Furnishing a flat for mid-term tenants in Valencia: the inventory list
Last updated: 26 September 2026
A mid-term tenant arrives with luggage, not household goods, and expects to work, cook and sleep properly from the first evening. This article is a furnished mid-term rental inventory for a flat in Valencia: what the tenant checks on day one, a room-by-room list, where to spend and where to save, and how the signed inventory settles the deposit. Preparing a flat for the next tenant covers the changeover between tenancies; this is the list behind it.
Who the mid-term tenant is and what they expect on day one
The mid-term tenant is in Valencia for a reason with an end date, and expects the flat to work as a home and an office from the day they arrive. They are expat professionals, relocated employees, visiting academics and families between homes, on a temporary contract of 1 to 11 months. Mid-term or long-term let explains how that contract differs from a standard one.
On the first day they check 7 things:
A work desk, a proper chair and fast wifi.
A full kitchen kit, enough to cook a real meal on the first night.
Bedding and towels, with the bed made and a winter duvet in the cupboard.
A washing machine and a drying rack.
Air conditioning and heating that work, often from the same heat pump unit.
Blackout in the bedroom: persianas (exterior roller shutters) or blackout curtains.
Storage: wardrobe space, hangers, drawers and a place for 2 empty suitcases.
The room-by-room inventory list
A complete inventory lists every item by room with its quantity and condition, so the same document is used to buy, to check in and to check out. Quantities are per bed or per person; a person is each place the flat sleeps.
Room | What to include |
|---|---|
Living room | Sofa with washable covers, coffee table, dining table and a chair per person, rug on tiled floors, curtains, 2 lamps |
Work corner | Desk wide enough for a laptop and a second screen, adjustable chair, desk lamp, power strip, wifi repeater if the router is far away |
Kitchen appliances | Fridge-freezer, hob, oven or combination microwave, extractor, kettle, toaster, coffee maker |
Kitchen equipment | 3 saucepans, 2 frying pans, oven dish, chef's knife, bread knife, chopping boards, colander, ladle, spatula, tin opener, corkscrew, food containers, tea towels, bin with room for recycling |
Tableware | Per person plus 2: dinner plate, side plate, bowl, mug, 2 glasses and a full set of cutlery |
Bedroom | Good mattress with a protector, 2 pillows per person, summer and winter duvets, bedside tables and lamps, wardrobe with hangers, drawers, mirror, blackout |
Linen | 2 sets of bed linen per bed, 2 bath towels and 2 hand towels per person, bath mat |
Bathroom | Towel rail, shower screen or curtain, mirror, cabinet, hair dryer, toilet brush, bin |
Laundry and cleaning | Washing machine, drying rack, iron and board, vacuum cleaner, mop and bucket, broom |
Arrival | Toilet paper, soap and washing-up liquid for the first days, spare bulbs, and a one-page house guide: wifi password, heat pump and shutters, bins, helpline number |
Add a quantity and a short condition note to each line, such as "new" or "light scratch on left door", and the shopping list becomes the inventory the tenant signs.
Durable or cheap: buying for a life measured in tenancies
Spend on what every tenant uses daily and judges in the first hour, and buy the rest so it can be replaced quickly. Furniture in a mid-term flat wears by tenancies, not years. Typical scenario: a flat let on 6-month contracts has 2 move-ins and 2 turnover cleans a year, and every tenant sleeps on the same mattress and cooks with the same pans.
Worth buying to last:
Mattresses, with a washable protector fitted from day one.
Sofas with a firm frame and removable, washable covers in a darker or patterned fabric.
An adjustable desk chair, since the tenant may work in it all day.
Heavy-based stainless steel pans and good knives, which outlast cheap non-stick sets.
Bed frames and wardrobes with solid slats, hinges and runners.
Fine to buy simply and replace:
Plates, glasses and mugs from a range that stays in the shops, so a broken piece is replaced to match.
Linen and towels in white or one plain colour, so sets wash together and are replaced one at a time.
Cushions, rugs and pictures: few, washable, and chosen to make the photos look finished.
Before the first tenant: a flat cleared for someone else's life
The flat should hold only what is on the inventory, so the tenant has room to settle in and the list stays short. Take home or store elsewhere:
Documents, post and anything with your personal details on it.
Jewellery, art of value, heirlooms and collections.
Family photos, clothes and personal books.
Furniture with sentimental value.
Food and toiletries from your own stays.
Leave wardrobes, drawers and kitchen cupboards empty for the tenant. To keep a few things in the flat, use a locked cupboard marked on the inventory as not part of the let.
The signed inventory at check-in and check-out
The signed inventory, with dated photos taken at check-in and repeated at check-out, is the record both sides use to settle the deposit. Spanish civil law asks a tenant to return the property as they received it, apart from wear caused by time (Código Civil, article 1561), and the inventory shows what "as received" looked like.
For a temporary let, the Spanish rental law (LAU) sets the cash deposit at 2 months' rent, because a let by season counts as a let for a use other than a permanent home (articles 3.2 and 36.1). A balance owed back to the tenant earns interest at the legal rate if it is not returned within 1 month of the keys coming back (article 36.4).
Check-in and check-out follow the same 4 steps:
The list by room, with quantities and condition notes.
Photos of every room, then close-ups of existing marks, inside the oven and fridge, and the bare mattress.
Meter readings and the number of keys, written on the list.
Signatures on the day and a copy for the tenant; at check-out, a written deposit decision with the photos attached.
Nestor's rental management covers move-in and move-out with keys, deposits and inventory, and its cleaning service includes condition checks with deposit and inventory records.
Utilities and wifi in the owner's name
In a mid-term let, utilities and wifi stay in the owner's name, because the flat has to work on arrival day and a tenant staying a few months cannot be expected to open Spanish supply contracts.
Keep electricity, water and internet active between tenancies, so a move-in never waits for a reconnection.
Test the wifi speed at the desk, not by the router, and put the result in the listing.
If the flat uses butane gas bottles, leave a full one at every check-in.
State in the contract whether utilities are included in the rent or up to a monthly amount, settled from the meter readings.
Nestor's maintenance service covers boilers, air conditioning, locks, gas bottles and wifi, and Nestor runs a 24/7 helpline for tenants in mid-term lets.
Photos and listing
The listing should show the inventory at work, with the desk set up, the kitchen equipped and the bed made, because a tenant who is still in another country has only the photos and the description to go on.
Take the photos after the professional clean, in daylight, with the shutters up.
Show every room, plus the desk, the kitchen equipment, the washing machine and the wardrobe space.
Describe the key items in the same words as the inventory: desk, tested wifi speed, heat pump, blackout.
Nestor handles listing and price optimisation and publishes flats on the major rental portals and on Globexs, the group's platform for furnished mid-term rentals to expats and professionals.
From empty flat to first tenant with Nestor
Nestor can take a Valencia flat from empty to let, with the services taken as a full package or one at a time: furniture sourcing and flat preparation for new tenants, the listing, move-in and move-out, cleaning between tenancies and maintenance. Repairs above an agreed threshold are quoted and approved by the owner before work starts, and every owner, abroad or local, has a named contact. What a property manager actually does describes a normal month once the tenant has moved in.
If you own a flat in Valencia and want it furnished and ready for mid-term tenants, send the address, the size and the current state of the flat to the Nestor team. You get a written proposal with a fixed monthly fee, no visit required, no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a furnished mid-term rental inventory?
It is a room-by-room list of everything in a flat let furnished for 1 to 11 months, with a quantity and a condition note for each item. The tenant signs it at check-in with dated photos, and the same list is checked at check-out to settle the deposit.
What does a mid-term tenant in Valencia expect on day one?
A desk, a proper chair and fast wifi, a fully equipped kitchen, bedding and towels, a washing machine, working air conditioning and heating, blackout in the bedroom and storage for a few months of clothes.
How much deposit can I take for a mid-term let in Spain?
For a temporary let (arrendamiento de temporada), the Spanish rental law sets the cash deposit at 2 months' rent (LAU, article 36.1). The balance owed back to the tenant earns interest at the legal rate if it is not returned within 1 month of the keys being handed back (LAU, article 36.4).
Which furniture is worth spending more on?
Mattresses, the sofa, the desk chair, pans and knives, because every tenant uses them every day. Plates, glasses, linen and décor can come from simple ranges and be replaced piece by piece.
Should utilities and wifi be in the owner's name?
In a mid-term let, yes, so the flat works on the day the tenant arrives. The contract should say whether utilities are included in the rent or up to a monthly amount.
Can Nestor furnish and prepare my flat for mid-term tenants?
Yes. Furniture sourcing and flat preparation for new tenants are part of Nestor's refurbishment and renovation service, and rental management covers the listing, keys, deposits and inventory. The services can be taken as a full package or one at a time.
