Renting a home abroad as a newcomer

What landlords ask for when you have no local job or credit history, the legal limits on deposits and rent in advance in seven countries, furnished mid-term lets while you look, how to spot a rental scam, and registering your address after you move.

Landlords abroad want proof that you can pay. Without a local job, a local payslip or a credit history, that is the hard part. Expect to show your foreign income, pay a deposit, and sometimes offer a guarantor. Many countries cap what a landlord can ask for, and knowing the caps helps you spot both unfair demands and scams. Many newcomers rent a furnished place for a few months first, then look for a long-term home in person.

This guide covers the general rules in the countries our readers ask about most. Local practice varies by city, so check with the official tenancy body where you are going.

What landlords usually ask for

Most landlords and agents ask for some mix of these:

• ID. Your passport and, once you have it, your residence permit.
• Proof of income. Local landlords are used to local payslips and employment contracts. Freelancers, remote workers and retirees with foreign income often find this the biggest barrier.
• A deposit. Held against unpaid rent or damage, and returned at the end.
• A guarantor. Someone, or an organisation, who promises to pay if you don’t.
• A local tax or ID number. Such as Spain’s NIE, Portugal’s NIF or Ireland’s PPS number.

France is a useful model because it lists in law what a landlord may ask for, and fines landlords who demand anything else. The list accepts proof of foreign income:

• Income. Your last or second-last tax assessment, including one from a foreign tax authority if your income was not taxed in France. Proof of pensions or benefits for the last 3 months. Property deeds, or proof of rental or investment income.
• Work. An employment contract, or for the self-employed, proof of registration or recent work.
• Language and currency. Copies must be in French or translated into French, with amounts converted into euros.
• No money up front. No landlord may charge you anything to reserve a home, or take any money before you sign the lease.

Even where no such list exists, a tidy file helps. Gather a recent tax return, 3 to 6 months of bank statements, a pension or employer letter, your visa or permit, and a reference from your current landlord. Get key papers translated.

Deposits and rent in advance by country

Where a cap exists, a demand above it is unlawful. If a landlord asks for six months up front in a country with a cap, ask on what legal basis. Where there is no cap, pay only after you sign, by a method you can trace, and get a receipt.

Renting without a local job or contract

Several things can help when your income comes from abroad:

• A guarantor. In France, a guarantor can be a person or an organisation. Visale, run by Action Logement, is a free guarantee for people aged 18 to 30, and for employees over 30 who meet its conditions. With Visale, you give the landlord a “visa” certificate instead of a person’s documents. A guarantor is also allowed on a bail mobilité. In England, landlords can still ask for a guarantor after the 2026 reforms.
• Your foreign tax return and bank history. France’s legal list accepts them. Elsewhere, they are often the best evidence you have.
• A larger guarantee, within the law. In Spain, the extra guarantee on a long-term lease cannot pass two months’ rent. In Portugal, rent in advance cannot pass two months.
• A furnished stay first. A few months somewhere temporary lets you open a bank account, get your tax number and view homes in person. It also helps you build a local rental record.

In England, landlords must check that every adult tenant has the right to rent before the tenancy starts. Have your visa or permit ready.

Furnished mid-term rentals while you look

Short holiday lets, typically booked online, are usually covered by tourism rules, not tenancy law. In Spain, for example, the Urban Leases Act excludes tourist lets. Under the October 2026 decree described below, a tourist let cannot last more than 31 days. A stay of one to twelve months often falls under a separate set of rules.

• Spain: temporary housing leases. A decree-law of 6 October 2026 (Real Decreto-ley 29/2026) changed the rules from 8 October 2026. A temporary lease must cover a justified, provable need to live away from your usual home. It must last more than 31 days and, as a rule, no more than 12 months. Any extra guarantee is capped at one month’s rent. Repeated or over-long temporary leases are treated as a standard long-term lease. Congress must vote on a decree-law within 30 days of its publication. It rejected an earlier version on 2 October 2026, so check whether these rules still stand.
• France: the bail mobilité. This is a furnished lease of 1 to 10 months. It cannot be renewed, and the landlord cannot ask for a deposit. It is only for tenants who are, when the lease starts, in professional training, higher education, an apprenticeship, an internship or civic service, or on a job transfer or temporary work assignment. You must prove this with a document.

Mid-term furnished homes cost more per month than long-term rentals. Budget for them as a separate line. YourMoveMap’s members’ city step will show rent ranges by city; see what members get on the members page. For national price levels now, use the cost of living calculator and our cost of living pages.

Rental scams and how to avoid them

Newcomers make easy targets. You are far away, short of time, and unsure what is normal. The US Federal Trade Commission lists these warning signs:

• The rent is well below the local going rate.
• The “owner” can’t show you the property, often claiming to be abroad.
• Pressure to decide fast.
• Payment only by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency. These are like sending cash, and you probably can’t get the money back.
• The home is listed for sale elsewhere, or the contact details differ from the agent’s own listing.
• Requests for sensitive details before you agree to rent, such as your Social Security number.

Official advice elsewhere points the same way:

• France. No landlord may take money to reserve a home or before you sign the lease.
• England. Since 1 May 2026, no rent can be paid before everyone signs the tenancy agreement.
• Ireland. The RTB tells tenants to pay a deposit only once happy with the property and terms, to avoid cash where possible, and always to get a receipt. You have a legal right to your landlord’s name and contact details, even when dealing with an agent. You can also search the RTB’s published dispute outcomes for the landlord’s name.

Get the contract before you send any money. Have someone you trust view the property if you can’t, and remember that a video tour does not prove a home is available. If you lose money, report it to the police where the property is, and to your bank straight away. US residents can also report scams to the FTC.

Register your address after you move

Many countries expect you to register where you live. That registration often unlocks the next steps: your health cover, your tax number or your residence card. Your landlord’s cooperation can matter.

• Spain: the padrón. Everyone living in Spain must register on the town register (padrón) of the town where they usually live. A year on the padrón is one condition for the public health scheme for residents without cover. See our healthcare guide.
• Portugal. For the national health service to cover your costs, your health record needs your full address in Portugal and your NIF. For health service registration, someone without a residence permit who has been in Portugal more than 90 days can ask the local parish council (junta de freguesia) for a certificate of residence.
• Germany: the Anmeldung. You must register within two weeks of moving in. Your landlord must confirm your move-in in writing within the same two weeks. If the landlord refuses, or the confirmation does not arrive in time, tell the registration office straight away.
• The Netherlands. You must register with your municipality when you come to live there.
• Ireland. There is no general address register, but non-EU residents register their immigration permission. Our Ireland guide explains the Irish Residence Permit.

What catches people out

• Paying before signing. It is illegal in France and England, and it is how most rental scams work.
• Deposits above the legal cap. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Ireland, Germany and England all set one.
• A holiday let is not a tenancy. Short tourist lets come with fewer rights than a lease, and in Spain the rules for one- to twelve-month leases changed in October 2026.
• The bail mobilité has conditions. Retirees and remote workers on a visitor visa usually don’t fit its list of reasons.
• A landlord who won’t confirm your address. In Germany, report it to the registration office rather than wait.
• Old figures and old rules. Tenancy law changed in England on 1 May 2026 and in Spain in October 2026. Check the date on anything you read.

What to do next

1. Pick your city. Use the cost of living calculator to compare places, and add a “somewhere to stay while you look” line to your budget.
2. Build your rental file. Gather income proof, bank statements, references and translations before you travel.
3. Book a furnished stay for your first months, under a written contract.
4. Register your address as soon as you move in, and track it in Your Move.

This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Tenancy rules change and differ by region. Check them with the official tenancy body or a local housing advice service, or speak to a lawyer licensed where you are renting, before you sign or pay.