Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
A family member is trying to sell a home that needs a lot of work. They are having a hard time selling it. They have been offered a Rent to own option in Spain where the people would pay a low monthly rent and do some work on the house (kitchen, utilities update etc) and then after one year if they still want to live there they will buy it. This sounds suspicious to me.
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“Realtor here (in spain) rent to own is more common than any of these other people below have responded to. It is usually 20-30% down, then the rest over a period of 2-5 years. The reason it was originally really made was to avoid having to use the banks. It’s just like a rental property, find good renters, in this case buyers, and you’re fine.”
“And then they can probably want to stay up to 7 years on that low rent. Not very safe to do in Spain.”
“No. Sounds like a great way to get a squatter in the house you can’t eject. Total red flag”
“I bought my current house following rent to buy, we only needed 6 months although initially asked for 1 year. All was done at a solicitor, we put down a 10% of the sale value of the house, which we would have lost if we changed our mind. And we paid rent monthly, which was deducted from the remaining price of the house. If the seller changed their mind they would have had to pay us double the deposit. From what I know rent to buy it’s rather common in Spain but go via an experienced solicitor who can help you properly. Make sure you mentioned all the issues house has so that buyer doesn’t come back to say you hid anything from them etc etc. I suggest you do a certificate of habitation room. A solicitor could advise more.”
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Explore Cities →“People put down a down payment when starting this, but it actually is a common thing in Spain”
“It is a good option, but make sure you get a good amount up front that they lose if they change their minds. And make sure you do all this at a solicitors with an airtight contract.”
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