Searching for a place to live in Spain…

Now that I have my visa and my plane ticket to go to Spain, my next logical step in preparing to leave for Burgos in September is to start looking for housing. The best way that I know for finding a place to live in Spain is the old-fashioned way: scouring the papers and classified ads for available apartments. And that’s exactly what I plan to do over the next few weeks. 

Since I’m young and my scholarship isn’t really paying me a fortune, I’ve decided to look for rooms to rent in shared apartments (pisos compartidos) with other students my age. This will help keep my cost of living down and, hopefully, will allow me to get to know other people in Burgos (through my flatmates). I should also mention that because I’m not going to be in Burgos until September, I am only beginning the apartment search right now… I want to know what’s “out there” but probably won’t commit to renting a place until I actually arrive in September (although I do have some friends who live near Burgos and would be willing to go look at a place on my behalf if I happen to find a great deal). In any event, here’s some of my advice on searching for a place to live in Spain.

Things to Consider when Searching:

• When you start looking for a place to live in Spain, you’ll find that almost all places have a security deposit (fianza); however, unlike in the USA, not all apartments will require a lease (contrato). When talking with the landlord, you should ask how much the security deposit is and if there is a lease. You should also find out if utilities (gastos) are included in the rent. In Spain, in addition to the normal utilities like gas, water, and electric, people also pay what they call comunidad. Thus, you should check to see not only if utilities are included but also if comunidad is included.
• You may also be interested in finding out if the apartment is furnished (¿está amueblado?).
• We are living in the twentieth century, so you may be interested in knowing if the apartment you’re planning on moving into is wired for the internet (or if it can be wired easily). Remember, some of the buildings being rented are old and wiring them for the internet could be costly. If your building isn’t already wired and you want internet, make sure you know the cost of installing it before you sign a lease. Ask things such as ¿Hay internet? ¿Podría contratar internet?
  
• You may be able to negotiate price with the landlord depending on how long you’re going to stay in an apartment. For instance, some landlords will rent to you for less if you agree to stay for at least a year. Other times this tactic doesn’t work, but it may be worth a try.
• If you’re planning on sharing an apartment with others you may want to ask the landlord if each bedroom has its own lock (¿tiene cerradura propia?). You may also want to ask things like whether or not the flatmates take turns keeping up with the cleaning of the apartment and whether or not you have the right to use all the common areas of the apartment. You could use phrases such as the following: ¿Cómo hacéis la limpieza… es por turnos? ¿Tendría derecho a la cocina/al baño?

Places to Search:
If you are in Spain, you can go to any newspaper stand (quiosco) and ask the person working there what papers have local classified ads (anuncios clasificados) in them. If you’re not in Spain, the internet is a great resource for finding apartment listings (and sometimes you can find more stuff listed online than you can in print). Below are a few classified ads sites that I know of… they’re in no particular order. If you know of a site I’ve forgotten, please post a comment at the bottom of this page.

• http://www.segundamano.es
• http://www.mundoanuncio.com
• http://www.loquo.com
• http://www.habitamos.com
•  http://www.idealista.com
•  http://www.pisocompartido.com
•  http://www.easypiso.com
•  http://casas.trovit.es
•  http://www.suvivienda.es

One Final Note:
If you’re looking for a place to live in Spain, you should have at least a basic understanding of Spanish (or have a friend who can help you). This will ensure that you get the best possible price and will help you to fully understand exactly what you’re agreeing to before signing a lease.

I hope that you’ve found this post helpful… please post your reactions, additional suggestions, or any other comments below.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com