Yes, you can rent an apartment for 3 months. It’s legal in every U.S. state, and landlords are free to write a lease for any length they want. The real obstacle is practical: most landlords prefer 12-month commitments because turnover is expensive, so your pool of willing landlords is smaller and the monthly rent runs higher. As long as your stay exceeds 30 consecutive days, a three-month tenancy triggers the same landlord-tenant protections as a yearlong one, including habitability standards and formal eviction procedures.
The 30-day threshold is the line that matters legally. Shorter stays fall under short-term rental or lodging rules, with transient taxes, registration, and zoning restrictions that vary by city. Three months clears that line comfortably and sits in standard residential tenancy territory.
Lease Structures That Get You to Three Months
Four arrangements commonly produce a 90-day stay. The one you choose shapes your cost, your flexibility, and how the tenancy ends.
Fixed-Term Lease
A fixed-term lease has a defined start and end date. Rent stays constant for the whole period, and neither side can walk away early without consequences. When the end date arrives, the lease simply expires. In most states, neither party owes additional notice for a fixed-term lease to end on its stated date, but some leases include a clause requiring 30-day notice of non-renewal anyway. Read yours before you assume anything.
Month-to-Month Agreement
A month-to-month tenancy renews automatically every 30 days. Either party can end it with written notice, usually 30 days ahead, though some states require as little as 15 or as many as 60. The flexibility cuts both ways: the landlord can also raise your rent or end the arrangement on the same notice. To hit exactly three months, you’d let the lease renew twice and deliver written notice before the third month begins.
Corporate Housing
Corporate housing comes fully furnished with utilities, internet, and housewares bundled into one monthly price. These units are built for relocations, project-based work, and insurance placements. A one-bedroom averages roughly $3,300 per month nationally, which is well above most unfurnished markets. Factor in the cost and time of furnishing a place for 90 days and setting up utility accounts, though, and corporate housing often breaks even for a genuinely short stay.
Subletting From an Existing Tenant
Subletting is one of the most common paths to a short stay. A tenant with a longer lease rents the unit to you for part of their term. The original tenant stays on the primary lease and remains financially responsible to the landlord, so damage or missed rent falls on them first. Most leases either prohibit subletting or require the landlord’s written approval. Confirm the sublet is authorized before handing over any money. An unauthorized sublet can get both you and the original tenant evicted.
Where to Find Three-Month Rentals
Standard apartment sites skew heavily toward annual leases, so a different search strategy helps. Airbnb’s monthly stay filter surfaces furnished rentals of 30 days or longer, often at rates well below the nightly price. Furnished Finder targets traveling professionals and lists units available for one to several months. Facebook Marketplace and local Facebook housing groups are productive in college towns and cities with large hospitals, where rotating students and medical staff keep short-term demand steady.
Property management companies with large portfolios are more willing than individual landlords to offer short-term leases, because they can spread turnover costs across many units. If you’re approaching a landlord who hasn’t advertised a short option, lead with your situation and your willingness to pay a premium. A landlord who would never list a three-month lease might accept one for 10 to 20 percent above the listed rate, or for the full three months paid upfront.
What It Costs
Expect the monthly rent on a three-month lease to run noticeably higher than the same unit would on a 12-month commitment. Landlords price short leases up because they face more vacancy and more turnover. The exact premium depends on the market, but 10 to 25 percent above the standard annual rate is common.
Beyond rent, budget for the upfront costs:
- Security deposit, typically one to two months’ rent. About half of states cap how much a landlord can collect, with limits ranging from one to three months’ rent; the remaining states impose no statutory cap. Short-term tenants often land at the higher end because landlords see shorter stays as riskier.
- First month’s rent, due with the deposit before move-in. Some landlords also ask for the last month’s rent upfront on a short-term deal.
- Application fee, which covers credit and background screening. A handful of states cap these; where no cap exists, fees typically run $30 to $75.
- Renters insurance, which many landlords require regardless of lease length. Policies run as low as $12 to $20 per month, and most insurers offer month-to-month coverage so you aren’t paying after you leave.
Late fees are worth checking in the lease. In capped states the limit is usually around 5 percent of monthly rent, with the full range running roughly 4 to 10 percent. Many states only require the fee to be “reasonable” and disclosed. On a 90-day stay, a single late payment can swallow a chunk of your deposit return, so automate rent if you can.
The Application and Screening
Landlords screening a three-month tenant want the same documents they’d ask of a yearlong tenant, sometimes with extra scrutiny because a short lease gives them less time to recover from a bad pick.
Have these ready before you apply:
- Government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport.
- Proof of income: recent pay stubs, an offer letter, or tax returns. Most landlords look for income of at least three times the monthly rent.
- Rental history with contact information for previous landlords. A clean track record counts for a lot on a short application.
- A brief written explanation of your timeline, whether it’s a work contract, a relocation, or a gap between permanent housing. A concrete reason makes landlords more comfortable.
After you submit, the landlord runs a tenant background check covering credit, criminal records, eviction history, and past addresses. If the landlord denies you based on something in the report, they must give you an adverse action notice identifying the screening company and explaining your right to dispute errors. You can request a free copy of the report within 60 days of that notice.1Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Tenant Background Checks and Your Rights Screening reports contain mistakes more often than people expect, and an error shouldn’t cost you housing.
Protecting Your Deposit on a Short Stay
On a 90-day lease, the security deposit represents a larger share of your total housing cost than it would over a year, so the move-in walkthrough matters more. Before you accept the keys, walk the unit with the landlord and document every scratch, stain, and scuff in writing and with photos. This inspection sets the baseline the landlord will measure against when deciding what to deduct at move-out.2Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Appendix 5 – Move-In/Move-Out Inspection Form
Note the condition of appliances, flooring, walls, fixtures, and windows. Test light switches, outlets, faucets, and locks. If something is already damaged, write it down and make sure the landlord acknowledges it. Keep your copy somewhere safe. You’ll need it again on move-out day.
After you leave, the landlord has a limited window to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. The deadline varies by state, typically between 14 and 45 days. Deductions are allowed only for unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear. Nail holes from hanging pictures are generally normal wear; a hole punched through a door is not. Your move-in and move-out photos, compared side by side, are the evidence that wins a small-claims dispute.
How to End the Lease Cleanly
The mechanics depend on the structure you signed.
A fixed-term lease expires on its stated end date. In most states neither side owes additional notice. You move out, return the keys, and you’re done. Some leases include a non-renewal notice clause of 30 or 60 days anyway, and missing that deadline can automatically convert the lease to month-to-month, meaning you owe rent for another period.
A month-to-month tenancy requires written notice to terminate, usually 30 days before your move-out date. Count the days carefully. If you want to leave at the end of month three, the notice typically has to go out during month two.
Staying past the end date without a new agreement makes you a holdover tenant. The landlord can either accept rent and let the arrangement convert to month-to-month, or refuse payment and start eviction. Both outcomes are worse than leaving on time.
Breaking the Lease Early
Most fixed-term leases include an early termination clause with a set penalty, often one or two months’ rent. Some require rent through the end of the term regardless of when you move out. Negotiating a reasonable break clause is far easier before you sign than after.
Most states impose a duty on the landlord to mitigate damages when a tenant leaves early. The landlord has to make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit rather than leave it empty and bill you for every remaining month. You still owe rent until a new tenant moves in, plus re-leasing costs, but the landlord can’t collect from an empty apartment indefinitely. On a 90-day lease, the remaining liability is capped by the short term itself, which makes early exit less punishing than breaking a yearlong deal.
Active-duty servicemembers who receive qualifying orders have additional protections. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act allows covered servicemembers to terminate a residential lease early with proper notice and a copy of their orders, and the landlord cannot impose early termination penalties beyond prorated rent through the termination date.