8 tips to avoid holiday rental scams in Spain

Raymundo Larraín Nesbitt, July, 1. 2024

Marbella-based Larraín Nesbitt Lawyers has over 21 years' taxation & conveyancing experience at your service. We offer a wide range of over 50 legal and corporate services. Our team of native English-speaking lawyers and economists have a long track record successfully assisting expats all over Spain. You can review here our client’s testimonials.

1st July 2024

Summer has arrived, and with it the holiday season is at its peak.

Scammers are also at their peak, as a new rental season is upon us to fleece unsuspecting punters.

The best way to avoid falling for a scam is to be aware of it.

I have collated below eight tips that may help you avoid being scammed on renting a holiday home in Spain.

Fake listings. Scammers use enticing photos from legit sites for their phoney property listings. When you arrive at the property, it's either not up for rental or it's occupied by someone else.
Bait and switch. The property shown in the photos is not the same one when you arrive.
Property is listed below the market rate As they say, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. You know that €2,000 a month villa in Ibiza you are being offered? Yep, it’s a scam.
The person you are dealing with is not the owner. This is normally a telltale sign you are being scammed. Excuses given will be that they have been left in charge of the property as the owners live abroad, etc. Always ensure the person you are dealing with is the owner, realtor, or property manager.
You are asked to pay in cash or by other exotic means which are not traceable (i.e. Bitcoin).
You are asked to make overseas payments to a country other than Spain.
Always in a rush. Pay up or give up. They typically give you under 24 hours to pay them as they have “a long waiting list”.
You are asked to pay in advance the full rental price without meeting them in person or physically touring the place yourself. Virtual property tours are a huge red flag.

Available services from LNA:

At Larrain Nesbitt Abogados (LNA) we have over 21 years’ experience assisting clients buying, selling, or renting properties. We can also offer you a competitively priced accounting service to file your landlord taxes every tax quarter nationwide. We are also specialized in immigration & residency visas. You can contact us by e-mail at info@larrainnesbitt.com, by telephone on our UK line (+44) 0754 3838 218, or Spanish line (+34) 952 19 22 88, or by completing our contact form to book an appointment.