Temporary Lease Agreement (Special Transitional Purposes)

What is the temporary lease agreement?

The temporary lease agreement, legally referred to as a contract for non-permanent housing or special transitional purposes, is a fixed-term lease established to meet a limited housing need: for example, for professional, educational, training, or tourism reasons. Its particularity is that it can have a duration of less than one year, provided the transitional reason is stated in the contract.

Legal Basis

• Articles 1022 and following and 1064 and following of the Civil Code: rules on leasing and urban rental.
• Article 1095 of the Civil Code: stipulation of a fixed term and exception for transitional purposes.
• Articles 1096 to 1098 of the Civil Code: renewal, opposition to renewal, and termination.
• Article 1076 of the Civil Code: advance rents and deposit.
• Article 60 of the Stamp Duty Code: communication to the Tax Authority.

Term

In fixed-term housing contracts, the term must be included in a clause of the contract and cannot be less than one year or more than 30 years (article 1095, paragraphs 1 and 2). This minimum of one year does not apply to contracts for non-permanent housing or special transitional purposes, namely for professional, educational, training, or tourism reasons, provided they are stated therein (paragraph 3). If the reason is not included in the contract, the term of less than one year is automatically extended to one year. For each calendar year, and for each unit or building, only one contract for special transitional purposes for tourism reasons can be concluded (paragraph 4).

Renewal and Exit

Unlike other fixed-term contracts, contracts for transitional purposes do not automatically renew, unless otherwise stipulated (article 1096, paragraph 2). If the parties agree to renew, either party may oppose it, with the following minimum notices in relation to the end of the contract:

• Landlord (article 1097): 240 days if the term is equal to or greater than six years; 120 days if it is from one to six years; 60 days if it is from six months to one year; one-third of the term if it is less than six months.
• Tenant (article 1098): 120 days, 90 days, 60 days, or one-third of the term, for the same brackets.

After one-third of the term, the tenant can still terminate the contract at any time, with 120 days' notice if the term is equal to or greater than one year, or 60 days if it is less (article 1098, paragraph 3). Lack of notice does not prevent termination but requires payment of the rents for the missing period (paragraph 6).

Deposit and Advance Rents

Advance payment of rent is only possible with written agreement and for a period not exceeding two months. The deposit to guarantee obligations cannot exceed the value corresponding to two rents (article 1076, as amended since January 1, 2023).

Form, Finances, and Stamp Duty

The contract must be made in writing (article 1069). The landlord must communicate the contract to the Tax Authority by the end of the month following the start of the lease (article 60 of the Stamp Duty Code). The Stamp Duty is 10% on one month's rent; for leases for less than one month without the possibility of renewal, it is levied on the total period rent (item 2 of the General Table).

A revision of the rental regime is under discussion in Parliament (approved in general on September 30, 2026) that may change rules such as the deposit and opposition to renewal. This page describes the rules in force in October 2026.