommend to Axarquía owners with a coastal house: holiday lets from Easter to October, seasonal stays in winter, and neither of them left to chance.
It depends on the house, the municipality and the length of stay. The monthly price sits above the area's residential rent and well below summer holiday rates. It covers fixed costs with a margin; August is what holiday letting is for.
Yes. A one- to three-month stay is a seasonal tenancy, and if the house is registered as a tourist home it can still be marketed as such with guest registration. What matters is the contract: dates, the seasonal reason and the guest's main residence elsewhere.
A reasonable consumption is included in the price and the settlement of any excess is agreed in advance. It is the clause that avoids most winter disputes, when heating pushes the bill up.
In our experience, better than a week in August: they are older couples or professionals, they settle in, and they want to come back next year. Even so, inventory, deposit and mid-stay cleaning are non-negotiable.
We manage houses all year round, combining holiday lets and seasonal stays depending on the month. If your house is in the Axarquía, tell us about it and we will say which mix fits.
Guidance as of September 2026 on seasonal tenancies (LAU art. 3) and tourist-use homes in Andalusia. Not legal advice.
Free guide · PDF · 2026
VUT licence and guest registration step by step, tax for residents and non-residents, a checklist to prepare the house and how to choose a manager. 8 pages, no fluff.
Tell us what it is like and where it is and within 24 hours we will say which mix of holiday letting and winter stays fits, with an estimate. No obligation.
