Paying your rent and keeping proof

Key rules

• Payment method: Pay by traceable bank transfer or direct debit to the landlord's account, and use the month in the description.
• Cash: Cash is limited to €1,000 where the landlord acts as a business or professional, and you should avoid it anyway.
• Receipts: The landlord must give you a receipt for every payment.
• Records: Keep rent receipts and transfer records for at least 5 years.

Pay by bank transfer to the landlord's account

Pay your rent by bank transfer or direct debit to the landlord's account. Every payment then leaves a record you can show later. Your lease sets the payment method, so check it first. If it names none, use bank transfer.

Rent is normally paid monthly in advance, usually within the first 5 to 7 days of the month. Put the month in the transfer description, for example "Rent March, flat address".

Cash: avoid it

Avoid cash, even if your landlord prefers it. A landlord cannot insist on it, and cash rent is hard to prove.

Spain limits cash payments to €1,000 when one side is a business or professional. Non-residents paying as consumers have a higher limit of €10,000. A private landlord renting to a private tenant is generally outside this rule. Whether your landlord counts as a professional depends on your case, so ask if you are unsure. Fines can reach 25% of the amount paid, and both sides can be fined.

Get a receipt every time

You have the right to a receipt for each payment, and the landlord must issue it. It should show:

• the date and the amount
• the month covered, with rent and any charges listed separately
• who paid and who received

Ask for it each month, in writing or by email.

If the landlord refuses to give receipts

Keep your transfer records. They prove you paid. A refusal to give receipts can also count against the landlord in a dispute. As a last resort, you can deposit the rent through a court or a notary.

How long to keep your records

Keep receipts and transfer records for at least 5 years after each payment. That is how long a claim for unpaid rent can be brought. Keep the lease, the deposit receipt and your move-out documents until the deposit is returned and any dispute period has passed. If you claim rent deductions on your tax return in a region that allows them, keep the records for 4 years as well. Keep everything longer if a dispute is under way.

The documents list, checklist and questions below cover the details.

Documents you need

• Rent receipt for each payment, issued by your landlord, showing date, amount, month covered with rent and charges broken down, payer and payee.

• Bank transfer or direct debit record for each rent payment, from your bank. It is your proof if the landlord refuses a receipt.

• Lease, deposit receipt and move-out documents, kept until the deposit is returned and any dispute period has passed.

Checklist

• Check your lease for the payment method and pay that way, usually a bank transfer or direct debit to the landlord's account.

• Pay by bank transfer if the lease names no method, so each payment leaves proof.

• Refuse to pay in cash if your landlord asks, and keep any cash payment within the limit of €1,000 where the landlord acts as a business or professional.

• Ask for a receipt for every payment showing date, amount, month, rent and charges, payer and payee.

• Keep your transfer records if the landlord will not issue a receipt.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay my rent in cash if my landlord prefers it?

It is best not to pay in cash, even if your landlord prefers it. Your landlord cannot insist on cash, and cash is hard to prove. Cash is capped at €1,000 when the landlord acts as a business or professional, and fines can reach 25% of the amount paid, on both sides.

What should a rent receipt show?

It should show the date, the amount, the month it covers with rent and any charges split out, who paid and who received. You are entitled to one for every payment.

What if my landlord refuses to give receipts?

Pay by bank transfer so your bank records prove each payment. You can also pay the rent through a court or notary if the landlord will not accept it. Your records can count against the landlord in a dispute.

How long should I keep my rent records?

Keep the lease, deposit receipt and move-out papers until the deposit is returned and any dispute is over. Receipts and transfer records have their own time limit, set out earlier on this page.