‘Late’ Rental Payments Increased By 12% In 2014

6 March 2015 – Cinco Días

Late-paying tenants owed landlords €6,489, on average, in 2014.

Until the Government publishes the first official statistics about the rental market, as promised, the rental sector specialist, Alquiler Seguro, is the only firm in Spain that is able to give us a snapshot of overdue rental payments through its File on Tenants in Arrears (Fichero de Inquilinos Morosos or FIM).

Yesterday, Alquiler Seguro opened offices in Málaga and took the opportunity to announce the arrears data for 2014. Taking the number of inscriptions recorded in this list across the country as a benchmark, late payments amongst urban tenants increased by 11.91% last year.

By autonomous region, the highest increases were recorded in Madrid (with 16.87%), Aragón (16.39%), Cataluña (15.73%), País Vasco (15.33%) and Andalucía (14.95%). By contrast, the regions with the lowest increases were Ceuta and Cantabria (8.74%), Murcia (6.54%), La Rioja (6.50%) and Navarra (3.56%).

The average amount owed by tenants to landlords reached €6,489 in 2014. Nevertheless, the highest average amount was recorded in the Community of Madrid (€14,242); this figure was undoubtedly inflated by the high rental prices in that region compared with other regions around the country; in Murcia, the average overdue amount was €13,692 and in the Balearic Islands, it was €9,428.

At the opposite end of the ranking, the average amounts owed in the following regions were notably lower: Castilla y Leon with €2,500, La Rioja with €3,073, Extremadura with €3,215 and Aragón with €3,409.

The FIM is a file that is freely accessible to the public and may be consulted by both registered professionals with prior approval from the FIM Iberica S.L. and by individuals with a legitimate interest, who may log individual queries without any requirement to register.

Original story: Cinco Días (by Raquel Díaz Guijarro)

Translation: Carmel Drake