How long does a Spanish residential tenancy actually last?

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• Martin (Soycasero)Equipo SoycaseroSep 19, 2026

  The term written into the contract binds the parties, but the tenant has the right to extend year by year up to five years where the landlord is an individual, and up to seven years where the landlord is a company. The tenant may leave earlier; the landlord cannot recover the property during that period except on specific statutory grounds.

  This is article 9 of the Spanish tenancy act (LAU, Ley 29/1994). If nobody gives notice at the end, article 10 in its current wording adds a tacit extension of up to three further years.

  That changes from 15 November 2026: Real Decreto-ley 28/2026 (BOE-A-2026-20822) rewrites article 10, and for a tenant's main home the tacit extension becomes five further years (seven where the landlord is a company). Congress still has to ratify the decree; if it does not, the current rule stays.

  What your own contract says, and when the clock started, is something a gestoría can confirm from the document.

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