How to Find a Winter Rental in the Algarve

Winter is a fantastic time to visit the Algarve. Temperatures are cooler but still reach 16-20° C during the day, there are very few tourists, and property rental prices are considerably cheaper.

Despite the thousands of empty apartments and villas across the Algarve, finding a rental for the winter period isn’t as easy as it should be. It is getting easier, though, and there are now several companies that you can rent a property on a medium or long-term basis.

Where to find Winter Rentals

The following are a few of the main places where you can find properties to rent over the winter season.

Flatio

Flatio is designed for medium to long-term stays of a few months at a time, but it can be used for shorter trips as well.

Airbnb

While most people use Airbnb for short-term stays of a few days or even weeks, it’s also an option for monthly rentals as well. Many hosts set discounted monthly rates for stays of 28 days or more, particularly during the winter, often with discounts of more than 50% off.

You can also try your hand at negotiating with some of the hosts if you’re planning on staying for several months. Some hosts won’t budge, but it never hurts to try.

Estate Agents

As mentioned, many rental properties sit empty during the winter and so it can be worth getting in touch with an estate agent and seeing what they have available.

It is possible to do this over email, but you’ll have much more success if you do it in person.

VRBO

VRBO (or Vacation Rentals by Owner) is a vacation rentals website where you can rent entire properties directly from the owner. Because most of the Algarve rentals on the site will be aimed at summer tourists, it can be a good way of getting in contact with people who will might otherwise have an empty house or apartment over the winter.

Unlike Airbnb where owners often put monthly rates, VRBO rates are usually nightly so you’ll have to get in touch which owners directly to see if they’ll offer you a long term rate.

Holiferias

Apartment rental company Holiferias often has several properties available for rent in the winter. The properties are normally based around Portimão, particularly Ferragudo, Carvoeiro, Alvor, and Portimão itself.

Pure Portugal Holidays

Although primarily a holiday rentals company, Pure Portugal also list long-term rentals throughout Portugal. The rentals section is a bit difficult to navigate at first, but if you filter to only show “Faro” you’ll be able to see properties for the whole of the Algarve (the Algarve region is known as Faro).

Facebook Groups

There are several Facebook that are specifically dedicated to winter rentals. Trawling through them can be a bit of work but, on the plus side, many people start advertising their places for winter early on.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a good option for finding long term rentals on the Algarve. And, because many of the properties are posted by local landlords rather than companies, it can be a way of finding an affordable place to rent.

Winter rentals are unlikely to be posted in advance on Facebook Marketplace, so you’ll normally have to wait until Autumn and then contact people to see if they’re willing to rent over the winter.

Winter in Algarve

Winter in the Algarve specialises in winter rentals across the Algarve. The properties are posted by a mixture of individuals and rental company and prices and value for money vary considerably. As it’s specifically catered to people wanting to rent in the Algarve during winter, it’s definitely worth browsing through the adverts.

Lagos Long Lets

Lagos Long Lets specialises in rentals in Lagos and nearby towns like Portimão and Vila do Bispo. Many of their rentals are available as winter lets, and some for as little as 3 months at a time.

Because most of the winter lets are rented out during the summer, many already have wifi installed.

The Real Algarve

The Real Algarve is a high-end property rental company that offer luxury properties across the Algarve, but particularly in Albufeira and around Vilamoura and the Golden Triangle region of the Algarve.

These properties are definitely some of the most luxurious on the Algarve, with amenities that include tennis courts, hot tubs, and cozy log fires and weekly rental rates of as much as €10,000 during the summer.

Seashell

Seashell are a property management company that specialise in mid to high-end properties in places like Vilamoura, Vale do Lobo, Quinta do Lago, and Galé near Albufeira with a number of properties that can be rented over winter. Being high end, many of the properties have heated pools as well as other essential amenities like wifi and cable TV.

Casas do Barlavento

Casas do Barlavento have a number of properties for rent during the winter or spring under their “long term rentals” section, many of which are holiday rentals that normally rented out during the summer. The majority of the properties are in Lagos.

Classifieds

Most classifieds ads are aimed at long-term renters, but there’s no harm is asking if the landlord would be willing to rent to you for three to six months. The downside to this approach is that, since the properties are aimed at long-term renters, they may not come with wifi pre-installed.

OLX and Idealista are two of the largest classifieds websites in Portugal, but there are plenty of others like Sapo and Custo Justo.