If it's your first time looking for an apartment (or it's been a long time since you've done so), in this post we're going to give you some very useful tips and tricks so you can find a rental that suits your tastes and needs.
Our first recommendation is to be patient: searching for a rental can be a frustrating process. There are many websites and apps, which also have different formats, and it can take time to adapt to each one. In addition, there is not always a very wide offer, so we may exhaust all the options and not find anything that convinces us.
Below, we present 5 tips for finding a rental apartment in Spain:
1. Use different websites and applications
Combining the use of different platforms can help you have more options available, since some apartments are only offered on a certain platform. The most used platforms with a better filtering system are Idealistic y BodyBoth also allow you to search in a different way: Idealista is the best search engine for renting entire apartments and Badi is specialized in renting rooms.
It is very important that you pay attention to the publication date of the ads. Some may have been inactive for months and will waste our time. You also have the option of activating notifications so that when new apartments appear that fit your characteristics, you will be notified by email or through the application. Don't hesitate!
2. Pay attention to the details
Each advert has a specific structure and paying attention to the details will help you avoid wasting time and getting into trouble. The details you need to pay attention to will depend on your needs and expectations for the flat or room you want to rent.
Some examples you should check out:
- Does the building have an elevator?
- Do you have heating and air conditioning?
- Are the expenses (water, gas, electricity, internet) included?
- Is it required to pay a month's agency fee?
- How much is the bail?
- Is it delivered furnished or unfurnished?
- How many other people live in the flat? (if you share a flat)
3. Choose the area well
One of the greatest conveniences you can ask for in an apartment is that it has good transport connections. How well connected it is will obviously depend on your needs. For this reason, we recommend that you open Google Maps and enter all the streets of the apartments that interest you and evaluate the distances between that location and the places where you usually spend your life: work, gym, places you go out, places where your family and/or friends live, etc.
From here, especially if you live in a big city like Madrid or Barcelona, you should study the transport combinations that best suit you and the nearest metro and bus stops.
4. Filter by price and be wary of bargains
One of the most important tools for apartment seekers is the filter system. The most important is the one that limits the price: if we don't do this, we could be looking at apartments that are beyond our means and we wouldn't be taking advantage of the search. In addition, once we have determined the maximum price we can pay, we can order the adverts from the lowest price to the most expensive to try to find our best option.
Don't trust bargains! If you see a spectacular apartment, remodeled, very clean and new, at a very low price... It's not true! These types of apartments don't exist and it's most likely a scam. Be careful!
5. Always visit the apartments
If you do not personally know the person who wants to rent the apartment to you, it is mandatory that you visit the apartment. First, to check that it exists and is genuine and that it matches the photographs; second, to see if in person it matches the idea that we had formed from the photos and that it still interests us. Many times, the perspectives from which the photographs are taken are deceptive and the apartment is smaller than it seemed.
Never pay in advance without having seen the apartment and without having a document certifying the reservation on hand.
Conclusion
As you can see, looking for an apartment is a tedious and complex task, which depends on many factors that we often cannot verify. In order to find an apartment that we like, we must be constant and search thoroughly, paying attention to the details.
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