Forum user estimates idle apartment costs €500 monthly
A forum post claims an empty flat costs €500/month, while €150k in a deposit yields €360; some doubt the figures.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Brick vs. Cash: €500 Monthly Loss on Idle Flat vs. €360 Deposit Return
How much does it cost to keep a property vacant? A story circulating on a forum describes a flat in a working-class neighborhood in the Barcelona metropolitan area, contrasting with €150,000 placed in a Wizink fixed-term deposit that, according to the poster, generates €360 per month. Another user states that an acquaintance invested €155,000 in a flat a year and a half ago and is now "furious."
The buyer carries a variable-rate mortgage of €50,000. After the rate review, the installment is €350, which rises to €450 in monthly expenses when adding insurance and card fees. They intended to rent it but have kept it empty for a year. Now they face partial renovations for the bathroom, kitchen, and general painting. The balance summarizing the case: €500 monthly loss on one side and €360 income on the other, with identical starting capital. Caveat: the story lacks documentation, and some directly claim it is fabricated because the numbers fit too perfectly.
What Does Keeping a Vacant Flat Cost for a Year?
A property without tenants generates no income yet continues to incur bills. Insurance, IBI (property tax), community fees, and special assessments continue even if nobody sleeps there. To the €450 monthly figure, one must add pending renovations, paid today to enable future income, and twelve months of lost profits without a single rental payment.
The lingering doubt isn't how much is lost, but whether the flat will ever be rented. It is not the same as an asset that performs versus a promise of income dependent on finding a tenant, signing a contract, and collecting full payments each month.
How Much Does a Fixed-Term Deposit Pay on €150,000?
Approximately €360 per month in the comparison case. The interest rates used range from 2.78% at Cajamar for online deposits to slightly over 3% at Sabadell or Deutsche Bank when visiting a branch. At the higher end are Haitong and Banca Sistema at 4%, plus several institutions offering one-year or longer deposits above 3%: Wizink, Facto, Pibank, and Renault Bank.
Those reading the fine print note the guarantee scheme for each entity. Wizink and Pibank operate under the Spanish deposit guarantee fund, Facto under the Italian one, and Renault Bank under the French one. This raises another uncomfortable question: is it wise to concentrate €150,000 in a single bank, a sum several forum users consider excessive.
What Is the Net Yield from Renting a Flat?
4% after deducting all expenses. This is the figure defended by someone who bought a similar-priced, already-tenanted flat outright, while also maintaining equivalent amounts in fixed terms and high-yield accounts with similar returns, plus stocks yielding 5-6%. Another case boasts €800 monthly from multiple flats, dropping to €700 after prorating insurance, IBI, and other costs.
Taxation changes the final result more than it appears. According to one participant's calculation, rental income allows deductions for expenses, taxes, and amortization, reducing the taxable base to 40%. Those living off a deposit pay taxes on the total with few deductions, leading some to argue they pay more tax than landlords with multiple properties.
The entry barrier also differs. For another contributor, a "decent" home in Barcelona costs no less than €400,000, distancing small savers from the market and leaving it to those with existing capital or credit. Detailed calculations for each scenario, itemizing expenses, taxes, and amortizations, are where the issue becomes interesting.
Why Antiestéticar of Illegal Occupation Outweighs the 4%
Antiestéticar of illegal occupation is the reason cited by those keeping flats empty, alongside a legal framework perceived as favorable to occupants. In Catalonia, specifically Barcelona, this factor recurs in every comparison between real estate and financial products.
There are less obvious risks. One owner describes a property in a prime area where the entire building was acquired by a fund: the fund seeks to consolidate all units and pressures resistant owners, winning lawsuits yet still making life difficult. Being small in a big-player market has a cost.
Against this is the argument that real estate is always a liability, never an asset: taxes, community fees, utilities, and repairs don't stop, and liquidity isn't available on demand. The common response is diversification: neither all in flats nor all in deposits. Splitting the same capital across variable, fixed, and brick assets softens any scenario.
A deposit at 3% and a flat at 4% compete for the same money. The difference is that the former has no neighbors, no faucets, and no judge waiting for a verdict. And that, in a working-class neighborhood in the Barcelona metro area, is no minor detail.
How much does it cost to keep a property vacant? A story circulating on a forum describes a flat in a working-class neighborhood in the Barcelona metropolitan area, contrasting with €150,000 placed in a Wizink fixed-term deposit that, according to the poster, generates €360 per month. Another user states that an acquaintance invested €155,000 in a flat a year and a half ago and is now "furious."
The buyer carries a variable-rate mortgage of €50,000. After the rate review, the installment is €350, which rises to €450 in monthly expenses when adding insurance and card fees. They intended to rent it but have kept it empty for a year. Now they face partial renovations for the bathroom, kitchen, and general painting. The balance summarizing the case: €500 monthly loss on one side and €360 income on the other, with identical starting capital. Caveat: the story lacks documentation, and some directly claim it is fabricated because the numbers fit too perfectly.
What Does Keeping a Vacant Flat Cost for a Year?
A property without tenants generates no income yet continues to incur bills. Insurance, IBI (property tax), community fees, and special assessments continue even if nobody sleeps there. To the €450 monthly figure, one must add pending renovations, paid today to enable future income, and twelve months of lost profits without a single rental payment.
The lingering doubt isn't how much is lost, but whether the flat will ever be rented. It is not the same as an asset that performs versus a promise of income dependent on finding a tenant, signing a contract, and collecting full payments each month.
How Much Does a Fixed-Term Deposit Pay on €150,000?
Approximately €360 per month in the comparison case. The interest rates used range from 2.78% at Cajamar for online deposits to slightly over 3% at Sabadell or Deutsche Bank when visiting a branch. At the higher end are Haitong and Banca Sistema at 4%, plus several institutions offering one-year or longer deposits above 3%: Wizink, Facto, Pibank, and Renault Bank.
Those reading the fine print note the guarantee scheme for each entity. Wizink and Pibank operate under the Spanish deposit guarantee fund, Facto under the Italian one, and Renault Bank under the French one. This raises another uncomfortable question: is it wise to concentrate €150,000 in a single bank, a sum several forum users consider excessive.
What Is the Net Yield from Renting a Flat?
4% after deducting all expenses. This is the figure defended by someone who bought a similar-priced, already-tenanted flat outright, while also maintaining equivalent amounts in fixed terms and high-yield accounts with similar returns, plus stocks yielding 5-6%. Another case boasts €800 monthly from multiple flats, dropping to €700 after prorating insurance, IBI, and other costs.
Taxation changes the final result more than it appears. According to one participant's calculation, rental income allows deductions for expenses, taxes, and amortization, reducing the taxable base to 40%. Those living off a deposit pay taxes on the total with few deductions, leading some to argue they pay more tax than landlords with multiple properties.
The entry barrier also differs. For another contributor, a "decent" home in Barcelona costs no less than €400,000, distancing small savers from the market and leaving it to those with existing capital or credit. Detailed calculations for each scenario, itemizing expenses, taxes, and amortizations, are where the issue becomes interesting.
Why Antiestéticar of Illegal Occupation Outweighs the 4%
Antiestéticar of illegal occupation is the reason cited by those keeping flats empty, alongside a legal framework perceived as favorable to occupants. In Catalonia, specifically Barcelona, this factor recurs in every comparison between real estate and financial products.
There are less obvious risks. One owner describes a property in a prime area where the entire building was acquired by a fund: the fund seeks to consolidate all units and pressures resistant owners, winning lawsuits yet still making life difficult. Being small in a big-player market has a cost.
Against this is the argument that real estate is always a liability, never an asset: taxes, community fees, utilities, and repairs don't stop, and liquidity isn't available on demand. The common response is diversification: neither all in flats nor all in deposits. Splitting the same capital across variable, fixed, and brick assets softens any scenario.
A deposit at 3% and a flat at 4% compete for the same money. The difference is that the former has no neighbors, no faucets, and no judge waiting for a verdict. And that, in a working-class neighborhood in the Barcelona metro area, is no minor detail.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (204 replies).
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