What Happens if You Default on Your Spanish Mortgage?
When money is tight, many people end up in a situation where they cannot pay their bills, sometimes including their mortgage. Whether the mortgage is on a primary residence or vacation home, defaulting on a mortgage can have serious consequences for the homeowner. These consequences vary by country and can even vary by state or province within the same country, so it is important to understand them fully.
Defaulting on a Spanish mortgage, for example, has very specific consequences. In past years, it was possible to default on a Spanish mortgage with little to no loss at all to the homeowner. This was especially true if the homeowner was not a Spanish citizen and the home was a vacation home or second residence. But now Spanish banks have become more aggressive about enforcing mortgage terms for all homeowners, even non-Spanish citizens.
In case a homeowner must default on a mortgage in Spain, turning over the home to the bank is often an option. This simple option will save the homeowner a lot of money in court costs and additional interest on the home loan. You cant just turn the keys over to the bank without arranging it, however. The bank is under no obligation to let you out of the mortgage by taking the home back. They will be rather unlikely to take the home back without good reason such as a hardship. An example of such a hardship would be the death of a spouse or another situation that has caused your income to be drastically cut.
If despite your attempts to negotiate a home turnover, the bank refuses your offer, you must then sell your home. You should try to get as much from the home sale as you can, as you will still be responsible to the bank for any shortfall between the home sale amount and the remaining amount on your Spanish mortgage. The bank will be most likely to aggressively pursue you for a large shortfall on the Spanish mortgage. However, the bank can legally pursue the homeowner for any shortfall amount at all. The bank may collect money by placing liens on any and all assets of the homeowner..
Defaulting on a Spanish mortgage is an extremely serious situation, so it is essential that the homeowner work as closely as possible with the bank as soon as it is evident that defaulting is going to be unavoidable. Working with the bank that holds your Spanish mortgage can result in a fair settlement that benefits both you and the bank with as little impact on your other assets or financial holdings as possible.