Mid-term rental in Nice: how do you let your property off-season, from October to March?

Mid-term rental in Nice: from October to March, hotel occupancy in Nice falls to 58% on average, against 91% from June to September. That period matches local demand from students, junior doctors and employees on assignment, who rent by the month on a mobility lease or a 9-month student furnished lease.

Nice in the off-season: how far does tourist demand fall between October and March?

The 2025 figures published by Nice Côte d'Azur Tourisme measure the gap between the two seasons in the city's hotels:

• Summer 2025: 91% occupancy (the share of rooms sold) on average from June to September.
• Winter: 58% on average across December and January to March, stable on 2024.
• February 2025: 60.8% for Nice Ville, at an average rate of €98.2 excluding VAT per room, according to the regional tourism board's monthly MKG barometer. February is the month of the Carnival.

Tourist furnished rentals in Nice ran at 49% occupancy on average over 2024, against 72% for the city's hotels (Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur key figures 2024). A property let by the night therefore stands empty about one night in two over the year. This slump comes on top of the legal limits on short-term rental in Nice (120 days for a primary residence since 1 September 2026, under the Métropole's change-of-use regulation, change-of-use authorisation from the first night for a second home), covered in our article on Nice's cap and the mobility lease.

Who rents in Nice from October to March: mid-term rental demand

A mid-term rental is a furnished let of 1 to 10 months to someone who moves to Nice for a specific reason. Four sources of demand are documented.

Students

Université Côte d'Azur has 35,000 students from more than 100 countries, across 11 campuses, including Valrose, Carlone, Saint Jean d'Angely, Trotabas and Pasteur in Nice. The academic year covers the tourist low season exactly. A student on an internship or a one-semester exchange needs housing for that semester.

Junior doctors and healthcare staff

Nice University Hospital (CHU de Nice) employs 9,000 staff. Medical, pharmacy and dental residents change placement every six months: a winter semester from November to April and a summer semester from May to October (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional health agency). For winter 2026, residents start on Monday 2 November 2026, until 2 May 2027. Medical residents in the Nice subdivision choose their placements in late September. A resident posted to Nice for six months therefore looks for housing in October, for a length known in advance.

Relocations and work assignments

The Sophia Antipolis technology park, in the Alpes-Maritimes, brings together 2,650 companies and 44,500 jobs, according to the technology park's official website. Employees on relocation, on probation or on assignments of a few months qualify for the mobility lease in any season.

Conferences and business travel

Business visitors to the Métropole spent €147 a day in 2024, up 32% in a year. These stays last a few nights: they fall under short-term rental and the tourist furnished rental rules. They fill isolated weeks and never cover a whole winter.

Mobility lease or 9-month student lease: which format for letting in Nice off-season?

Both formats are residential lets. The tenant makes the property their home, it does not become a tourist rental, and the 120-day cap does not apply. The one-year furnished lease is included for comparison, as it is the usual format for long-term landlords.

• Mobility lease: the format for residents, interns and employees on assignment. Its length follows the semester or the assignment. The non-renewal rule applies to the same tenant in the same property.
• 9-month student lease: it covers an academic year, September to May for example, and frees the property for the summer without any notice to serve.

Income from both leases is furnished rental income. Its taxation is covered in our article on micro-BIC or the real regime.

A typical year of mid-term rental in Nice, month by month

Two situations are shown. In the first, the property has no change-of-use authorisation: it only takes residential leases. In the second, the owner of a second home holds that authorisation and keeps the summer for short-term rental.

In both cases, no winter month depends on tourist demand. Residents' semester dates are set nationally; academic year dates vary by course. The Métropole also runs a mixed letting scheme with the CROUS (the student services body), limited to students receiving housing benefit, whose conditions are set out in the article on Nice's cap.

What mid-term rental asks of an owner in Nice

For a long-term landlord, mid-term rental replaces one tenant with two or three tenants a year. Each move-in means an inventory, a file check and sometimes a few empty days. The steps to check before the first listing:

1. Status of the property: primary residence, second home, authorisation held or not. The rules by town are on our page on the Riviera's legal framework.
2. Building rules: the co-ownership regulations may restrict short-term rental. Residential leases remain a residential use.
3. Energy performance: a property let on a residential or mobility lease must be rated A to F on the energy performance certificate (DPE) until 2027, then A to E from 2028.
4. Furniture: the legal furnished list (bedding, hob, fridge, crockery, table, seating, storage, lighting).
5. Tenant's proof: on a mobility lease, the reason (studies, internship, relocation, assignment) is written into the contract. Without it, the lease is treated as a standard lease.
6. Guarantee: with no deposit on a mobility lease, the Visale guarantee or a guarantor covers unpaid rent.
7. Timing: the listing should be live before the end of September to reach residents starting in November.

To compare this calendar with an annual lease, start from the method in our guide to estimating what a property earns and add one empty month per change of tenant in the low scenario.

What Flatlab does

We manage 17 properties in Dubai, Nice, Paris and Tunisia. In Nice, off high season, we switch to a mobility lease of 1 to 10 months. In under 24h, an advisor gives you a detailed projection, sourced from our Nice portfolio, along with a Loi Le Meur audit. The fee is 20% all-inclusive, with 3-month cancellation. Our Nice operation is described on the page management on the French Riviera.

FAQ

Does a mobility lease count towards Nice's 120 days of short-term rental?

No. A mobility lease is a residential let: the tenant makes the property their home. The 120-day cap only applies to letting a primary residence as a tourist rental.

Can I sign two mobility leases in a row for the same property?

Yes, with two different tenants. With the same tenant, a new lease for the same property must be a standard residential lease.

Is a 9-month student lease renewable?

No. It ends at its term without either party giving notice. To continue, a new lease must be signed.

When should I look for a winter tenant in Nice?

In September. Residents choose their placements in late September for a start in early November, and the academic year starts in September.

This article is for information only. It does not replace professional legal or tax advice. Nice's rules are changing: check the rule in force with the City and the Métropole before letting.