Long Term Rentals in Europe, UK and more!

You will probably have a hard time finding one company (besides the big ones you’ve already mentioned) that would offer properties in multiple countries. It might be easier to identify specific locations you plan to stay in, then forum members can provide feedback for agencies/specific properties they have experience at.

One thought is to use a site like booking.com to narrow down the properties you are interested in, then contact the property directly to discuss discounted rates for an extended stay. We’ve rented many apartments and have found that most owners advertise on multiple sites: booking.com, vrbo, other local sites, etc.

Be sure your plans do not violate the Schengen zone limitation of 90 days within any 180-day period. If you don't have an EU passport or a long-stay visa, it may be tricky to spend a year in Europe and remain legal. Except for Ireland and the UK, most countries where travelers would think of spending a month at a time are part of the Schengen area.

The Schengen area includes Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein even though they are not part of the EU.

For the accommodation I don’t think you are going to find a single source outside of those that have been mentioned. I think you will do better on cost if you contact the apartment owners directly.

How do you do that? Go to AirBnb and find a few places you like and look for some unique wording in the description, then google those words in quotation marks and with some luck you might find the owner’s private listing or other platforms that handle the unit.

Another way is to contact local guide companies. They often have units that they represent or recommend. I can maybe give you some leads in Ukraine, Croatia (also ask TexasTravelMom), Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

So you didn’t ask for this, but EU - Europe, UK and non-EU eastern Europe means it can be done without Schengen problems. I am sure you know this, but EU does not equal Schengen and vice versa. Something like this but pad the out of Schengen a bit to stay out of trouble.

90 days Schengen
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

90 days UK
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

90 days Europe outside of Schengen
Bulgaria (EU), Romania (EU), Cyprus (EU), Ireland (EU), Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine

90 days Schengen
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Spotahome is along the lines of what you're looking for, though it may not be a single solution. It's heavily weighted to its native Spain but does have listings across Europe.

A one-month stay isn't particularly long-term, and many AirBnB listings will offer a discount for stays of 4 weeks or more. Honestly, it's hard to imagine doing much better than that. (Most European cities have the same housing crisis as much of North America.)

Look at longtermlettings.com and let us know if it's what you're looking for.

and you might look through here. A more affordable housing market will probably result in lower rents. https://www.cia-landlords.co.uk/news/the-most-least-affordable-european-cities-to-buy-a-home/

Another thing: A fair number of people come to the forum, inquiring about staying a month, or occasionally longer, in a single European location and branching out from there. That works for some folks, I think especially if they need to work during the trip (but check into the legality of doing that). But for other posters, the reality is that picking a single location as a base for an extended stay can really limit what places you can see. It's fine if you choose places like Paris, London and Rome, which themselves have months of local sights. But if you have a bunch
of planned side trips in France, England and Italy, a single base in those countries isn't likely to be practical.

Although in theory it should be cheaper to rent lodging for four weeks or a month in a single location, if that location is a very sight-rich (and therefore popular) city, you may well encounter higher costs there than for a multiple-base trip within the same country that includes time in secondary cities. I'd expect that pattern to hold for England, France, Spain and Italy, at least.

Rob B. You won’t be spending a year in Europe with the scenario you propose. You ought to figure out the ins and outs of entry requirements and Visas first and then where you’re staying later.

Rob B. I think it can work just fine. If you have a US passport, you will need E-Visas for Turkey and Azerbaijan. Easy to do online.

You would have different visa issues if you were nutty enough to consider belarus or russia.

I am fairly certain that all of the non-schengen countries have a 90 in 180 limit, but that's easy enough to confirm, and you will need to, once you start laying out your plan.

Put the Schengen countries in the first and last 90-day stretches and, in reality, keep them to a little less than 90, and you will have no problems.