Pay to view: Trendy new startup charges desperate renters just to view a flat. Is this coming to Spain’s housing market soon?

Stock image of a red apartment building in Spain.

Credit: Katerina Klio, Shutterstock.

In a jaw-dropping twist to the global rental crisis, a flashy new startup has decided that simply looking at a flat should come with a price tag – and yes, you have to pay before you even sniff the air for mould or check if the toilet flushes.

Say hello to Rently – the Silicon Valley darling that’s turned house-hunting into a checkout process.

Gone are the days when landlords would trudge over to show you a dingy shoebox with ‘lots of charm.’ With Rently’s new model, they don’t even have to be there. You pay, you get a code, you let yourself in. Is this new trend coming to Spain soon?

Pay-to-view: The rental revolution nobody asked for?

Here’s how it works. Apartment hunters fork out €4.99 for a casual plan (10 viewings in 30 days), or €11.99 for “Verified Renter Status,” which includes perks like an instant credit pre-check and live chat support. After that, you wander around a vacant flat, alone – and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get the chance to apply.

One outraged user on X (formerly Twitter) summed her position up perfectly:

“This is insane. I refuse to pay to tour a rental house.”

But while renters rage, landlords rejoice. Rently automates everything – ID checks, income verification, applications – cutting out agents, cutting down costs, and cutting renters right out of the conversation.

And now, with Spain’s rental market stretched to breaking point, the question is… could this idea catch on here too?

Could Rently-style renting invade Spain?

It’s not as far-fetched as you’d think. With rents in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga soaring – and demand vastly outpacing supply – Spain is fertile ground for landlord-friendly tech that disrupts the market in some way.

Just ask any young Spaniard trying to move out of their family home. According to Eurostat, the average age to leave the parental nest in Spain is around 30 – one of the highest in Europe.

Why? One reason is because renting is expensive, competitive, and full of hurdles.

Enter tech. Spain’s already seen a surge in property platforms like Badi, Spotahome, and Housfy, which promise to “modernise” the rental market – often through AI and automation.

Spotahome, for example, already offers virtual tours with 360° photos and pre-recorded walk-throughs. But so far, no one’s dared charge you to physically unlock a door and have a look around.

Yet.

So will pay-to-view take off here in Spain?

It’s possible – but it depends on who you ask.

In theory, Rently’s model could work in Spain’s big cities – especially with professionals and overseas renters looking for speed and landlords chasing passive profits.

A busy professional might welcome the flexibility of viewing alone at 9 PM after work. An international student new to Madrid might prefer an app-guided process over trying to understand legalese in a second language. It’s about different use cases.

But charging everyone a fee just to peek inside a flat? That’s a tougher sell in Spain, where consumer rights are stronger, and face-to-face trust still matters in the rental game.

Why cultural norms in Spain could stop pay-to-view rental apps in their tracks

But there’s a catch – cultural resistance. In Spain, and in many other parts of Europe, people still want to meet the landlord, ask about the building, test the taps, and suss out the vibe. And rightly so. Many people take their impression of the landlord or landlady as a deal-breaker. Even the nicest flat at the most reasonable price is not worth it if there’s something off about the owner. It’s that important.

Strict housing laws in Spain could block pay-to-view rental schemes

There’s also the small matter of regulation. In regions like Catalonia, rent control is returning, and consumer watchdogs are alert. Charging people just to view a home could trigger a legal or political backlash. It’s hard to imagine regional housing departments welcoming a scheme that charges the public for basic access.

Still, if it’s easy profit, and renters are desperate enough, don’t be surprised if it slips through the back door.

Renting in Spain: Déjà vu or digital déjà non?

There’s no Rently clone in Spain just yet – but the signs are there. With more landlords leaning on digital tools, more portals going fully online, and foreign buyers flooding the market, tenants could soon be paying just to look.

For now, the idea of pay-to-peek still sounds like a Silicon Valley fever dream. But in a country where rental contracts are shorter, deposits are bigger and housing is a daily stress, apps like Rently may not be far off.  

Want more modern property stories and Spanish living news?

More Spanish living news.  

More news in English from around Spain.

Tags: property news, Technology news