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Guide for Expats in Spain Learning the Language in Spain
Guide for traveling in Spain Health Care for Tourists in Spain
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Tips for a successful apartment search in Spain Finding a place to live in Spain can be an extremely frustrating process, especially if you don’t speak Spanish. There are English-speaking agencies and English-language publications that can help, but the rent prices tend to be higher because they assume expats can afford to pay more or are unfamiliar with Spanish rental prices. You may also find some ads in English on Spanish Web sites, but these also tend to carry higher prices or (in the worst of cases) are a total scam.
Unless you have a friend to stay with when you first arrive, you should plan on spending at least a week or two in a hostel or hostal while you search for more permanent accommodation.
Think long and hard about whether you prefer to live alone or with others. If you choose the latter, you need to decide whether you want to seek out other English speakers or try to find Spanish flatmates. While living with Spaniards can certainly help you learn or improve your Spanish, there may be times when you come home exhausted and don't have the energy to think in another language, or you may find that there are too many cultural differences. Each person has their own experience. I've lived with several Spanish people over the years and found it to be a very positive experience overall, but I admit to being much more comfortable when I lived with fellow English speakers.
If possible, try to visit apartments more than once, at different times of the day and week. I once rented a place after seeing it on Sunday afternoon, when everything was peaceful and quiet. After moving in, I discovered that schoolchildren passed by in droves four times per day, there was a noisy garage next door, and there were three construction projects going on within a half block of my place. Sunday afternoon was almost the only time of the week that there wasn’t any noise.
Private flats: Living on your own in Spain Finding an affordable apartment in a decent neighborhood in Spain can be difficult. A lot of it depends on luck and who you know. If you really want your own place and don’t mind shelling out a few extra euros for an agency fee (meaning an extra month’s rent), your best bet is going to an apartment broker. In the bigger cities, you’ll find agents who speak English (and, of course, offer higher-priced flats). If you speak Spanish, use the classified ads of the Web sites listed below.
You need to be quick – a good apartment can be taken within hours of the ad being placed. Expect to pay at least one month of fianza (deposit) and possibly two months if the apartment is furnished. (Any more than two months of deposit is illegal -- if a landlord asks you for three months or more, forget it.) Some landlords will also require that you have a nomina, which is more or less a fixed monthly income. In lieu of this, they may ask for an aval bancario (bank guarantee), which can either be a separate account where you set aside several months’ worth of rent before signing the contract, or a signed affirmation from the bank or someone else (e.g., your parents) saying that the rent will be covered if you can’t pay it.
Shared flats: Living with flatmates in Spain A common choice for expats living in Spain for a month or longer is to find a room in a shared flat or apartment. The rent is often much cheaper than staying in a hostel or hostal, you can save money by cooking your own meals, and you should have more privacy. It can also be a good way to meet people. If you live with other expats, it can be a great way to network and meet other Americans and Europeans – which can often lead to job opportunities.
Prices vary greatly. If you can speak Spanish and read the Spanish classified ads, you can probably find a much better deal. Many of the ads in English are geared towards foreigners coming from the U.S., the U.K., or other parts of Europe where rent prices may be higher than in Spain. The prices are artificially inflated because the people advertising the flats know that they will still seem cheap to many foreigners. The best thing to do is shop around – or try to find a Spanish speaker to help you out!
Private homes: Living with a Spanish family Another very affordable option is to live with a Spanish family. At least once a week, I see ads for families seeking native English or German speakers to live with them. The terms vary, but it generally includes a free or low-priced room with one or two meals per day in exchange for spending a few hours each day speaking to the kids in your native language. The advantages are clear: cheap accommodation and free meals, often in a nice home and neighborhood. The disadvantages are also clear: less freedom and having to put up with (usually) bratty kids.
Residencias: University-style living A residencia is similar to a university dormitory. Rooms are usually for one or two people and include beds, desks, and a telephone for receiving calls. Most nowadays have an Internet connection as well. Rooms can be rented by the week or the month and two or three meals per day are often included in the price. If you are a college student coming to Spain for a year abroad, a student residence (residencia universitaria) may be a good option for you – you can meet other students from around the world and always have home-cooked meals. There are also residencias femininas for women only.
Many residencias place ads online when they have open beds. A good place to look (for any major city in Spain) is the compartir piso/alq habitación section of Loquo.com.
You can find ads for shared and individual flats, apartments, or studios (throughout Spain) at: Idealista.com, Loquo.com, Segundamano, and PisoCompartido.
If you’re in Madrid, you may also find ads in InMadrid.
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