Mid-Term Rental (MTR)

A mid-term rental (MTR) is a furnished property rented for 30 days to 12 months — the space between short-term vacation rentals (under 30 days) and traditional long-term leases (12+ months). The primary tenant base includes traveling nurses and healthcare professionals, corporate relocations, digital nomads, insurance displacement guests (families displaced by fire, flood, or home repairs), graduate students, and military personnel on temporary assignment. MTR demand is driven by the growing workforce mobility trend: the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 6.5+ million Americans work in temporary or travel-based positions.

The financial profile of an MTR sits between STR and LTR. Monthly MTR rents typically run 1.5–2.5x the long-term rental rate for the same property, while occupancy risk is lower than STR because tenants sign 30–90+ day agreements. Operating costs are also lower: fewer turnovers (4–8 per year vs 50–100+ for STR), no dynamic pricing complexity, and no daily guest communication. Many MTR operators achieve 85–95% annual occupancy with 40–60% less operational overhead than comparable STR operations. The tradeoff is lower peak revenue — an MTR will never match a top-performing STR during peak season.

From a regulatory perspective, MTRs often fly under STR regulations entirely. Most city STR ordinances define short-term as stays under 30 days. By operating at 30+ day minimums, MTR properties avoid STR permitting requirements, transient occupancy taxes, and primary residence restrictions that limit investor-owned STRs in many markets. This regulatory advantage makes MTR a viable strategy in markets where pure STR is restricted or banned — including New York City, Denver, and many California cities. Chalet tracks MTR market data alongside STR data so investors can model both strategies for any property.