Written exclusively for Expat Network by Nestpick

Just like in any other country, Spain might have a wider fan of renting possibilities in bigger cities or more touristic spots than in smaller towns, however, the rent value also varies according to this. At the moment, according to Nestpicks latest study on furnished properties around the country, Barcelona and Madrid top the list with an average monthly rent of 739 € (859 $) and 696 € (809 $), considering apartments of single capacity. On the bottom of the list, Zaragoza and Alicante conclude the list with an estimation of 373 € ($433) and 329 € ($382) monthly value in single capacity furnished apartments.

Before you catch the plane, you might want to have a sneak peek (https://bit.ly/2GxEXmB) into what type of documents you may need before you arrive or as soon as you arrive. An “Empadronamiento” for instance, should be one of the first things you should try to solve once you move to Spain.

Believe or not, renting apartments in Spain the good old way (verbal agreement), is still possible. Even though this is more likely to happen in small towns or summer lettings, make sure you avoid it, especially if you are coming from overseas and this sounds more like a Wild West movie script than real life.

Be aware of the rental contract deadlines and look closely into all the details. Your contract should contain the 30 days notice period, meaning that you should be able to leave the house after your month notice. There shouldn’t be a need of finding someone else or stay until the end of your contract. Technically you are free to go at any time as long as you respect the 30-day notice period.

Know that real state agents working for the landlord can and probably will charge you quite a bit. Even though this may be similar in your home country, it is important to have in mind and know that if you are renting your property through a state agent in Spain, they will be charging you at least a whole month fee, excluding any type of deposits or other agreements.

Negotiate the belongings inside the property before moving in. This is one of the points that will surprise you if you are coming from German-speaking countries. In Spain, you can easily negotiate with the owner what you would like to have and what not. Forget any type of  “Ablöse” (furniture compensation) or any other similar situations that you may have to go through in Germany or Austria for instance. First, you WILL NOT have to pay or “compensate” the previous tenants for the ugly furniture they chose and second, you can even decide if and what you would like to keep. However, do expect some huffing and puffing from the landlord if you are asking to remove an XXL couch from a 5th floor without a lift in the middle of the Barrio de Malasaña in Madrid.

Last but not least, Spain (as well as many other countries) counts with a crazy amount of scams in the property business. So there are two basic recommendations you should totally have in mind while you are full-time house-searching. The first point would be to trust your intuition. If the pictures look way too perfect or the price sounds way too fancy for the city you are planning on moving to, you have NOT found a bargain, on the contrary, it is most likely to be a scam. If you still want to go against your natural intuition and are planning on going ahead with that “perfect ad”, our suggestion would be to have a good look online before taking the next step. However, luckily enough other types of searching platforms do exist. Nestpick, for instance, has more than 7200 available furnished apartments in Barcelona and can guarantee no problems at the time of renting your ideal new home in Spain.