· Written by the AxiRent team
What is a mid-term rental?
A furnished flat let for a month to a few months. The tenants usually come to work, study or for treatment, or are waiting for their own home to be ready. Nobody has fixed the limits; most put it at one to six months.
Which rules apply in Lithuania?
The Civil Code treats a short residential let of no more than two months for holidays and rest like a stay in a hotel (art. 6.626(4)). A let for work or study, or one longer than two months, is an ordinary residential lease: the flat is given for temporary possession and use for living (art. 6.576).
Between private persons a lease may be oral, but a fixed-term lease must be in writing (art. 6.579(2) and (3)).
Can a company be the tenant?
Yes. A legal person may be given a dwelling under a lease or another contract, but may use it only to house natural persons (art. 6.578(5)). That is the basis for flats let to a company for its staff.
Why might a short lease have to be renewed?
At the end of the term, a tenant who kept to the lease has a first right to a new lease for the same term (art. 6.607(1)). At least three months before the end, the landlord must say in writing whether he offers a new lease or will not renew, and he may refuse only if he will not let the flat for at least a year. Without that notice, and unless the tenant declines, the lease is renewed for the same term on the same terms (art. 6.607(2)).
For a lease of three months or less, three months before the end is the day it is signed, so what happens at the end has to be said in writing from the start.
How is rent paid?
Unless agreed otherwise, rent is paid monthly, by the 20th of the following month (art. 6.583(2)), and only the first month's rent may be asked in advance (art. 6.583(5)). When a private person lets a flat on commercial terms, water, energy and utilities are settled by agreement (art. 6.584(3)), so a lease of a few months should spell them out.
How does it fill the gap between short and long lets?
A mid-term let fits the months when short stays are slow, and the gap between two long leases. The risk is the calendar: a month-long tenant's nights must be closed on Airbnb and Booking.com, or a guest will book over them. How to do that is in the guide on how to sync Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo calendars.
How does AxiRent do it?
AxiRent keeps both kinds of letting on one property: a lease of any length runs with its invoices, readings and reminders, and while it runs it closes its nights in the Airbnb and Booking.com calendar links. More on long and short-term rentals in one system.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. For a specific dispute, talk to a lawyer. The official texts of the law are in Lithuanian.