Check the listing before you pay anything.
Paste the link to a rental ad in Madrid. We read it, compare the rent with the area and look for the patterns behind fake listings. Free.
6 listings checked in the last 7 days · 0 with warning signs
What we check, and what we don't
Four checks, each with a source we can name. Where we cannot check something, the result says so.
What the ad asks of you
Payment before a viewing, an owner who is abroad, an unusual way to pay, pressure to decide today. The classic script, when it is written in the ad.
Source: the ad's own text, read by our own rules.
The rent
Compared with live listings in the district and with Spain's public rent reference. Too cheap is the oldest trick.
Source: current listings and rents declared to the tax office.
The photos
Matched against known listings. The same photos at a lower rent, under another name, is a cloned ad.
Source: our index of Madrid agency listings.
Who placed it, and for how long
Agency or private, whether the agency is in our index, a Spanish phone, and how long the ad has been online.
Source: the portal's advertiser profile and our agency index.
A result you can read in a minute
Three possible answers, never a score: unlikely, likely, or we can't tell. Under each one, the reasons in plain words, including what we could not check.
No result says "safe". Visit the flat and meet the owner or the agency before you pay anything.
Unlikely to be a scam
Our estimate from the ad itself. It is not a guarantee: visit the flat and meet the owner or the agency before you pay anything.
The rent, against the area
- This ad 1,890 €/month
- Usual in the area 2,000 €/month
- Under 990 €/month: suspiciously cheap
In line with similar flats in the area.
Source: current listings in the area
What gave us confidence
- Placed by a professional agency with its own profile on the portal.
- The agency is in our index of Madrid agencies.
- The rent is within the usual range for the area.
- Online for more than 30 days. Fake ads tend to be taken down within days.
What we could not check
- We have only seen the ad, not the advertiser's messages, which is where most scams happen.
One place for the whole tenancy
The scam check is live today. The rest of the tenancy follows, in the order a tenant meets it.
Scam check
Is the listing what it says it is? Check it before any visit, deposit or document.
Before you signAvailable now
Contract review
The clauses to question before you put your name to the lease.
Before you signBeta
Deposit recovery
Getting the fianza back when the landlord stalls.
When you leaveComing
Rental insurance
Cover for the months when something goes wrong.
While you live thereComing
If you have already paid
The first hour matters. Do these four things, in this order.
- Call your bank now and ask to recall the transfer or dispute the Bizum.
- Save everything: the ad, the chats, receipts, the account you paid to.
- Report in person at any Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil station. Online filing is not available for fraud in Spain.
- Report the ad to the portal, and call INCIBE on 017 for free guidance.
Common questions
How can I tell if a rental listing in Spain is a scam?
The most common signs are a rent far below the area, an advertiser who cannot show the flat, a request for money (a holding deposit or the fianza) before the viewing or the contract, pressure to hurry, and a push to move the conversation off the portal. The rule that stops almost all of them: pay nothing until you have seen the flat and have the contract.
What does Justísimo check in a listing?
You paste the listing link and we look at what it asks of you, whether the rent fits the area, whether the photos appear in other listings, and who placed it and since when. The result says whether a scam is unlikely, likely, or impossible to tell, and explains why.
Can a landlord ask for money before I see the flat?
A real landlord shows the flat first and takes payment when the contract is signed. Asking for a holding deposit, the fianza or months in advance before a viewing is the most common sign of a scam: do not pay until you have seen the flat.
How much deposit can a landlord in Spain ask for?
For a home rental the legal deposit (fianza) is one month of rent (article 36 of the Spanish tenancy law, the LAU). The landlord may also ask for an extra guarantee of up to two months. Estate-agency fees are paid by the landlord.
Is it free? Do you keep the listing?
It is free; you only need an account. We do not keep the listing text: for each link checked we keep an identifier and the coded result, for the share link.