Is this rental listing genuine?

Fake rental adverts are common in Spain’s tight market, and newcomers who can’t view in person are easy targets. Most scams follow the same pattern, so a few checks will protect you.

How rental scams work

The Banco de España, INCIBE (Spain’s national cybersecurity institute) and OCU (Spain’s biggest consumer group) describe the same pattern.

1. A home is advertised below the going rent, often with “magazine” photos copied from another listing
2. The “owner” says they live abroad, or can’t show you inside, and wants to deal by email or messaging app
3. They ask for the deposit or a reservation by transfer, or through a money-sending service, to “hold” the home
4. After the money arrives they disappear. Sometimes the ID they sent belongs to someone else

Some scammers meet victims in person. In Tenerife in November 2025, police arrested a woman who showed people a video of a flat, signed a fake contract, took cash as deposit and reservation, and handed over a key that didn’t fit. Losses were over €10,000.

Warning signs

• Rent well below similar homes in the area
• Excuses for not showing you inside: owner abroad, keys elsewhere, tenant still there
• Pressure to pay quickly “because others are interested”
• Email from a free address rather than an agency’s own domain, or messages with poor spelling
• Use of a big platform’s name (such as Airbnb) to “handle the keys” for a long let
• A request to pay a bank in a different country from the owner, or by Western Union or MoneyGram
• The same photos appear in another advert: try a reverse image search and look at the street online

Check who owns the home

Spain’s Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) will give anyone a nota simple: a short extract showing the registered owner, the size and use of the home, and any mortgages or charges. You can order it online from the Colegio de Registradores without an account, paying by card or PayPal. It costs €9 plus VAT (€10.91, about £9), and usually arrives by email within 24 hours. You need the property’s registry code or details, or the owner’s name.

• Check the name on the nota simple matches the person signing the contract
• If an agent is letting it, ask for the owner’s written mandate and phone the agency on a number you found yourself
• If the landlord is a company, check its name too
• Compare the size and address with the advert

Check the live fee on the Registradores website before you order

Pay the right way

• View inside first, and meet the owner or the person authorised to sign
• Get a written contract that sets out the deposit, its purpose and how it comes back
• Pay by bank transfer to an account in the owner’s name, and keep the receipt
• Pay only what the law allows: one month’s deposit, extra security of up to two months, and one month’s rent in advance. No agency fees
• Make an inventory with dated photos before you sign

Renting: deposits and contracts explains each payment.

Booking from the UK

If you have to arrange something before you fly, book a short stay through a platform with payment protection and look for your long-term home once you land. If a friend views for you, ask them to meet the owner or agent inside the flat, not just look at the building.

If you’ve been scammed

1. Call your bank straight away. Transfers can’t be reversed without the receiver’s consent or a court order, but the bank should try to recover the money from the receiving bank
2. Report it to the Policía Nacional or the Guardia Civil, with the advert, messages, contract and payment details
3. Report the advert to the website so it is taken down
4. If you sent copies of your passport, watch for misuse and tell the police

In one case OCU reported, a victim who paid €750 by transfer got a conviction because the bank identified the account holder. The court’s advice was simple: don’t hand over money before visiting the home and meeting the owner.