How your income evidence changes by type of work

Terms used

• autónomo — An autónomo is a self-employed worker registered with Spanish social security and the tax agency.
• gestor — A gestor is a licensed administrative agent who handles official paperwork and tax procedures on your behalf.
• traducción jurada — A traducción jurada is a sworn translation by a translator officially recognised in Spain.

Key rules

• Foreign income: Expect to add savings, a larger deposit, an aval, a guarantor or insurance.

Every landlord wants to see that your rent is affordable and your income is steady. What changes by type of work is the paperwork you use to prove it. The more your income is foreign, new or irregular, the more likely you are to need extra security on top.

Employed in Spain

Spanish payslips and an employment contract are the easiest evidence. Add recent bank statements if the landlord asks. Compare your rent to your net monthly income, not your gross pay.

Self-employed (autónomo)

Landlords look at your net profit, not your turnover. Bring:

• your latest annual income tax return (modelo 100) and its filing receipt from the Agencia Tributaria;
• your quarterly tax filings (modelo 130 or 131 for income tax, modelo 303 for VAT);
• certificates that you are up to date with tax and social security (certificados de estar al corriente);
• proof of your autónomo registration (alta in the RETA) and your tax census registration (modelo 036 or 037);
• invoices you have issued and your client contracts;
• 3 to 6 months of bank statements.

A letter from your gestor confirming your activity and income helps. If you are new and have no Spanish history, use foreign tax returns or assessments for the last 1 to 2 years, signed client contracts or retainers (ongoing ones are best), and invoices already issued and paid, and add your autónomo registration as soon as you have it. How landlords rank this evidence is in Renting with no Spanish job, credit history or track record.

Remote employee of a foreign company

Landlords treat foreign income more cautiously than Spanish payroll. Some will call or email your employer's HR, so tell HR to expect the contact. Bring:

• your employment contract, showing your job, salary, start date and whether it is permanent or fixed term;
• a signed employer letter on company letterhead: position, start date, contract type, gross and net salary, currency, that you may work remotely from Spain, and that a named company pays your salary;
• your last 3 to 6 payslips;
• 3 to 6 months of bank statements showing salary deposits;
• your last annual tax return or tax certificate from your home country, if you have one;
• your passport and, if you come from outside the EU, your visa or residence permit, for example a digital nomad visa.

Write a one-page summary of your income in euros: net monthly pay with gross as a second line, converted at a recent rate from a neutral source such as the European Central Bank reference rate, stating the currency, the rate, the date and the source. If your pay arrives in euros no conversion is needed; if it is in a volatile currency, add the annual figure. Add a short cover note saying you are an employee with one employer who pays your salary with tax withheld: remote work alone does not make you self-employed, so do not present invoices or autónomo papers. Bank statements showing the euro amounts you actually received are the most convincing proof. Paying from abroad is covered in Renting as a newcomer: searching from abroad, with no NIE and no Spanish bank account.

Company founder living abroad

Show your income with foreign papers and make them easy to read. Build the pack around personal and company bank statements for the last 3 to 6 months, your foreign tax returns or a tax assessment, the company registration extract and latest accounts from your home registry, a short letter from the company or its accountant confirming that you own the company and what you receive as salary or dividends, your contract with the company showing a salary or a letter showing dividends, and proof of savings or investment balances. A letter that ties the numbers together matters most. Some landlords prefer payslips to company accounts, so a salary through the company can help. Non-residents usually face a request for extra security: Renting with no Spanish job, credit history or track record.

Pension income

The documents for a Spanish or a foreign pension are in Renting long term as a retiree or older newcomer.

When your income is new or foreign

Offer something that reduces the landlord's risk: savings, a larger deposit, a bank guarantee (aval), a guarantor or default insurance. The options and their costs are compared in Bank guarantees (aval), guarantors and rent default insurance. Savings work best when they cover many months of rent, commonly 6 to 12 months or more, and are often combined with another guarantee. Agencies and institutional landlords are stricter than private owners.

Translation and legalisation

No law requires a landlord to receive translated or apostilled documents; the landlord decides. What a non-EU public document needs is in Documents Spanish landlords ask newcomer tenants for.

Choosing between options

Which guarantee should you offer to back up foreign or new income?

• Larger deposit within the cap, or several months of rent upfront as your own offer: the landlord is unsure about your foreign employer and you can pay more upfront.
• Bank guarantee (aval) or guarantor: you have a bank or a person in Spain willing to back you.
• Default insurance: the landlord asks for it. It is harder to get with foreign income.

Checklist

• Ask your foreign employer's HR to sign a letter on letterhead giving your role, salary and contract type, and to expect a call or email from the landlord.
• Offer extra security, such as savings proof, a larger deposit or a guarantor, if your income comes from abroad.