Bills, deposit and minimum stay
Three dropdowns most landlords click through in seconds — and the quiet reason two similar listings can see very different request volumes.
Bills: include them if you can
Someone booking from Lyon or São Paulo can’t easily estimate Spanish utility costs — so unpredictable extras feel like risk, and risk loses bookings. “Bills included” is the single most attractive label a mid-term listing can carry for international tenants.
Estimate your real monthly utilities, add a small buffer, fold it into the rent, and switch the setting on. You’re not giving anything away — you’re charging for certainty, which is exactly what this audience pays for.
Deposit: required, and it works before the cover does
A deposit is not optional: Spotahome Plus requires a deposit of at least one month’s rent, and without one you do not get the guarantees. The tenant pays it directly to you on move-in day, in cash or by bank transfer. Spotahome never holds deposits.
It matters because every guarantee sits on top of the deposit, never instead of it. Damage is settled from the deposit first, and only what exceeds it goes to your cover. Unpaid rent draws on the deposit first. Early-departure compensation is paid after the deposit is applied. The deposit is your first layer; Spotahome is the second.
So why not ask for more than one month? Because a bigger deposit buys you very little extra protection, since the cover picks up what the deposit does not, and it does cost you bookings: a tenant relocating from abroad is already fronting the first month plus moving costs. One month is the benchmark for a reason. State the amount in the listing, and give a receipt with the return conditions on move-in day.
Who collects it and when it goes back is covered in accepting your first booking, step by step.
Minimum stay: lower than you think
Spotahome’s minimum is 30 days, and the platform average stay is about five months. Every month you add to your minimum cuts away part of the demand curve:
- 1–2 month minimum: maximum reach — you’ll see consultants, interns and project workers alongside students
- 5–6 month minimum: still matches the platform’s centre of gravity (academic semesters, job relocations)
- 9+ month minimum: you’re now competing with classic yearly rentals — only worth it if turnover genuinely costs you more than vacancy
New-listing tactic: start with a low minimum to get the first booking and review momentum, then raise it once the calendar fills. Back-to-back mid-term stays often out-earn a single long lease.
Settings decided?
Set bills, deposit and minimum stay on your listing now.