Owning a home in Spain as a non-resident involves more than paying IBI and community fees. The Spanish tax authority also requires an annual declaration of non-resident income tax (Impuesto sobre la Renta de no Residentes, IRNR), submitted through form 210 — the well-known Modelo 210. Many of our Nordic and British clients only learn about this obligation after several years of ownership, when a letter from Hacienda arrives. Below we explain how the tax works, how much you pay and when it must be filed.
Two scenarios, one form
Modelo 210 applies to non-resident property owners in two main situations:
1. The property is empty or used only by the owner (family use). In that case, an imputed income is taxed: the State assumes that the property generates a theoretical return, even when it is not actually rented out. The taxable base is normally 1.1% of the cadastral value (valor catastral) if the value has been revised within the last ten years, or 2% otherwise. The tax rate is 19% for EU/EEA residents and 24% for everyone else.
2. The property is rented out. Actual rental income is declared on a quarterly basis. EU/EEA residents pay 19% on net income — that is, after deducting mortgage interest, property tax, community fees, insurance, repairs, depreciation and other directly related expenses. Non-EU/EEA residents (e.g. British nationals after Brexit) pay 24% on gross income, without any right to deduct expenses.
Practical example: an apartment in Alfaz del Pi worth €200,000
Imagine a Swedish owner of an apartment with a cadastral value of €80,000 (a typical ratio to market value in the area). If the property is empty, the taxable base is 1.1% × €80,000 = €880. At 19%, the resulting tax is approximately €167 per year.
If the same owner instead rents out the apartment during the summer and earns €8,000, mortgage interest, IBI, community fees, insurance and depreciation can be deducted. Assuming total deductible expenses of €5,000, the taxable base is €3,000. At 19%, the tax for that year is €570.
Deadlines you must respect
For imputed income (empty home), Modelo 210 is filed once a year, no later than 31 December of the year following the relevant tax year. This means the 2025 return must be filed by 31 December 2026.
For rental income, the form is filed quarterly: in April, July, October and January, covering the previous quarter.
What happens if you don’t declare?
Hacienda has full access to the land registry and knows exactly which foreign nationals own property in Spain. Failing to declare leads to assessment of the tax plus late-payment interest and penalties usually ranging from 50% to 150% of the unpaid amount. Where the property is rented out without declaration, the penalties can be significantly higher, especially when the home is advertised on Airbnb or similar platforms — Hacienda has had data-sharing agreements with these platforms for several years and receives automatic information about every booking.
Calculate your tax in seconds
To get a concrete estimate for your own situation, we have built two free calculators:
👉 Imputed income tax calculator (if the property is empty)
👉 Rental income tax calculator (if you rent it out)
Our recommendation
Modelo 210 is not particularly complex in itself, but mishandling it can lead to thousands of euros in penalties. At Colás Abogados we manage the annual declaration for hundreds of Nordic and international clients on a fixed-fee, fully transparent basis. If you are unsure about your situation, get in touch and we will review it free of charge.
Contact us:
Email: info@colas-abogados.com
Phone: +34 629 549 430
Web: www.colas-abogados.com