Fake rental listings and deposit scams in Spain

Key rules

• Payment order: Pay a deposit or first month only after a viewing and a signed written contract, by traceable bank transfer to an account in the landlord's name.
• Reservation: Never pay a reservation to someone you have not verified.
• Ownership: Match the owner's name and ID on a nota simple to the person offering the flat.
• From abroad: Get a live video tour or send a trusted person to view the flat.

How the scam works

Scammers copy a real flat's photos, post it at a low price and say they are away. They ask you to pay a "reservation" or deposit so they can "hold" the flat or send the keys. Once you pay, they vanish. Nothing was ever for rent.

The order that keeps you safe

Pay a deposit or first month only after a viewing and a signed written contract, by traceable bank transfer to an account in the landlord's name. If anyone asks you to pay earlier, walk away. Never pay a "reservation" to someone you cannot verify.

Red flags

The warning box below lists the main signs. Also watch for these:

• Contact only by WhatsApp or email, often in poor Spanish.
• A request for copies of your ID before any contract.
• Pressure to decide fast because "other people are interested".
• An invitation to leave the portal and use an outside "secure payment" site.
• Stolen photos or a generic, copied description.

Check the listing

• Run a reverse image search on the photos. Search for the same flat listed elsewhere with a different price or contact.
• Compare the rent with similar flats nearby.
• See how long the advertiser has been on the portal and whether the account is verified or professional.
• Check the address on Google Street View and in the Catastro, the official property map.
• If the ad looks fake, use the portal's report button.

Check the owner

Order a nota simple. It is an extract from the property registry showing the owner, the property description and any charges such as mortgages. A renter normally has a legitimate interest, so you can ask for it. You can order it online from the registrars' website, at a registry office, or through a notary or gestor. The fee is 9 to 10 euros per property and the reply usually takes from a few hours to a few days. You need the address or the registry property number.

Compare the owner's name with the ID of the person offering the flat. A nota simple has no legal certification value, and it does not prove the person you talk to is the owner. Always match the name and ID too.

Check the flat if you are abroad

• Ask for a live video tour, not a recording. Pick the details you want shown.
• Send a trusted friend, a relocation agent or a local lawyer to visit.
• Read the full contract and the inventory before you pay anything.
• Keep all messages and receipts.

Check the payment route

Scammers favour payments that cannot be undone: cash, cryptocurrency, gift or prepaid cards, Western Union or MoneyGram, and Bizum. Bizum is instant and made for people you know, so banks rarely recover it. Even an ordinary transfer is hard to recover once the money is withdrawn, especially to a foreign account. So check the account holder's name matches the owner before you send anything. Card payments give more protection, but landlords rarely accept them for deposits.

If you have already paid, see the "What if" section below.

Timeline and deadlines

• Ask for a live video tour and have the landlord show details you choose: before you send any money

• Send a trusted friend, relocation agent or local lawyer to visit the flat: before you commit to the flat

• Check ownership with a nota simple and the landlord's ID, and match the address to the Catastro: before you sign

• Read the full written contract and the inventory: before you pay anything

• Pay the one-month deposit and first month by bank transfer to an account in the landlord's name: after the contract is signed, ideally when you collect the keys

Checking a rental listing and landlord before you pay

• Compare the rent with similar flats nearby and check whether the advertiser is a verified or professional account.

• Order a nota simple, a short extract from the property registry, and compare the owner's name and ID with the person offering the flat.

• Ask for a live video tour, not a recording, or send a trusted friend, relocation agent or local lawyer to view the flat if you are abroad.

• Refuse to pay agency or contract-drawing fees: the landlord must cover them in a housing lease.

• Confirm the deposit (fianza) is one month's rent and that the landlord will lodge it with the regional body; any extra guarantee is capped at two months' rent.

• Walk away if you are asked to pay by cash, crypto, gift cards, Western Union, MoneyGram or Bizum, or to pay a reservation to an unknown party.

• Keep all messages, receipts and the contract in one place.

What to watch out for

• Payment before a viewing or contract: A landlord who asks for a deposit, reservation or first month before you have seen the flat or signed a contract is a classic scam sign. You could lose the money with no flat.

• Payment methods that cannot be undone: Cash, cryptocurrency, gift or prepaid cards, Western Union, MoneyGram and Bizum are favoured by scammers because the money moves fast and is rarely recovered. Refuse these methods and any transfer to a foreign account you cannot match to the landlord.

• Too-good price and landlord abroad: A price far below the area's market, a landlord who is abroad and cannot show the flat, and pressure to act quickly all point to a fake listing. Walk away unless you can see the flat in person or through a live video tour and a trusted visitor.

• Requests to leave the platform: Owners who contact you only by WhatsApp or email, ask for ID copies without a contract, or send you to an outside secure payment site are not genuine. Keep talking through the portal, share no ID before a contract, and report the ad with the portal's report button.

• Refusal to give the address or a nota simple: A landlord who will not give the exact address or let you check ownership is hiding something, and stolen photos are common in these ads. End the conversation if they refuse these basic checks.

What if you already paid a deposit to a fake landlord?

Act in the first hours: speed is your best chance

The first few hours matter most. Money is most likely to be recovered before the scammer withdraws it. Do these steps in this order.

1. Call your bank now

• Phone the bank straight away, using the fraud line if it has one. Then repeat the report in writing through the app, a branch or email.
• Say you were the victim of transfer fraud. Ask the bank to request a recall of the transfer and to contact the receiving bank, so the destination account is frozen if money is still in it.
• If you shared card details or online-banking passwords with the "landlord", block your cards and change your credentials.
• Ask for written confirmation of what the bank has done.

2. File a denuncia the same day

A denuncia is a formal police report. Banks and courts will ask for it, so do not wait.

• You can file at any Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil station, or at a court. The first stage can also be done online through the Policía Nacional's online reporting service. For some offences you must then confirm the report in person within a few days.
• Bring photo ID (passport or NIE), the messages, emails, ad and screenshots, the scammer's phone numbers, IBAN and account details, your bank statements and transfer receipt, any contract, and a short timeline.
• Ask for a copy of the denuncia. If you do not speak Spanish, ask for an interpreter.
• Send the copy to your bank.
• For advice on online fraud, you can also call INCIBE on 017.

3. Report the listing

Use the "report this ad" link on the listing page, or the site's fraud contact form. Give the listing address, the advertiser's name and the reason, for example "asked for money before a viewing". This can help get the ad removed before it catches someone else. Menu wording differs between sites and changes over time.

What recovery really looks like

• Within hours: there is a real chance the receiving account can be frozen and some money returned.
• After a few days: recovery is unlikely. The money usually comes back only if the account holder agrees or a court orders a freeze.
• Refund from your bank: if you made the transfer yourself, even because you were tricked, the bank is generally not obliged to refund you. It must refund payments you did not authorise. There are exceptions, for example where the bank ignored its own security alerts or failed to check your identity properly.

If the bank refuses to help, complain first to its customer service. If that fails, complain to the Banco de España's complaints service. The courts are the last step.

Keep every message, receipt and reference number. You will need them for the bank, the police and any complaint.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bizum a safe way to pay a rental deposit?

No, Bizum is not a safe way to pay a rental deposit, because payments are instant and made for people you know. Your bank rarely recovers them. Cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, Western Union and MoneyGram are just as hard to reverse.

Who can ask for a nota simple on a flat I want to rent?

Yes, you can request a nota simple as a prospective tenant, because anyone with a legitimate interest may ask for one. You need the address or the finca registral number. It costs about 9 to 10 euros and usually arrives within hours to a few days.

Is a nota simple enough to prove the landlord is genuine?

No, a nota simple only shows who owns the flat, so you still need to match it to the person you are dealing with. Compare the owner's name and ID with the landlord's. It has no legal certification value, unlike a certificación.

What should I do if I find a fake listing on a portal?

Report the ad with the portal's report button and stop all contact with the advertiser. Keep every message and receipt in case you need them later.