Mid-term rentals in Belgium and the Netherlands: rules, platforms and when they beat short stays (2026)
What a furnished let of one to six months is in law in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, how Airbnb handles stays of 28 nights or more, and when one tenant beats a month of short stays.
Sources listed, last checked
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules differ by country and city and change often, so check the official source and ask a qualified adviser before you act.
A mid-term rental, a furnished let of roughly one to six months, is not a legal category of its own in Belgium or the Netherlands. The same stay counts as tourist accommodation, short stay or a residential lease depending on where the home is, how long the guest stays and whether they make it their main residence. In Brussels any stay from 1 night to 90 consecutive days must be registered as tourist accommodation, and Amsterdam treats short stay of up to six months as tourist letting that needs a permit.87 In the Netherlands a bill would cap short stay at 30 nights, but it was still at the consultation stage on 31 October 2026.34
Key takeaways
- Check which regime a stay falls under before you change the minimum stay: tourist rules, short stay rules or lease law each bring different obligations.
- Brussels registers stays of 1 night to 90 consecutive days as tourist accommodation; Flanders and Wallonia start at one night and set no upper limit on the pages we checked.81012
- Dutch law currently has no maximum term for short stay; the proposed 30-night cap is not yet law.34
- Airbnb treats 28 nights or more as a monthly stay, with monthly payouts, a long-term cancellation policy and a warning about tenant rights.141516
- One tenant can beat a quiet month of short stays, but it rarely beats a busy one; run both numbers.
In this guide
Why mid-term comes up
A mid-term rental question usually starts with an owner who has hit a night cap, a principal residence rule or a registration they cannot get. Longer stays can be a way round it, or they can move the unit into rules that are harder to leave.
This guide covers only that boundary, as we read the official pages on 31 October 2026; it is not legal advice. Short-stay registration, permits and caps are in Airbnb rules in Belgium and the Netherlands, and letting a home you rent yourself is in co-hosting vs rental arbitrage vs buying.
Three regimes, one stay
For any stay longer than a holiday, three questions decide which rules apply:
- Is it tourist accommodation? That depends on the regional or local definition.
- Is it short stay outside tenancy protection? Dutch tenancy law does not apply to use that is by nature only short.5
- Is it the guest’s main residence? In Belgium, that brings the protective lease rules, if the landlord consents.911
Which rules apply to a furnished stay of one to six months, checked on 31 October 2026
| Place | Tourist accommodation | Residential lease rules | Main thing to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Set by each municipality | Tenancy law, except use that is by nature short; no maximum term yet | Whether the stay is really short by nature53 |
| Amsterdam | Any paid stay by someone not registered as an Amsterdam resident; short stay up to six months needs a permit | Ordinary renting above that | The short stay permit, which is rarely possible7 |
| Brussels | 1 night to 90 consecutive days, registration required | Housing Code, which excludes tourist accommodation | Stay length and whether it becomes the tenant’s main residence89 |
| Flanders | Any accommodation offered on the tourist market, at least one night | Woninghuurdecreet when it is the tenant’s main residence | How the unit is offered and used1011 |
| Wallonia | Any paid stay of at least one night by tourists | Lease decree, which excludes tourist accommodation | How the unit is offered and used1213 |
The Netherlands
Huurrecht and short stay today
Dutch tenancy law for living space does not apply to “huur welke een gebruik van woonruimte betreft dat naar zijn aard slechts van korte duur is”, a use of living space that is by nature only short.5 That exception is what short stay contracts rely on. According to the government, the law currently sets no maximum term for it, and landlords can end such contracts at any time.13
Outside that exception, a landlord must offer an indefinite contract; a temporary one of at most two years is allowed only for listed groups, such as students renting in another municipality for their studies.6 So a six-month let to an expat who lives there is not automatically short stay, and the tenant may have full protection.
The 30-night plan and where it stands
On 14 November 2025 the government announced that short stay contracts would be limited to 30 days, in line with the maximum for holiday letting, to protect migrant workers, expats and students.1 The bill on suitable rental contracts (passende huurcontracten) was in public consultation from 2 July to 28 August 2026; it caps short stay at 30 nights and adds temporary contracts of up to two years for migrant workers.23
It has not reached parliament: on 24 September 2026 the housing minister promised the Tweede Kamer a progress letter before the end of the year.4 A unit planned around stays of two or three months could lose that model once it passes, so agree with the owner now what happens then.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s housing ordinance defines tourist letting as paid stay in a home for people not registered as residents with an Amsterdam address, in three forms: holiday letting, bed and breakfast and short stay.7
- Holiday letting means letting your own self-contained home while you are away, at most 30 nights per calendar year, with a permit, a registration number and a notification of each stay.7
- Short stay means paid letting for at most six months, other than holiday letting or a B&B. It needs a permit, which the explanatory notes say the city grants only for a social or economic function it wants, such as a cultural organisation hosting teachers from abroad.7
- The registration number applies to every form of tourist letting, short stay included.7
A first fine for short stay of a whole home without a permit is €4,500 for an incidental private letting and €9,000 for a structural one; for a business it is €13,500 or €18,000.7 A two-month guest who is not registered as an Amsterdam resident, staying in an owner’s flat while the owner is away, is still holiday letting, so those nights count against the 30-night cap. Amsterdam’s other rules are in the Amsterdam section of the rules guide.
Belgium
In Belgium, tourism and leases are both regional. Each region’s lease rules leave tourist accommodation to tourism law, so the first question is always whether the stay is tourist accommodation.913
Brussels
Brussels Economy and Employment requires registration before letting for 1 night to 90 consecutive days, whether the guest is a tourist, student, trainee or business traveller, even in your main home.8 A 60-night corporate stay is still tourist accommodation.
Above that, the Brussels Housing Code applies to every contract for a home, second homes included, but not to tourist accommodation such as Airbnb, which has its own legislation.9 Within the Code:
- Main residence lease. The protective rules apply when the tenant makes the home their main residence and the landlord agrees, expressly or tacitly. A clause saying the home may not be a main residence only counts if it gives a serious reason, such as a holiday home or aparthotel, and states where the tenant’s main residence is.9
- Short lease. A main residence lease of three years or less may be extended once in writing, within three years in total. A lease under six months ends at its agreed date without notice and cannot be ended early.9
- Six months or more. The lease ends with three months’ notice before its end; without notice it continues. The tenant may leave early with three months’ notice and one month’s rent.9
According to DroitBelge, a Belgian legal news site, a Brussels government decree of 9 July 2026, published in the Belgian Official Journal on 27 October 2026, applies the tourist accommodation ordinance of 1 February 2024 from 1 January 2027.21 The official texts confirm that both apply from 1 January 2027, and the ordinance keeps the 90-day limit: tourist accommodation is a paid stay of at most 90 consecutive days.2223 See Airbnb rules in Brussels.
Flanders
The Logiesdecreet covers every accommodation offered on the tourist market in Flanders, let for at least one night; the official page sets no upper limit and says to ask Toerisme Vlaanderen if in doubt.10 Our reading: a unit listed on Airbnb stays tourist accommodation even if most guests stay a month.
The Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet applies when the tenant makes the home their main residence with the landlord’s express or tacit consent. A clause ruling that out is void unless it is seriously justified, for example by the nature of the property, and states the tenant’s main residence.11
For a short lease, article 21 is the one to know:11
- Up to three years, in writing, extendable once on the same terms within three years in total.
- Tenant can leave early with three months’ notice, paying one and a half, one or half a month’s rent in the first, second or third year. Until the lease is registered, the notice and payment do not apply.
- Notice at the end. Without notice at least three months before the end, or if the tenant stays on without objection, the lease becomes a nine-year lease from the original start date.
So a four-month let to someone who settles in can become a nine-year lease if nobody gives notice on time.
Wallonia
Tourisme Wallonie treats any place where tourists can stay at least one night for payment as tourist accommodation, in any form, apartments included.12 The Walloon lease decree excludes tourist accommodation as defined in the Walloon tourism code and covers all other homes, second homes included.13
- Common law lease. A lease that is not a main residence, student or shared lease, for example for a second home, has a freely agreed term.13
- Short main residence lease. At most three years, in writing, extendable at most twice within three years in total; without notice it becomes a nine-year lease from the start of the first one.13
How platforms handle 28 nights or more
Airbnb calls a booking of 28 nights or more a monthly stay. Hosts set it through minimum and maximum nights in the availability settings and can add weekly and monthly discounts, which guests then see in search.14
- Payments. The guest pays a first month up front; the rest is collected and released in monthly instalments.14
- Payouts. The first payout is released by the end of the business day after check-in, then monthly for the rest of the stay. New hosts get the first payout 28 days after check-in.15
- Cancellation. Long-term Firm refunds in full up to 30 days before check-in; long-term Strict only within 48 hours of booking and at least 28 days before check-in. Later cancellations pay you for nights spent plus 30 more, and after check-in there is no refund.16
- Tenant rights. Airbnb warns that “in some jurisdictions, guests may establish rights as a tenant after a month” and asks hosts to know their local laws.14
Airbnb’s fee pages mention no different rate for monthly stays: most hosts pay the single 15.5% fee on the nightly price and host fees such as cleaning, plus VAT on the fee unless VAT-registered.171819 We did not check other platforms for this guide.
A month of short stays against one tenant
Worked example: One furnished one-bedroom in Brussels, one month of 30 nights (illustration)
Invented inputs. Short stays: €100 a night for 21 nights in a busy month or €90 for 12 nights in a quiet one, 3-night stays, a €50 cleaning fee per stay paid to the cleaner. Mid-term: one guest for 30 nights at €1,800 after a monthly discount, plus an €80 final clean. All on Airbnb at 15.5% of nightly price and cleaning, plus 21% VAT on the fee, the Belgian standard rate.171820 Commission is 20% of accommodation revenue. Tourist tax, VAT on accommodation and running costs are left out.
| Line, one month | Short stays, busy | Short stays, quiet | One mid-term guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nights and stays | 21 nights, 7 stays | 12 nights, 4 stays | 30 nights, 1 stay |
| Accommodation revenue | €2,100.00 | €1,080.00 | €1,800.00 |
| Cleaning fees | €350.00 | €200.00 | €80.00 |
| Gross booking value | €2,450.00 | €1,280.00 | €1,880.00 |
| Airbnb fee, 15.5% | −€379.75 | −€198.40 | −€291.40 |
| VAT on the fee, 21% | −€79.75 | −€41.66 | −€61.19 |
| Cleaner | −€350.00 | −€200.00 | −€80.00 |
| Commission, 20% | −€420.00 | −€216.00 | −€360.00 |
| Owner keeps | €1,220.50 | €623.94 | €1,087.41 |
The mid-term guest earns €463.47 more than the quiet month and €133.09 less than the busy one, with one turnover instead of four or seven. At 30 consecutive nights the stay is still inside Brussels’ 1 to 90 day registration range, so the unit needs the same registration as for short stays.8
An illustration with round numbers, not a projection for a real unit.
To compare a full year, use the long-term comparison in the revenue projection guide and change the inputs in the revenue calculator.
When mid-term beats short stays
A monthly guest tends to win when:
- The month would be quiet anyway, so a monthly price beats patchy occupancy.
- Turnovers are expensive: one guest means one clean and one check-in.
- The owner wants predictability: monthly payouts and a policy that pays 30 more nights on late cancellation.1516
It tends to lose, or carry hidden risk, when:
- The stay crosses into lease law, for example when the guest makes it their main residence, and in Flanders a missed notice can mean nine years.911
- The city counts it as tourist letting anyway, as Amsterdam does up to six months and Brussels up to 90 consecutive days.78
- The rules may shift, with the Dutch 30-night plan and the Brussels rules from 1 January 2027.321
Before switching a unit to monthly stays, write down which regime each stay length falls under, who gives notice at the end of a lease, and who carries a tenant who will not leave. Those points belong in the management agreement, and VAT on accommodation is explained in the VAT section of the rules guide.
Questions people ask
What does mid-term rental mean?
A mid-term rental is a furnished let that is longer than a holiday stay and shorter than an ordinary lease, usually one to several months. It is not a legal category in Belgium or the Netherlands: depending on the place and the facts, the same stay is tourist accommodation, short stay or a residential lease.589
Is a mid-term rental legal in Amsterdam?
Only within narrow rules. Amsterdam’s housing ordinance treats paid stays by people not registered as residents in Amsterdam as tourist letting, and short stay of up to six months needs a permit that the city grants only for a function it wants, such as housing visiting staff of a cultural organisation. Holiday letting of your own home while you are away is capped at 30 nights a year.7
Do I need to register a mid-term rental in Brussels?
If the stay is 1 night to 90 consecutive days, yes: Brussels Economy and Employment requires registration for that range, whether the guest is a tourist, student, trainee or business traveller.8 A lease to someone who makes the home their main residence falls under the Brussels Housing Code instead, which excludes tourist accommodation.9
How does Airbnb handle stays of 28 nights or more?
Will the Netherlands limit short stay to 30 days?
Sources
Sources checked , unless another date is given.
- Rijksoverheid, “Maatregelen voor beter onderscheid tussen huur en short stay”, 14 November 2025, in Dutch
- Rijksoverheid, “Consultatie start voor wetsvoorstel passende huurcontracten”, 2 July 2026, in Dutch
- Overheid.nl (internetconsultatie), “Passende huurcontracten”, Consultation 2 July to 28 August 2026, closed, in Dutch
- Tweede Kamer, “Toezegging Volkshuisvesting en fiscaliteit (TZ202609-100)”, 24 September 2026, open, in Dutch
- Wetten.overheid.nl, “Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, artikel 7:232”, Version in force from 1 January 2026, in Dutch
- Rijksoverheid, “Moet ik huurders een huurcontract voor onbepaalde tijd aanbieden?”, In Dutch
- Gemeente Amsterdam, “Huisvestingsverordening Amsterdam 2024”, Version in force from 1 January 2026: article 1 (definitions), articles 3.7.3, 3.7.3a, 3.7.6, explanatory notes and fine table 5a, in Dutch
- Brussels Economy and Employment, “Have your tourist accommodation registered”, Page dated 11 August 2025
- Bruxelles Logement (Brussels Regional Public Service), “Un mauvais bail, ça peut faire mal. Les baux d'habitation à Bruxelles”, Legal brochure, January 2025, pages 3, 34 to 39, in French
- Vlaanderen Vakantieland (Toerisme Vlaanderen), “Het Vlaamse Logiesdecreet”, Last updated 19 August 2026, in Dutch
- Vlaamse Codex, “Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet, articles 3, 5 and 21”, Consolidated text, in Dutch
- Tourisme Wallonie, “Gérer un hébergement touristique”, In French
- Service public de Wallonie (SPW Logement), “Le bail d'habitation en Wallonie”, Undated brochure on the decree of 15 March 2018, pages 7, 47 and 57, in French
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Host monthly stays”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Payouts for monthly stays”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Cancellation policies for your home”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Airbnb service fees”
- Airbnb, “Simplifying service fees on Airbnb”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “VAT on Airbnb service fees”
- Your Europe (European Commission), “VAT rules and rates: standard, special and reduced rates”, Last checked by the Commission 13 July 2026
- DroitBelge, “Hébergement touristique à Bruxelles: arrêté d'exécution de l'ordonnance du 1er février 2024”, Legal news site, 27 October 2026, in French
- Belgian Official Journal (Justel), “Ordonnance du 1er février 2024 relative à l'hébergement touristique”, checked , Article 3: at most 90 consecutive days, in French
- Belgian Official Journal, “Arrêté du Gouvernement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale du 9 juillet 2026 portant exécution de l'ordonnance du 1er février 2024 relative à l'hébergement touristique”, checked , Published 27 October 2026, article 104 on entry into force, in French
We check every figure against the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Email systemen@hostproacademy.com with the guide title.
About HostPro Academy
The team behind this guide
These guides are written by the team behind HostPro Academy, a training programme for building a short-term rental management business. The markets and growth part of that programme is covered in lesson 5.3.