If you want to delegate the renting of your property, it is a good idea to hire the services of a Spanish estate agent. Most inmobiliarias are prepared to take care of all the legalities of renting accommodation in exchange for a percentage of the weekly or monthly rent if you want to rent short term (for which you will need a licence as authorities no longer turn a blind eye to holiday renting), or in exchange of the equivalent of one month's rent (which the tenant pays directly to the agency) if you are going to rent your property long-term (i.e. for at least one year).

Most estate agents employ agents who speak English and other European languages, depending on the area, and they take care of showing the property to potential tenants which is ideal if you do not live in Spain or don't want the hassle of having to show people around yourself. They will also draw up the contract for you, according to your terms and Spanish law.

You don't have to have a special licence to rent accommodation if it is a long-term let, but you will be liable to Spanish VAT laws. This means that you will have to charge VAT on the monthly rent, and then pay this back to the tax office, Hacienda, on a quarterly basis. One of the many Gestorías or Asesorías in Spain will take care of the paperwork for you for a small fee.

Most Spanish provinces have a free weekly newspaper with various classified pages, including a section on property for rent in the province capital and surrounding area. It is worth listing your property in the paper, because most people looking for property to rent long term use it as one of the main sources of information.

If, however, you intend to let out your property on a short-term rent basis to tourists, you will need to check that the property itself has authorisation for tourism use and holiday rentals. Licenses for this purpose have to be approved by the local authorities and any property owners who venture into holiday rentals without the license are liable to heavy fines, as illustrated in this Telegraph article kindly forwarded on to us by a concerned British owner of a holiday apartment.

There are more and more websites of property to rent in Spain, where you can list the charactaristics of your property, availability and rent for free. More and more people use the Internet to look for property for rent and for sale, so it is worth listing your property on as many of these sites as you can possibly find.

See also:

• Spanish government sets up rental agency
• Right of tenants to buy rented property in Spain
• New state rental agency ready for business