29 June 2026
Applicants with savings, jobs and references are turned down routinely. Not because anything is wrong with them, but because they cannot produce the specific documents a Spanish landlord expects, and the listing never mentions what those are.
What they usually ask for
A Spanish bank account. Your NIE. Proof of income, often a payslip or a work contract, which is awkward if you work remotely for a company that has never heard of Spain. A deposit, and frequently additional months up front from foreigners. Sometimes a guarantor who lives in Spain, which for a newly arrived family is close to impossible.
The thing that changes the conversation
A single page, in Spanish, stating who you are, what you do, what you earn, and bank statements evidencing it. Handing that over at the first viewing measurably changes how the conversation goes. Agents field a great many vague enquiries, and arriving organised is worth more than the figures themselves.
Take a short let first
If there is one piece of advice on this site worth following, it is this. Rent something furnished for one to three months, arrive, and find the real flat from inside the country. Signing a twelve month contract on somewhere you have only seen photographed, in a neighbourhood you have never walked, is a decision that is expensive to undo.
It also means you can see the flat at the times you will actually live in it. The street that was quiet on a Tuesday morning may be very different on a Friday night, and you cannot tell that from a listing.
On agency fees
Rules on who pays agency commission have changed in recent years and vary by situation, so ask directly and early rather than assuming. Get the answer before you fall in love with a flat.
