Your first month on Spotahome: 13 questions, answered

About the request

1. Can I talk to the tenant before accepting?

You see their full profile, but direct contact details are exchanged only after you accept. If you have a blocking question, contact Spotahome support quoting the request reference — flagged requests are prioritised so you get an answer inside your 24-hour window.

2. Has the tenant seen my place in person?

Almost certainly not — that’s the point. They booked based on the Homechecker photos, HD video tour and floor plan. Your job is to make sure reality matches them.

3. Can I propose different dates or a different price?

Yes — you can send a modification of the request with adjusted dates or price. Use it for small changes only: tenants often find modified requests confusing, and conversion drops. The better fix is a calendar and price that are always accurate, so requests arrive right the first time.

About money

4. Who holds the First Payment?

The tenant authorizes the charge when they send the request; the money is charged automatically when you accept, held safely by Spotahome, and released to you within 48 hours of move-in, minus the success fee.

5. Who holds the deposit?

You do — the deposit is always managed by you, the landlord. State the amount clearly in your listing (one month’s rent is the common benchmark), collect it by bank transfer before or at move-in, give a receipt, and return it within your country’s legal window after checkout, minus any documented damage. In Spain, return it within one month of key handover — after that, the tenant can claim interest on it.

6. What does Spotahome cost me, exactly?

A one-off success fee on the contract value, collected from your first rent transfer (and spread over the following ones if it’s ever larger than a month’s rent). The rate depends on your country and your plan (8% on Spotahome Plus in Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal and Ireland; 10% in Germany and the United Kingdom); your exact rate is in the plans section. No subscription, no listing fee, no charge for declined or expired requests. Worked example →

7. What about months two, three, four?

Spotahome collects the rent and pays you on the 5th business day of each month, guaranteed even if the tenant hasn’t paid.

About risk

8. What if the tenant cancels before move-in?

It depends on how much notice they give. If they cancel 60 days or more before move-in, no First Payment is transferred to you. Between 59 and 30 days, you receive 50% of the First Payment, less the commission. At 29 days or less, you receive 100% of the First Payment, less the commission. Those last two conditions for landlords apply to bookings confirmed from 1 June 2026; bookings confirmed before that date follow the cancellation terms in force when they were confirmed.

9. What if the tenant never shows up?

A no-show without cancellation is treated like a last-minute cancellation: the First Payment charged at acceptance is held by Spotahome, you keep the share defined by the cancellation policy (the full month in true no-show cases), and your property goes straight back on the market.

10. What if the property doesn’t match the listing?

The tenant can raise a mismatch within 24 hours of moving in. Payment is paused while Spotahome support reviews the report — they’ll contact you for your side, compare against the listing and the Homechecker records, and either release the payment or agree a resolution. Keep your listing honest and your photos current and this clause will never touch you.

11. What if the tenant refuses to leave?

Overstay disputes follow your country’s tenancy law. The contract you sign at move-in is your legal foundation — keep it consistent with the booking, and the non-payment cover keeps the rent flowing, up to 12 months, while it’s resolved.

About what comes next

12. Can the tenant extend the stay?

Yes — extensions are common and can be arranged through the platform, keeping the guarantees active for the extended period.

13. How do I get more requests like the good ones?

Keep the calendar accurate, respond fast, and keep photos fresh. Response rate and acceptance rate are the two levers you fully control — and both feed directly into your search ranking.