Mid Term Rentals in San Antonio: Military and Medical

Most owner conversations I have start with Airbnb and weekend guests. But San Antonio has another group of renters a lot of owners overlook: people who need a furnished home for one to six months. Military members on orders, traveling nurses, and families here for treatment at one of our hospitals all fall into this group. That is a mid term rental, and in the right spot it can be a steadier way to run a furnished property. Here is how I think about it, and what I would check first.

What counts as a mid term rental

There is no single legal definition. Most people mean furnished stays of 30 days or longer that are shorter than a typical 12 month lease. That 30 day line matters here because of the city's short term rental definition and the state hotel occupancy tax, both covered below.

Why San Antonio has steady mid term demand

Two things drive it here: the military and medicine.

Joint Base San Antonio is spread across several locations, including Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, and Randolph, along with training areas like Camp Bullis. People arrive for training, temporary duty, and permanent change of station moves, and many need a furnished place while they wait on base housing or shop for a home. Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston adds medical staff and patient families.

On the civilian side, the South Texas Medical Center in northwest San Antonio is a large cluster of hospitals and clinics. Traveling nurses, residents, and families supporting a patient through long treatment often want a real home instead of an extended stay hotel.

Location decides a lot. Converse, Schertz, Live Oak, and Selma are a short drive from Randolph. The west and southwest side is closer to Lackland, and northwest San Antonio works well for the Medical Center.

I've hosted this firsthand. Guests at my own mid term property have included military members stationed at Lackland and traveling medical professionals working here temporarily. None of it was dramatic, just people who needed a furnished place to land for a while during a normal part of life: a new assignment, a travel contract, a job that brought them to San Antonio for a stretch.

What the city and state rules say

I am not a lawyer, so confirm everything with the official sources.

The city permit. The City of San Antonio defines a short term rental as a home where sleeping areas are rented overnight for less than 30 consecutive days (but not less than 12 hours). Stays of 30 days or more fall outside that definition. If you also take shorter bookings between longer stays, you still need your STR permit.

Hotel occupancy tax. The Texas Comptroller treats a guest who stays at least 30 consecutive days as a permanent resident, and permanent residents are exempt from hotel occupancy tax. If the guest books 30 or more days and gives written notice up front, the exemption starts on day one. If they do not, tax applies for the first 30 days. Any break in the stay voids the exemption.

Tenant law. A stay of a month or more can look more like a tenancy than a hotel stay. If a guest stops paying or will not leave, you may have to use the formal eviction process under the Texas Property Code. A written lease made for furnished stays, and a talk with a Texas real estate attorney, are worth it before your first booking.

Military lease terms. Section 92.017 of the Texas Property Code lets service members end a residential lease early in certain situations, such as new orders. Expect military guests to ask about it.

HOA rules. Many HOAs around San Antonio set minimum lease lengths or limit rentals altogether. Read your deed restrictions before you list.

What mid term guests look for

Think about what someone living in the home for three months actually needs:

• Fast, reliable WiFi and a real desk
• A full kitchen with everyday cookware, not just the basics
• A washer and dryer inside the home
• Parking, ideally a garage or covered spot
• Blackout curtains in the bedrooms, since night shift nurses sleep during the day
• Pet friendly options, because many military families travel with pets
• Clear lease terms and some flexibility on the move out date

The tradeoffs to weigh

What tends to get better: fewer turnovers, which means fewer cleanings and less wear from constant check ins. Guest messages slow down once someone settles in, and your calendar gets easier to predict.

What tends to get harder: the nightly equivalent is usually lower than peak weekend rates, and a gap between two long stays can leave the home empty for longer. There is more paperwork, like leases, deposits, and utilities. Screening matters more, because you are handing over the keys for months instead of days.

Plenty of owners do a mix. They keep the home on Airbnb and Vrbo for short stays and open the calendar to bookings of 30 days or more during slower months. Airbnb lets you set monthly discounts, and there are sites built for traveling nurses, like Furnished Finder, that reach that audience directly.

I've also hosted families going through a different kind of transition. One was between homes, their previous house had sold before they'd found the next one. Another needed somewhere to stay while their home was being repaired after flooding. In both cases, a furnished place for a few weeks or a couple of months solved a real problem, and it's a reminder that mid term demand isn't only about the military and medical crowd, it's anyone going through a temporary gap.

How I help owners with mid term stays

You can see what each of our service tiers covers on the Services and Packages page. With mid term guests, the work shifts away from constant turnovers and toward screening, lease paperwork, careful move in and move out inspections, and being the local contact when something breaks in month two.

If you are still deciding how hands on you want to be, my post on what cohosting is and how it works explains the difference between cohosting and full management.

FAQ

Do I need a San Antonio STR permit for a 30 day rental?

The city's STR definition covers stays of less than 30 consecutive days. If you only rent for 30 days or more, the permit may not apply, but if you mix in shorter stays you still need one. Confirm with Development Services.

Do mid term guests pay hotel occupancy tax?

Under the Texas Comptroller's rules, a guest who stays at least 30 consecutive days is exempt as a permanent resident, from day one if they give written notice up front.

Which parts of the San Antonio area work best?

Homes with an easy drive to a JBSA location or the South Texas Medical Center usually make the most sense. That includes Converse, Schertz, Live Oak, and Selma near Randolph, and northwest San Antonio near the Medical Center.

Thinking about mid term guests for your property?

If you own a furnished home in San Antonio, Converse, Schertz, Live Oak, or anywhere else in our service area and want to know whether mid term guests make sense for it, reach out. Tell me about your property on our Get Started page and I will personally review it and set up a free call. You can also email me at chase@ckjohnsoncapital.com.