Mid-term rentals in Seattle—furnished stays of 30 to 90 days—represent one of the most underused income strategies for property owners in the Puget Sound region. Travel nurses rotating through Swedish Medical Center, UW Medical Center, and Harborview, corporate employees relocating to Amazon and Microsoft campuses, and remote workers on extended project stints all need a furnished home base. They pay above-market rent, they stay long enough to eliminate the daily turnover burden of short-term rentals, and they rarely cause the noise complaints or party incidents that keep some owners up at night.
Key Takeaways
- Seattle mid-term rentals (30–90 day stays) target travel nurses, corporate relocators, and remote workers—all high-income, low-friction guests.
- MTR rates in Seattle typically run $3,500–$7,500/month for a furnished one- to two-bedroom, depending on location and quality.
- Stays of 30 or more days are exempt from Seattle's transient lodging tax, reducing your compliance burden.
- URPM manages both STR and MTR on the same property calendar, blending strategies to maximize net revenue across every season.
- A property within 15 minutes of a major hospital or tech campus captures the strongest MTR demand in the Puget Sound market.
Last updated: May 2026
What is a mid-term rental, and who is it for?
A mid-term rental (MTR) is a furnished residential stay between 30 and 90 days. It sits between the traditional Airbnb nightly model and a standard 12-month lease. The tenant is not a tourist—they are a professional on assignment, a family in temporary relocation, or an employee waiting for their permanent housing to close.
In Seattle's market, the three strongest MTR demand profiles are:
Travel nurses. Washington state's major hospital networks—UW Medicine, Swedish Health Services, Providence, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and MultiCare—routinely contract travel nurses on 13-week assignments. A single nurse rotation is almost exactly 90 days. Furnished Finder, the dominant marketplace for travel nurse housing, lists Seattle-area demand exceeding supply for furnished one- and two-bedroom units within commuting distance of hospital campuses.
Corporate relocators and project-based employees. Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Google, and dozens of mid-size tech firms in Seattle and the Eastside move employees on 30–120 day temporary assignments before their permanent relocation is finalized. These tenants typically receive a housing stipend from their employer—they are not spending their own money, which means they pay higher rates and leave the unit in excellent condition.
Remote workers and extended-stay travelers. A smaller but growing segment books MTR properties for 30–60 days of "slow travel," choosing Seattle as a base for the Pacific Northwest. This segment is less predictable but benefits from the same furnished, professionally managed setup that attracts nurses and corporate guests.
When Daniel, a software engineer at a Bellevue-based cloud firm, relocated from San Francisco in early 2025 for a 60-day project, his employer's relocation team started looking for furnished apartments in the Eastside market. He needed fiber internet, a dedicated workspace, and a quality kitchen. He booked a furnished two-bedroom in Kirkland at $5,800/month—a rate that was $1,100/month above the unfurnished market equivalent in the same building. The owner had listed the unit on Furnished Finder and Airbnb's monthly-stays category. Within four days of listing, they had three qualified applicants.
Why Seattle is one of the strongest MTR markets in the country
Seattle's MTR demand is structural, not cyclical. Three durable drivers:
Major medical infrastructure. The University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center alone employ hundreds of travel nurses at any given time. UW Medicine has 7 entities and multiple campuses across the region. Swedish has five locations. These institutions consistently maintain travel nurse rosters to fill staffing gaps—demand does not slow down in Q4 the way tourism does.
Tech concentration on the Eastside. The Microsoft main campus in Redmond, Amazon's growing Bellevue presence, and a dense cluster of engineering offices in Kirkland, Issaquah, and Bothell create year-round corporate relocation demand. Unlike seasonal tourist demand, corporate stays are booked in any month.
Supply constraint. Seattle's STR permit regulations (discussed in detail in our Seattle STR permit guide) make it harder to operate high-volume nightly rentals, which pushes supply toward longer stays. At the same time, Seattle's rental housing market has limited furnished inventory. Demand consistently outpaces supply in the 30–90 day furnished category.
Want URPM to model MTR revenue potential for your property? Request a free property assessment—we run the STR, MTR, and blended-calendar numbers before you sign anything.
How MTR revenue compares to nightly STR
The honest comparison depends on your specific property, location, and how you manage occupancy. Here is a realistic framework:
Nightly STR (Airbnb/VRBO): A well-managed two-bedroom in Capitol Hill or South Lake Union might average $180–$240/night with 65–75% occupancy in peak months. That translates to roughly $3,900–$5,400/month gross in peak season—and potentially 40% less in Seattle's slower November through February window.
MTR: The same unit furnished to corporate-relocation standards—reliable WiFi, a proper desk, quality linens, a stocked kitchen—lists at $4,500–$6,500/month on Furnished Finder and Airbnb's monthly-stay category. You have near-zero turnover costs during the stay. There is no daily cleaning or restocking. Guest communication volume drops to a handful of messages per week.
The blended model is what URPM runs for most managed properties: primary strategy is MTR from October through March, when Seattle's STR occupancy softens; STR nightly during peak summer and major event windows (Bumbershoot, Sounders playoff runs, Cherry Blossom season for Capitol Hill). Properties operating this blended calendar typically generate 8–12% more net annual revenue than single-strategy operations, and the owner has significantly fewer operational touchpoints.
Important note: Stays of 30 days or more in Washington state are exempt from the state's transient lodging tax and most local hotel/motel taxes. This reduces your per-stay compliance costs and is one reason MTR has a structurally higher net margin per booked night than equivalent STR revenue.
Setting up a property for MTR success
The good news: MTR setup is simpler than full-service nightly STR because you don't need to anticipate dozens of different guest profiles per month. You need to satisfy one profile extremely well.
What travel nurse and corporate guests require:
| Element | Minimum standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Furnished bedrooms | Quality mattress (memory foam preferred), blackout curtains, bedside storage | Nurses often work night shifts |
| Internet | 250 Mbps+ fiber; provide modem/router login | WFH productivity is essential |
| Kitchen | Full equipment: pots, pans, coffee maker, utensils, cutting boards | Nurses often cook to manage shift schedules |
| Laundry | In-unit washer/dryer strongly preferred | Laundromats are a dealbreaker for 90-day stays |
| Workspace | Dedicated desk, ergonomic chair, monitor-compatible table | Corporate guests work from home |
| Parking | Off-street parking or covered garage | Especially important for Eastside hospital commutes |
| Utilities | All included in listed rent | Corporate stipends work better with all-in pricing |
What to avoid: Overly decorative spaces with breakable items, beds that require a step ladder, multi-floor units without elevator access (nurses carry equipment bags). Minimalist, functional, and quality signals—not resort-style decoration.
Sarah, a travel nurse from Texas who spent three rotations in Seattle over two years, described her ideal unit in a Furnished Finder forum post: "I want a real mattress, fast Wi-Fi, an in-unit washer, and a parking spot. I don't care about the throw pillows. I care that the shower drain works and the coffee maker isn't from 2008."
That is your MTR design brief.
Where to list your Seattle MTR property
The primary platforms for MTR in the Seattle market:
- Furnished Finder — The dominant marketplace for travel nurse and healthcare professional housing. Free to list for landlords. Verify your listing's distance to major hospital campuses; nurses search by commute time.
- Airbnb Monthly Stays — Airbnb's algorithm surfaces monthly-eligible listings separately. Monthly rates must be set intentionally (they do not auto-calculate from nightly rates). The platform also collects local tax for sub-30-day stays but passes that responsibility back to operators for 30+ day stays.
- VRBO — Accepts monthly-stay listings. Stronger in the leisure segment than Furnished Finder but worth maintaining for corporate guests who find listings through employer relocation services.
- Corporate Housing by Owner (CHBO) — Specifically targets business travelers and corporate relocation managers.
- Direct corporate accounts — Once you have a track record of clean, professional MTR stays, approaching HR and relocation departments at Eastside tech companies directly can generate repeat bookings outside platform fees. URPM facilitates this for managed properties.
How URPM manages MTR
Urban Retreat Property Management operates as your co-host on your own Airbnb account—which means your listing history and reviews remain yours regardless of whether a stay is STR or MTR. Our MTR-specific services include:
- Calendar integration: We run a dynamic calendar that switches between MTR and STR pricing windows based on demand signals and seasonal patterns.
- Professional tenant screening: For MTR, we verify employment, ID, and reference from employer or agency. Healthcare professionals are cross-referenced with agency placement letters.
- MTR lease agreements: Stays over 30 days in Washington state may trigger Residential Landlord-Tenant Act protections depending on the structure. We use MTR-specific agreements designed to preserve the property owner's rights while protecting guest rights appropriately. This is general operational guidance—we recommend consulting a Washington state attorney for lease-specific legal questions.
- Turnover coordination: At the end of each MTR stay, we coordinate professional cleaning, inventory check, and re-listing.
- Reporting: Monthly owner statements show MTR vs. STR income separately so you can track blended calendar performance.
See our full management scope on the URPM pricing page—including our 15% performance-based management fee and the setup process.
Common MTR questions from Seattle property owners
Q: Does my Seattle STR permit cover 30-day stays? Seattle's STR operator license is required for stays under 30 days. Stays of 30 days or more are generally not covered by the STR permit requirement—but are subject to standard residential tenancy rules. See our Seattle STR permit guide for detail on where the permit applies.
Q: Can I use my HOA-restricted condo for MTR? Potentially, yes. Many HOA CC&Rs restrict "short-term rentals" with language that defines short-term as under 30 days. A 30-day minimum stay may place your rental outside the restricted category—but you must review your specific CC&Rs carefully. See our HOA guide for how to read your documents.
Q: What is the difference between MTR and just renting month-to-month? A month-to-month lease in Washington state typically triggers the RLTA, including a 20-day notice requirement for rent changes and tenant protections around eviction. MTR agreements for defined stays (30, 60, or 90 days) structured correctly avoid the month-to-month ambiguity. The distinction matters and is worth discussing with a real estate attorney.
Q: How quickly can I find an MTR guest in Seattle? For well-furnished units near major employers or hospital campuses, Furnished Finder typically generates serious inquiries within 1–3 days of listing. URPM-managed properties with established Airbnb Monthly visibility tend to book within 7 days for 30-day minimums.
Q: What happens if the guest wants to extend past 90 days? Extensions are common with travel nurses on second or third assignments at the same hospital. We structure extension options into the initial MTR agreement. Extensions are generally seamless—no re-listing costs, no turnover, just a lease amendment.