Online Rental Scams
Online rental scams have become a pressing issue in the
present day rental market in Spain. Criminals often dupe people by
showing them images of properties that are simply copied from other
websites. Such properties could be non-existent or may have already been
rented out.
Properties for rent are advertised on free online platforms
such as Gumtree, which only asks renters to verify their phone numbers
and email addresses. Once prospective tenants show interest in a listed
property, they are instructed to pay a token amount to make a booking.
The moment the transaction is completed, the fraudster in the
garb of the landlord deactivates their email address.
High Deposits
According to the Spanish rental law, the minimum deposit that
you are required to pay is a month's rent for apartments without any
furniture and two months deposit for accommodations that are fully
furnished. Many landlords may also ask for six months' payment as a
guarantee.
However, you can always try to negotiate and try to pay for
just two or three months. As per Spain’s new rental law, landlords can
now evict tenants who don’t pay their rent after six weeks instead of six
long months that was the norm earlier.
Those who are compelled to
look for a rented accommodation in Spain come to terms with the enormous
demand as they witness properties getting rented in a matter of hours.
Airbnb said the new rules were complex and confusing as they did not
distinguish between local families sharing their homes and professional
operators running a business. It said it was ready to collaborate with
the local authorities on establishing clearer regulation.
“By working together, we can help build sustainable tourism models that
spread benefits to many - not keep them in the hands of a few,” the firm
said in an emailed statement.
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