«Send a booking fee and I'll keep it for you»
Paying to «hold» a flat you have not seen yet is the most common way people lose money to fake rentals in Spain.
The rule
Do not pay anything, not even a booking fee or a deposit, before visiting the property and signing a contract. When demand is high, the pressure to pay fast is real, but a genuine landlord can show you the flat first.
Signs it may be a scam
- You are asked to pay before the viewing, or the viewing would only happen after paying.
- The payment goes by Bizum (Spain's instant phone payment) or bank transfer to a personal account, sometimes abroad, or in the name of someone other than the advertiser.
- There is a rush: «three other people want it», «if you don't pay today, it's gone».
- The price is clearly low for the area.
- They ask for your passport, ID, payslips or employment contract before you have met. Those documents can be used to impersonate you.
What is normal, when you sign
- A deposit (fianza) of one month's rent, set by Spain's Urban Leases Act (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, article 36). The landlord may also ask for other guarantees of up to two more months.
- In the Region of Madrid, the landlord must lodge the deposit with the Agencia de Vivienda Social. You can ask for the receipt.
- Since the 2023 Housing Act, agency management fees and the cost of drawing up the contract are paid by the landlord, not the tenant.
- After a viewing, people sometimes sign a booking agreement with a small payment. What makes it different is that you have already seen the property and know who you are signing with.
A question that helps: «Is the account in your name? It's to put it in the contract.» If the holder is not the landlord, or they dodge the question, do not pay.
Already paid? See what to do now. And before signing, how to check the landlord.