Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog » Housing

“MTV Cribs” — Spanish style

Chris — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:39:55 +0000

Those of you who read my blog often know that I recently moved to a new apartment. After the move, I decided to make a short video (“MTV Cribs” style) to show everyone what my new, improved place is like. I’ll admit that my video might be a little bit “low budget” in comparison with a typical “MTV Cribs” episode; but still, I think it’s worth a view. You should especially pay attention to the hodgepodge of decorative items we have scattered through the house — Disney in the living room and half-naked girls and saints in the hallway. It’s quite interesting, if I do say so myself.

Let me know what you think of the new “pad” in the comments section below.

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

I hate moving

Chris — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:08:02 +0000

When I first arrived in Spain in September, I signed a lease that would last until June and, well, June is here and my lease is up. I’ve decided to move to a new apartment that is more centrally located rather than renewing this lease, which means that this week I am going to “make the big move” to my new place.

Right now, I’m in “packing mode” and am sitting in my room looking around me. I have boxes scattered all over the floor, a large garbage bag full of things I’m going to throw out, open suitcases, and lots and lots of dust (it seems like whenever you move you find dust in places you never thought possible). I guess to get through it all I just have to keep in mind my nice, new place waiting for me.

Hopefully, by this time next week I will be all moved into my new place. I’m going to take the move a little slow because here I do not have a car and thus have to move things by foot and rely on friends with cars. In any event, if the blog is a little “neglected” over the next couple of days, it’s due to the move. I’ll be “back on track” next week!

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

The Spain apartment search is on

Chris — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:10:30 +0000

Anybody have a cheap apartment in Burgos that they want to rent to me? My lease is up in the place that I’m currently living at and it’s time for me to start looking for a new place to live.

You know, the whole “apartment search” thing for me is a little stressful. After all, I can only be in the place that I’m currently at until the end of June and, because of the looming deadline, I can’t help but wonder what might happen if I don’t find a new apartment to move into by the time my current lease expires. Will I become a member of the Burgos homeless population? Will I have to rename this blog to “Abroad in the streets of Spain?” I hope not.

In any event, if you’re currently looking for a Spanish “piso,” you might want to check out a post I wrote on searching for a place to live in Spain. Ah… and don’t forget to leave me some comments below.

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

Should this building be demolished?

Chris — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:36:46 +0000

Apparently somebody doesn't want this building knocked down... and they made a big sign to prove it.

I was walking down the street near my house today and I saw the building pictured above with a sign reading ”No al Derribo” (“No to the Demolition”). I’m not really sure what the whole story is behind this building, but I’m guessing that the city (or whoever owns the place) wants to knock it down because it’s old and in poor repair. Of course, the people who have shops in the bottom floor of the building and those living inside (if anyone still lives there) probably don’t want to see it go.

Now, I’m no structural engineer, but the roof and right wall of this building seem a little unsafe to me. Take a look at the picture below for a close-up. Notice especially the upper-right corner of the building – it doesn’t look like there’s much left to it at all:

I'm no structural engineer, but it looks like there's a slight problem with the roof.

Of course, maybe it’s “still good” and it only looks bad to my “layman’s eye” — but I kinda doubt it. What do you think? Is this building a dangerous firetrap that should be knocked down or is it a “historical icon” that should be protected/rehabilitated because it contributes to the architectural history and richness of the city of Burgos? Leave your opinion in the comments section below.

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

Searching for a place to live in Spain…

Chris — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:48:11 +0000

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.

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