What to check when viewing a Spanish flat

Terms used

• Nota Simple — The Nota Simple is a short Property Registry extract showing who owns a home.
• IBI — The IBI is the yearly property tax paid by the owner, and its receipt shows who owns the flat.
• fianza — The fianza is the deposit, normally one month's rent, held by the landlord as security for the lease.
• cédula de habitabilidad — The cédula de habitabilidad is a certificate that a home meets the minimum standards to be lived in.

Key rules

• Owner proof: Trust original ID and a registry check, not a photo or a signed contract.
• Energy certificate: The owner must show you the certificate or give you a copy, and the label must appear in the advert.

Start with who owns it

A nice flat is worthless if the person showing it has no right to rent it. Do these checks before you pay anything.

• Ask for the landlord's original ID, in person or live on camera. A photo is not enough, because anyone can hold a copy.
• Ask for the title deeds or the latest IBI receipt. Check that the address matches the listing, and check the cadastral reference too.
• Request a nota simple from the property registry. It costs €9.02 plus IVA and arrives in under two hours. Compare the owner's name with the ID of the person you deal with.
• If someone says they act for an agency, call the agency on contact details you found yourself.

A signed contract, a video call or a real address does not prove someone is the owner. Checking the name against the registry does.

Check the listing against reality

Compare what you see with what the advert promised.

• Photos should match the text.
• Wide-angle photos make rooms look bigger. A lounge that looks huge may be 14 m². Pace out the rooms by counting your steps.
• "Open views" can turn out to be an inner courtyard.

Rental scams: stop signs and safe alternatives

• Price far below the area: Red flag: a rent 30 to 40% below similar flats nearby, such as €600 in Barcelona or €550 in central Madrid for a flat that normally costs much more. This is almost certainly a scam. Safe alternative: compare with similar listings in the same area and walk away if the gap is that big. Only pursue a flat priced in line with the market.

• Stolen photos and vague descriptions: Red flag: photos that look like catalogue or holiday-rental images, differ in lighting, leave out the kitchen or bathroom, or contradict the text (for example 'sin amueblar' with furniture). Descriptions are generic, with no street or details. Cloned ads of real flats at a lower price are also common. Safe alternative: ask for the exact address and the cadastral reference, and check that the person showing the flat is the owner or the agency's named representative before going further.

• Money demanded before any viewing: Never pay a deposit or reservation after only a video call, unless the agency or landlord is verified (a registered agency, or a landlord whose identity is matched to the property registry note) and the payment goes to an account in the landlord's or agency's name, after you have the draft contract. Otherwise pay nothing until you or a trusted person has seen the flat in person. Reported demands are €200 to €600, by transfer, Bizum, crypto, gift cards or a foreign account. Never pay a person through a channel you cannot reverse. Safe alternative: view the flat in person or send a trusted person, demand the owner's original ID live and a nota simple from the property registry, go through the contract, then pay by traceable bank transfer to an account in the owner's name. The fianza is due only on signing and is one month's rent. The steps to take after sending money or documents are in From search to keys: how renting in Spain works and where you can't turn back.

• Owner abroad who sends keys by courier: Red flag: the owner says they are abroad and will send the keys by courier such as DHL or UPS after you pay. Another version is a fake contract sent to build trust, or someone posing as the real owner or an agency. Safe alternative: do not pay for keys by post. Hand over money only at a signing where the keys are handed over, or through a representative you trust who can verify ownership on site.

• Pressure and early requests for your documents: Red flag: 'many people are interested, decide now', or requests at first contact for photos of your ID, selfies, payslips or bank details. Sharing them commits you to nothing but can be used for fraud. Safe alternative: do not hurry. Send documents only after you have verified the owner and seen the flat, and send only what is needed at that stage. A genuine landlord will wait for a viewing.

• A payment account that does not match the owner: Red flag: the account holder is not the owner or the agency named in the contract, or the person will not allow checks. Safe alternative: on euro transfers your bank offers a free check that compares the account holder's name with the name you typed. Use it and proceed only on a match. If you send money anyway despite a mismatch, it goes to that IBAN and the bank is not liable. If the person refuses checks or insists on payment first, walk away.

• A reservation with no paper: Take a señal only against a written document, as described in Estate agents (inmobiliarias) and the fees they can charge.

Ask for the energy certificate

The owner must have a valid energy certificate. For a rental, they only need to show it to you or give you a photocopy. The energy label must also appear in the advert. Very small exceptions exist, such as homes used under four months a year.

A poor label (E, F or G) usually means higher bills, and you can use it to negotiate the rent. The certificate lasts up to ten years, or five if it is rated G.

Test the flat itself

You have a short visit, so work through the flat in this order.

• Damp: look at ceiling corners, bathroom and kitchen ceilings, behind furniture and near windows. Run a finger over fresh paint and ask why it was repainted.
• Noise: stop talking and listen.
• Light and orientation: see which way each window faces and ask how the light changes in the morning and afternoon. If you can, come back at another hour.
• Windows: open and close them, and check how well they insulate.
• Heating and hot water: ask the type and age of the boiler or heater. Electric and gas hot water cost differently.
• Plumbing and electrics: run the taps, check pressure and how fast they drain. Look at the sockets and the electrical panel, and ask about the contracted power.
• Common areas: look at the entrance, stairs and lift.
• Internet: check mobile coverage inside or run a speed test, and ask which fibre operators serve the building.
• Appliances: ask how old they are and test them.

Photograph everything, including the electricity, water and gas meters. Ask for the inventory and condition of the flat to be attached to the contract, and have any defect you notice written into it before you sign.

Questions that reveal problems

Ask whether you can register at the address (empadronarse), whether the fianza will be deposited with the regional body, and whether you can have the contract in advance to read calmly. Ask for recent utility bills, including a winter bill, to see real running costs. Hesitation or evasive answers are a warning sign. So is a flat that was empty for six months or more, which can hide damp.

The cédula de habitabilidad is a certificate that a home is fit to live in. Whether it is required depends on your region, so ask your town hall or regional housing office.

Compare and decide

Do not sign or pay on the spot. Record each flat as acceptable (it matches the listing, your must-haves work and no defect is left open), needs follow-up (a defect, certificate or answer is missing: write down who must reply and by when) or rejected (a must-have fails, the listing was false, the person cannot show a right to let, or you were asked for money before a contract). Compare your notes afterwards with the shortlist grid. Accessibility needs change what you check: Viewing a flat with accessibility needs: what changes.

Shortlist comparison grid

Grid to copy for each flat

Copy this table into a note or spreadsheet. Add one row per flat.

How to fill it in

• Advertised rent: the price in the listing, nothing added.
• Extras on top of rent: the advertised rent often leaves out extras. Ask for a written breakdown of community fees, property tax (IBI), electricity, water, gas and internet. Electricity, water and gas measured by a meter are always yours to pay.
• Total monthly cost: rent plus every extra you will pay. Compare flats on this number, not on the advertised rent.
• Fit to must-haves: count how many of your must-haves the flat meets, and name the ones it misses. Must-haves are the things you will not give up, such as a budget ceiling, a number of bedrooms, a commute or a pet-friendly landlord.
• Available from: the date you could move in, and whether it matches your plans.
• Upfront fees: everything you must pay before moving in, including any agency fee. Ask who pays what, and get the answer in writing.
• Open questions: what you still need to ask, such as "Is the community fee included? What is its yearly amount?"
• Status: write where the flat stands in plain words, such as "to view", "viewed, waiting for reply", "documents sent" or "rejected".
• Reason if rejected: one line, for example "over budget once extras are added" or "landlord won't put the breakdown in writing". This stops you going back to a flat for the wrong reasons.

Community fees and IBI

A landlord can pass community fees or the IBI to you only through a written clause in the lease that states the yearly amount. Add them to your monthly total only if it does. Who pays community fees has the detail.

How to choose the next flat to pursue

1. Remove every row marked rejected from the running.
2. Drop any flat that misses a must-have, even if it is cheap.
3. Among the rest, put the lowest total monthly cost first. If two are close, prefer the one with fewer open questions and an availability date that suits you.
4. Pick the top flat that still has a live status. Send it your open questions now, and ask for the cost breakdown in writing.
5. If the answers push the total over budget or reveal a problem, mark it rejected with the reason and go to the next row.

Update the grid after every viewing and every reply, so the top row is always your next move.

References

1. Madrid: energy efficiency certificate for homes
2. Andalucía: rental information for tenants
3. Property registry: cost of a nota simple