How to easily find an apartment for rent in Spain
If you are planning on moving to Spain and finding an apartment for rent is a top priority, here are a few tips that might help.
After all, while it may seem figuring out how to find an apartment for rent in Spain could be difficult because of the language, it is actually not at all. And, with today’s less than stellar Spanish economy, you can even get some great deals as well.
Internet apartment rental agencies in Spain
There are tons of internet apartment rental agencies in Spain that can help you find an apartment for rent in no time, and they do tend to be easy to deal with. Do be aware, though, you will often pay a hefty fee for this service and prices for apartments can also be more expensive than if you were to find a comparable apartment yourself.
That’s why I’d suggest keeping this option on the back burner. Until you’ve exhausted every other one, that is.
Look in the Classifieds for apartments for rent in Spain
One of the first places to start looking for an apartment to rent in Spain is in the Classifieds section of the local newspaper. That means, no matter if you’re in Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Majorca or in a tiny tourist resort on the Costa Brava, you should have some luck by looking through newspaper ads.
One quick tip if you plan on doing this, however, is get the newspaper as soon as it is published and start calling prospective landlords immediately. Apartments can go quite quickly, especially the nicer ones, so you’ll want to be one of the first people allowed to visit them. And, of course, if you find a place you like don’t wait a few days to rent it, as someone else will beat you to it.
Find a neighborhood you like and walk around it
One easy and free way to find an apartment for rent in Spain is to decide on the neighborhood you want to live in and then start walking around it.
In the current economic climate especially, you’ll usually find many ‘For rent’ signs (‘se aquila‘ in Spanish), in buildings all over the place.
Get the phone number and give the owner a call there and then. Sometimes you may even get lucky and find an owner, landlord or agent that will come to meet you immediately, so you’ll get a look at an apartment you may be interested in quickly.
Also, if there’s a sign that says ‘razón portero‘, that means the caretaker of the building is in charge of showing people available apartments. They will often be on the premises, which makes it even easier to get a quick look.
Ask your Spanish friends, hotel receptionist or people in cafes
One awesome way to find an apartment for rent in Spain is to ask every Spaniard or other local resident you know if they have heard of anything. That means asking Spanish friends or, if you’re currently staying in a hotel, ask the hotel receptionist if they’ve heard of any apartment rentals you might be interested in.
I got lucky by becoming friendly with one of the waitresses and the maitre d’ at my hotel. Both had been residents of the area for decades and knew several people who owned apartments that were currently available for rent. That meant I got to look at four or five places at reasonable prices before I chose the one I liked.
I often find a cafe or two that I like as well, and head there every day. It’s then easy to ask the waitress or the guy behind the bar if they know of any nice apartments to rent.
Don’t be shy. Ask anyone you might meet, as often apartment owners in Spain don’t advertise, they just trust that ‘word of mouth’ will get them a suitable tenant. And it usually does.
By the way, if you’ll just be in Spain for a few weeks and are looking to rent a holiday apartment, don’t miss reading What You Need to Know About Renting a Holiday Apartment for tips on how to go about it.