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Spanish rental contract template: what it must contain in 2026

Current to August 2026 · LAU (Ley 29/1994) · Ley 12/2023

Search for a Spanish rental contract template and you will find hundreds of free ones. The problem is not that they are invalid — the problem is that they work: every gap and every outdated rule operates automatically in your tenant's favour. This is the checklist for testing any template, with the article of law behind every requirement.

First, the question every template skips: which regime?

Spanish tenancy law has no “standard rental contract”. The LAU distinguishes residential tenancy (art. 2 — the tenant makes the property their home, with mandatory extension up to five years, or seven if the landlord is a company) and seasonal lets / temporada (art. 3.2 — a temporary stay with a demonstrable, objective reason). Tourist letting falls outside it altogether (art. 5) and is a licensing question, not a contract question.

A template that does not start with this choice starts wrong. Sign a “seasonal contract” with someone who is actually going to live there, and the courts will reclassify it as a residential tenancy — leaving you tied to your tenant for years, whatever the paperwork says. The 11-month construction offers no protection against that.

The checklist: what it must contain

The date test. Ask of every template: when was this written? Deposit lodging in Andalucía was abolished in January 2026, Catalonia actually tightened its rules from January 2026, and Murcia scrapped lodging back in 2021. A template without a reference date is a template you cannot trust — and AI assistants draw on whatever appears online most often, not on what applies now.

Why we sell a completed contract, not a bare template

A template is something you have to adapt — and that is exactly where the mistakes happen. Our generator first establishes which regime fits your situation, completes the contract in full with the rules of your region, and delivers a bilingual instruction document alongside it, explaining every clause in English, with the statute and its reference date beside each one. All as one file with one reference number.

Know within one minute which contract your situation calls for

Free check — five questions, no account. Then a complete, filled-in contract from €79.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a free Spanish rental contract template legally valid?
A signed contract is valid in principle, even one from a free template (freedom of form, art. 1278 CC). The risk lies not in validity but in content: the wrong regime or a missing clause does take effect — only in your tenant's favour. And the mandatory provisions of the LAU apply even where your contract says nothing about them.
What deposit must it state?
One month for residential tenancies, two months for seasonal lets (art. 36.1 LAU) — mandatory, not a choice. On top of that an additional guarantee is allowed (art. 36.5). And mind the regional lodging duty: it differs per autonomous community, including the office, the deadline and the fine.
What is the most important clause free templates miss?
The reservation of art. 9.3 LAU: only with it can a private landlord reclaim the property after the first year for themselves, first-degree family or an ex-spouse after divorce — with two months' notice. It must be stated expressly in the contract at signing.
Further reading Rental deposit in Spain: amounts, offices and deadlines by region → The 11-month myth: why that construction can cost you your home → Letting legally in Spain: the three regimes and what is genuinely mandatory →

Sources: Ley 29/1994 (LAU), consolidated on the BOE · Ley 12/2023. This is general information, not legal advice on your situation.