Renting first

Renting before buying on the Costa Blanca

Renting for a period before you buy is one of the most sensible decisions a mover can make — it lets you properly test an area before committing.

Why rent first

See an area in every season, not just on holiday

A place can feel completely different in a quiet November than a busy August. Renting first lets you experience daily life — traffic, noise, community, amenities — before making a purchase decision you'll live with for years.

Start small

Begin with a week, then stay longer

Most people who move here well do it in stages: a short scouting visit first, then a longer stay, then a purchase. A single week won't tell you whether you want to live somewhere for the next twenty years, but it is remarkably good at ruling places out — and that is worth the airfare on its own.

If you can, avoid judging an area in August. The traffic, the noise, the queues and the crowded beaches are all at their most extreme, and the same urbanisation in February can feel almost deserted. Seeing both is the point of visiting more than once.

What to do with seven days

Walk the same street in the morning and again after dark. Do a full supermarket shop. Drive the route you'd drive to the airport, the beach and the nearest health centre. Sit in the plaza on a weekday evening, not just at the weekend. If it rains, go out anyway and see where there is to go.

What to test deliberately

Parking near the property, noise from bars, pools and roads, how far you'd walk for bread or a pharmacy, how car-dependent daily life would really be, and whether the community feels lived-in or shuttered out of season.

Know what you're booking

Three different kinds of stay

This trips people up constantly. How long you stay decides what kind of rental it legally is — and therefore who you should be asking.

Length of stay	What it is	Who to ask
Up to 10 nights	A tourist let, in a property with a tourist licence (vivienda de uso turístico)	A licensed holiday-rental agency or owner, booked much like a holiday
A few weeks to around 11 months	A seasonal rental — alquiler de temporada — a tenancy for a stated temporary purpose under Spanish rental law	A letting agent or landlord who handles seasonal contracts. Some holiday-rental managers offer this too, on a separate seasonal contract
A year or more	A standard residential tenancy, with the longer protections that come with it	A letting agent or landlord, usually once you're reasonably sure of the area

Since 2024, Valencian regional rules have defined a tourist rental as one let in its entirety for 10 consecutive nights or fewer to the same guest, so a month-long stay can't be booked as a holiday let. Some holiday-rental managers do offer longer stays, but only as a seasonal rental on a separate contract, and that contract should state the genuine temporary reason for your stay. Looking for somewhere to live before relocating is exactly that kind of reason, so say so honestly. If you're offered a month with no written contract, or asked to describe the stay as something it isn't, treat that as a reason to ask more questions rather than a bargain.

This is general information rather than legal advice, and the rules change. A local lawyer or gestor can confirm what applies to a specific property and contract.

What to check

Contract basics

Deposit, contract length, break clauses and who's responsible for maintenance and repairs.

Licensing

Whether the property is properly licensed for the type of let being offered. A tourist rental should have a regional registration number, and it should appear in the advertisement — if it's missing, ask why before you pay anything.

Location realities

Noise, parking, distance to beaches/shops, and how car-dependent day-to-day life will be.

Get a contract checked. We're not able to review a rental or purchase contract ourselves, but we can introduce you to a qualified local professional who can, before you sign anything.

Frequently asked questions

Renting before buying — common questions

How long do most people rent before buying?

There's no fixed rule, but six to twelve months is common — long enough to experience an area across different seasons and everyday realities before committing to a purchase.

What should I check before signing a rental contract?

Beyond the obvious (condition, location, cost), it's worth understanding deposit requirements, contract length and break clauses, who handles maintenance, and whether the property is licensed for the type of let you're agreeing to. A local professional can check the specifics of any contract before you sign.

Can renting first affect my residency application?

Having a confirmed address matters for padrón registration and some residency steps, so timing your rental alongside your residency paperwork is worth discussing with a qualified adviser rather than assuming they're unrelated.

Can I rent a holiday apartment for a month while I look around?

Not as a holiday let. In the Valencian Community a tourist licence only covers stays of up to 10 consecutive nights with the same guest. A stay of a few weeks or months is a seasonal rental (alquiler de temporada) instead, which is a different type of contract. Letting agents and landlords offer these, and so do some holiday-rental managers, who let the same properties on seasonal contracts for longer stays. Whoever you book with, you should get a written seasonal contract that states the temporary purpose of your stay.

What's the difference between a tourist let and a temporada rental?

A tourist let is a licensed holiday rental for short stays — up to 10 consecutive nights per guest in this region. A temporada, or seasonal, rental is a tenancy for a temporary purpose under the Spanish rental law (LAU), typically a few weeks up to around eleven months, with a written contract that states the temporary reason for the stay. They are different legal arrangements, and which one applies depends on how long you're staying rather than on what the property is like.

Is one week long enough to judge an area?

One week is long enough to rule places out, and that alone makes it worthwhile. It isn't long enough to know whether you'd be happy living somewhere year-round, which is why many people do a short scouting visit first and a longer stay afterwards, before they buy anything.

Not sure whether to rent or buy first?

A free move-planning call is a good place to think it through.

Book a free move-planning call