What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Spanish Mortgage

If you are like many people today, you may be having trouble making ends meet or are living paycheck to paycheck. This often leads to homeowners defaulting on their mortgage, and defaulting on a mortgage for a primary or secondary residence can have serious repercussions for the homeowner. These consequences vary by state, province, and country, so you must be sure to completely understand them.

For instance, when you default on a Spanish mortgage, there are certain consequences. In the past, such defaulting used to be very simple. This used to be true, especially for second residences or vacation homes. However, this is no longer the case, as Spanish banks can and will pursue non-residents to fulfill their mortgage obligations.

In case a homeowner must default on a Spanish mortgage, 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. However, turning the home over to the bank is a process that must be negotiated. The bank is under no obligation to let you out of the mortgage by taking the home back. The bank is more likely to accept the home back from you if you have had a true hardship that has affected your ability to make payments on your Spanish mortgage. If your spouse dies or your income has dropped due to another cause that is no fault of your own, the bank may consider that a valid hardship and allow you to turn in your keys to the home.

If the bank rejects a home turnover offer from the homeowner, he or she will need to try to sell the home quickly. Try to get a final sale price that will cover the remaining amount on your Spanish mortgage or one that will come as close as possible to paying it off, as the bank will still expect the full amount from you in any case. If the shortfall is significant, the bank will be much more likely to pursue you for that amount. But the bank can legally attempt to collect any amount from you. This means you may face liens on any assets you own, including your primary home and investments. This may take years to do, but the bank will not give up without getting their money.

Even if defaulting on your Spanish mortgage is inevitable, you should work with the bank as much as possible as soon as you know you must default. Doing so can result in an agreement that will satisfy the bank, relieve you of your responsibilities associated with the Spanish mortgage, and allow you to keep other assets you may own.

Bookmark and share:
  • Reddit
  • Sphinn
  • Technorati
  • del.icio.us
  • Slashdot
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • SphereIt
  • Propeller
  • Fark
  • MisterWong
  • FriendFeed
  • BlinkList

Comments are closed.