The amount you pay for your first and last months' rent depends on two things:
Your exact move-in and move-out dates.
The landlord's chosen rent calculation method.
How landlords calculate rent
Landlords choose one of three ways to calculate rent for their listings:
Daily basis: You only pay for the exact number of days you stay in your first and last months — just like a hotel. For all other full months, you pay the full month’s rent.
To confirm your rental, you'll pay one full month's rent upfront. Any excess for your first month will be subtracted from your next month's rent.
Half-monthly basis: For your first and last months, if you stay half a month or less, you pay half that month’s rent. If you stay more than half a month, you pay the full month’s rent.
To confirm your rental, you'll pay one full month's rent upfront. Any excess for your first month will be subtracted from your next month's rent.
Monthly basis: You always pay the full month’s rent, no matter your move-in and move-out dates.
Example of rent calculations
Let's say you're renting a place from 20 April to 10 August for €1,000 per month. The landlord can choose to calculate rent on a daily, half-monthly, or monthly basis.
Daily basis
To calculate the daily rate, divide the monthly rent by the total number of days in that month. For example, if the monthly rent is €1,500 and the month has 30 days, the daily rate is €50 (€1,500 ÷ 30).
April: Pay for 11 days. (Any excess from your initial full month's payment will reduce May's rent.)
June and July: Pay full monthly rent.
August: Pay for 10 days.
To illustrate, let's consider an example where you rent an apartment from June 15 to July 15, with a monthly rent of €1,500:
June: You pay the full monthly rent to confirm your stay, despite the mid-month move-in.
July: The rent for this month is calculated for 15 days of occupancy. For a 31-day month, this equates to €48.39 per day (€1,500 ÷ 31 days), totaling €725.81.
Excess rent adjustment: Any excess paid in June is automatically deducted from your July payment, reducing the final amount owed.
Half-monthly basis
April: Pay half a month's rent for the second half. (Any excess from your initial full month's payment will reduce May's rent.)
June & July: Pay full monthly rent.
August: Pay half a month's rent for the first half of August.
Monthly basis
Pay full rent for every month you stay, including April and August.
Checking how rent is calculated
See the listing description to learn how rent is calculated for a specific listing. It will look like this (example shows rent calculated on a daily basis).
Understanding how rent is calculated helps you plan your budget with confidence. We're here to make your rental journey clear and straightforward, so you can focus on settling into your new home.