How long a rental lasts in Spain: 5 or 7 years, renewals and extensions
UpdatedRDL 28/2026 y 29/2026 reform
A contract saying «one year» does not mean you must leave when it ends. Spanish rental law — the LAU — sets a minimum and then a renewal system. Article 10 changes on 15 November 2026, so the rules before and after that date must be separated.
What changed
- From 15 November 2026, tacit renewal moves to successive five-year periods — seven if the landlord is a company — with six months' landlord notice and possible non-renewal compensation (art. 10).
- The general extraordinary extension of up to two years requires a request, a contract in force on 8 October 2026 and up-to-date payments, including during the preceding eight months (RDL 29/2026, fifth final provision).
- Vulnerability and stressed-area extensions move to articles 10.5 and 10.6; there is no longer a general eight- or ten-year ceiling.
In short
- The contract extends compulsorily in yearly periods up to five years — seven if the landlord is a company (art. 9.1).
- Until 14 November 2026 there are up to three further yearly periods. From the 15th, if RDL 28/2026 is validated, renewals are successive five- or seven-year periods (art. 10.1).
- Other extensions exist: up to two years for certain contracts, one for vulnerability and up to three in stressed areas. Each has its own requirements.
In this guide6 min read
What is the minimum contract duration?
Whatever you agreed, but if it is shorter than five years — or seven when the landlord is a legal entity — the contract extends compulsorily in yearly periods until it reaches that minimum (article 9.1 of the LAU).
You may end one of those yearly periods by giving the landlord at least thirty days' notice. If the contract states no duration, it is deemed to be for one year, with the same extensions (article 9.2).
Temporary-home rentals have their own duration rule in article 9 bis; this minimum does not apply to them (article 9.4).
When can the landlord recover the home early?
Only when every article 9.3 condition is met: the landlord is a natural person, the first year has elapsed and the original contract expressly said they might need the home before five years.
It must become a permanent home for them, a first-degree relative by blood or adoption, or their spouse after a final separation, divorce or annulment judgment. They must state the cause at least two months ahead.
If nobody occupies the home for that cause within three months, unless force majeure applies, the tenant has thirty days to choose between reinstatement for up to five more years with moving expenses, or one month's rent for each year left to complete five (article 9.3).
What applies until 14 November 2026?
Under the RDL 29/2026 wording, after five or seven years the contract extends in yearly periods for up to three more if neither party gives notice of non-renewal: four months for the landlord and two for the tenant (article 10.1).
The tenant may also end at the end of any of those yearly periods with one month's notice. Apply this rule to expiries before 15 November.
What changes from 15 November 2026? From 15 Nov 2026
If RDL 28/2026 is validated, when the contract or any extension expires after at least five years — seven for a company landlord — it renews tacitly and compulsorily for successive five-year periods, or seven years for a legal-entity landlord (article 10.1).
To prevent renewal, the landlord must give at least six months' notice and the tenant two. As a general rule, landlord non-renewal creates compensation: the greater of twelve monthly amounts calculated using the upper value of the home's individual range in the state reference-price system, or one monthly amount per year of residence, prorated. The current rent is used if no individual value exists. Exceptions apply; see our non-renewal compensation guide.
If the parties agree to continue after a non-renewal notice, the voluntary extension cannot be shorter than five or seven years. Renewal terms that worsen the original contract for the tenant are void (articles 10.3 and 10.4).
Which extraordinary extensions can I request?
The fifth final provision of RDL 29/2026 allows a request for up to two additional years, in yearly periods, for ordinary-home contracts in force on 8 October 2026 whose mandatory extension ends before 31 December 2028, or whose tacit extension or tacit reconduction ends. It requires payments to be current and to have been current monthly during the preceding eight months. It is not automatic: the tenant must request it and exceptions apply.
From 15 November, if you prove social and economic vulnerability with a social-services report or certificate issued within the last year, you may request up to one more year when the contract would otherwise end through landlord non-renewal. A large-scale holder must accept unless a new contract is signed (article 10.5).
In a declared and currently effective stressed residential market area, you may request yearly extensions for up to three more years when the landlord has validly given non-renewal notice. Exceptions apply, and this extension takes preference (article 10.6).
These extensions cannot be freely accumulated. Check which one fits your contract before requesting it.
Which transitional rules should I check?
RDL 28/2026 preserves valid non-renewal notices served before its publication, without compensation. For expiries less than six months away when it enters into force, the landlord may give four months' notice instead of six.
Contracts already in a yearly extension complete it under the previous wording. Contracts in tacit reconduction move to the new article 10 at the first expiry after it takes effect, counting total residence. The contract, expiry and notice dates determine the applicable regime.
The law behind this guide
Article 9 and the general extraordinary rules come from Royal Decree-law 29/2026, in force since 8 October 2026. The complete new article 10 comes from Royal Decree-law 28/2026 and enters into force on 15 November 2026. Both are subject to validation by Congress (article 86 of the Constitution).
Example
A one-year contract with a private landlord
- Initial mandatory extension
- Up to 5 years
- Next renewal from 15/11/2026
- 5 more years
- General stay ceiling
- No fixed 8 years
Articles 9 and 10.1 of the LAU. Every expiry, notice and possible extraordinary extension needs separate analysis.
Frequently asked questions
My contract is for one year — can I be evicted when it ends?
As a general rule, no: it extends compulsorily in yearly periods until five years are completed, or seven if the landlord is a company (art. 9.1). The article 9.3 needs exception has strict requirements.
Is there still a maximum three-year tacit extension?
Only for the regime before 15 November 2026 and for contracts completing that period under the transitional rules. From that date, RDL 28/2026 provides successive five- or seven-year periods.
How long can I stay in total?
From 15 November there is no general eight- or ten-year ceiling: renewals may be successive. The landlord may decline renewal while meeting notice and other requirements; extraordinary extensions and compensation may also apply.
Are all extraordinary extensions automatic?
No. The general extension of up to two years and the vulnerability and stressed-area extensions require a tenant request and compliance with their conditions.
What do I do now?
Write down three dates
Signing or handover, the next expiry and any notice. Also check whether the landlord is a natural or legal person.
Identify your extension type
Distinguish the ordinary extension, the general extraordinary extension of up to two years, vulnerability and stressed-area extensions.
Check compensation
If the landlord gives non-renewal notice under the new regime, read the compensation guide and its exceptions before accepting a figure.
Related guides
Look up your building on Pisopedia
Before you sign, see what the people who already lived there say: the landlord, the area and the rent they paid.