Spain has several different types of houses offered as both short-term and long-term leases. With the rise of websites such as Airbnb, Booking, and Uniplaces, the former has gained prominence in recent years.
Finding a good place to live is always difficult. There is no exception – getting the right rent and housing in beautiful Spain can be hard, especially in large cities. Read guide to room and flat rental and for buying an apartment or villa by the sea.
How to find housing in Spain?
Whether you’re looking for an apartment or just a room: local knowledge is key.
If you’re not willing to spend a lot of money on an estate agent, you will have to get used to a housing market that relies a lot on local advertising. To get you started, here some tips for a successful housing search in Spain:
Get walking
This method might seem a little strange to people who are used to housing markets that mainly rely on classifieds and professional agents. However, it can be quite effective in Spain.
Networking
This is a way of life in Spain and looking for a home is as good a time as any to begin. Given the lack of rented housing, a lot of the best places are not generally advertised but are recommended by word of mouth because landlords prefer “known” tenants. Take advice from friends, family members, classmates, colleagues, etc., and let them know that you are looking for a place to live. The more people that know you are looking, the higher the chance you will be pointed in the right direction.
Paid services
Estate agents and room finding services
If you’re having trouble finding suitable accommodation or do not have a great deal of time to look, there are two types of paid services to assist you in your house hunt: agencies inmobiliarias (estate agents) and room finding services
Room finding services are more proactive and cost a bit less. They will charge an upfront fee (typically €60-120) and then try to find an crib that meets your requirements.
The rental market in Spain
How hard is it to find accommodation?
More and more Spaniards are buying instead of renting their houses in recent years. Spain has now one of the lowest rental rates in the EU. Low earnings and expensive housing mean that most Spaniards are living at home longer (the late 20s/early 30s) and then buying a home rather than joining the rental market.
The dramatic rise in property prices over the past five years has to lead to tough competition for available rental properties. Monthly rent for a 1 bedroom furnished flat starts at €600/month in Madrid and Barcelona. A cheaper way is to look for a room in a shared apartment, which may start around €300/month in the cities.
You must also have the same documentation as if you were leasing short-term documents:
Jobs contract, including payment slips for the last three months, or evidence of financial capital such as the current tax return;
- NIE (number for Spanish tax identification);
- ID, passport;
A month’s rent as a booking fee (if leased from an agency);
Private guarantor, private guarantor (in some cases).
Note:
Finding a good apartment at the right price before you arrive in Spain is difficult. Landlords prefer to meet tenants before signing a contract and the wide range in quality means it is not advisable to commit to renting a flat “unseen”. If you require your living arrangements to be organized before you arrive, you can use an apartment rental service.
Rentals in the short term
It is a good idea to figure out a place to stay on a short-term basis upon arrival, whether you are waiting for your home to be ready or just have not found the right place. To look up temporary rentals or monthly furnished rentals, such as Airbnb or Uniplaces, there are several websites.
A good place to begin is at an event or community for InterNations, where you can meet local ex-pats who have gone through the rental process of buying a property in Spain. On these famous websites, you can find houses and apartments:
- With Fotocasa;
- The Idealista;
- Houses in Spain.
On these pages, it is possible to find both furnished and unfurnished homes. Rent rates will, however, differ significantly between the two. Unfurnished places may have a kitchen with appliances or be fully empty, whereas, in a very Spartan fashion, apartments marketed as furnished may be fitted.
Before renting, the best approach is to always look at the place and ask what is included in the price. Rentals with a monthly rent price and the size of the living space in square meters are often marketed.
Where is Spain’s cheapest rent?
ALICANTIUS
ALICANTE, a study has found, is among the cheapest cities in Spain to rent a home. TecniTasa noticed that Alicante, Elche, Castellon de la Plana, Almeria, and Huelva, based on the price per square meter, were the most economical locations for renting properties.
You will pay an average of EUR 1,000 (USD 1,125) in Madrid for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center, while one-bedroom sets you back EUR 700 (USD 790) per month outside the center. The price for a three-bedroom in the hotspot areas of Madrid averages EUR 1,700. (1,900 USD). It is around EUR 1,180 in the suburbs (1,330 USD).
In terms of property prices, Barcelona ranks just marginally behind Madrid. A one-bedroom flat in the city center costs EUR 950 on average (1,070 USD). You can save 250 EUR if you chose to live outside the crowded city (280 USD). Depending on how close you live to the city center, a three-bedroom apartment in Barcelona will cost between 1,100 and 1,700 EUR (1,240-1,900 USD).
In Spain, is rent cheap?
Aragorn, Navarre, Estremadura, and Castile-La Mancha are the cheapest places in Spain to rent. Palencia, Melilla, Lugo, Logrono, and Teruel are the cheapest cities to live in. … In Spain, the most expensive rental areas are along the coasts of Spain.
In Spain, how much is the rent?
The monthly average rent is around 600 euros. Obviously, you can easily find rentals of 400 euros if you drive away from the central areas and avoid cities such as Barcelona or Madrid.
In Spain, how much money do you need to live comfortably?
The cost of living in Spain, also in cities, is one of the lowest in Western Europe. (And you get the popular Spanish sunshine for free.) Setting aside rent or mortgage payments, a couple might comfortably survive on $20,000 to $22,000 a year, depending on your lifestyle, and still eat out frequently.
How can I permanently move to Spain?
For a residency certificate, register at the local Oficina de Extranjeros. You’ll need to apply for a certificate of permanent residency after five years.
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