Finding Housing: The True Challenge

The idea of searching for a room truly worried me before coming to Madrid. Although I had visited the city several times, I never needed to find a permanent place. So, to put it simply, I was anxious and didn’t know anything.

So, how do you search for a good apartment in Madrid? Well, despite there not being one, single way to get a good place, there are general guidelines that you should follow when going through the three-step process – the mindset, the hunt and the prize – of finding an apartment.

The Mindset

1. No matter how much you want to do it, don’t start looking for an apartment before coming to Spain.

I know, I know. You’ve got the jitters, but if you’re not in the country yet, don’t search. Spanish landlords are looking to rent out to a PHYSICAL person. Understand that they are interested in seeing you AND having your money. It’s just how they do business. It’s much more personal than the States. However, if you must, look to get an idea of the prices and availabilities near your school or near wherever you want to live. It will give you more realistic expectations of the housing scene. Also, the predeparture course helped me have a more realistic idea of which neighborhoods I should be searching, though eventually I shifted focus to outside of Madrid.

2. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of money during your apartment search.

During most transitions, everyone tends to spend more money than they would otherwise. And moving to Madrid is no exception. Therefore, in addition to saving before coming to Spain, you should expect to spend quite a bit of those savings on temporary accommodations, transportation, the deposit, and first month’s rent.

3. Know what you are willing to compromise on and what not.

I personally came in with the firm commitment to have a place near my school. I didn’t want a long commute; that was what I wasn’t willing to compromise on. However, to get it, I had to be willing to sacrifice a little of my money and social life. You can’t have everything.

The Hunt

4. Hit the ground running and remember: keep looking and never give up.

I won’t lie to you. Those first two weeks are stressful, and the jet lag is very real. Often, I felt like surrendering. But don’t. You just need to keep going and searching. Keep up your Whatsapp text messages, emails, and phone calls to prospective apartments. Keep your eyes on the Auxiliar and CIEE Facebook groups. Keep refreshing the apartment rental webpages. Just keep moving. You’ll find a place!

5. Try several different ways to get that beautiful flat.

Ultimately, I found my place on Fotocasa (https://www.fotocasa.es/en/) with some help from the owner of the hotel in which I was staying. However, there are many websites and ways to get a room: el idealista (https://www.idealista.com/en/), the CIEE and Auxiliares de Conversacion Facebook pages, and word of mouth, just to name a few. For me, talking to locals helped the most.

6. Show up to viewings and interviews with prepared questions and on time.

Coming to an interview or viewing on time and with questions demonstrates that you are a serious candidate for the room. And you are just that: a candidate. There are several people like you with their eyes on the same place, so you need to show that you’re ready to do business.

7. If a place doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. However, if you’re just hesitating because it’s not exactly right, you should go for it.

In my final decision, I had two places to choose from, but I wasn’t sure which to settle on. One was a little farther from my school, but it had an amazing price. The other, very close and more expensive. However, there was something about the former that didn’t sit right with me, so I trusted my gut. And boy, was it a good decision. On the other hand, you shouldn’t allow one small detail to get in the way of pinning down an apartment. That’s how the other candidate gets what would’ve been your place, which is what almost happened to me.

The Prize

8. Sign a contract and a deposit agreement. And above all, get copies and receipts of everything you’ve paid.

Now that you’ve got a wonderful place, you need to make sure that your landlord and you are both doing everything legally. I’ve heard many stories of under-the-table agreements which end with the tenant being kicked out after three months. Therefore, you should always have paperwork and receipts so that, if something does happen, you have something to bring to court. Additionally, you should get someone from CIEE or a Spanish coworker that you trust to read the rental agreement. You can never be too careful.

9. Don’t forget to pay the deposit and first month’s rent on time.

You don’t want to be kicked out just because you were a day late. Oh, and receipts, receipts, receipts. Copies, copies, copies.

10. Document all damages and things you notice that are wrong with your place.

A good photograph with a time stamp goes a long way in any dispute. You also should keep your landlord informed of everything that looks wrong or broken.

11. Be friendly to your roommates and always clean up your own mess.

We’ve all had THAT roommate before. So, don’t be him or her. Respect your roommates and maintain a calm, civil dialogue with them. Most likely they will be a wealth of information and help down the road.

To conclude, I wanted to share a little about my apartment. Currently, I pay 500 euros each month for a small duplex near the center of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. That bill includes everything but the electricity, which is paid separately and not too expensive (60-70 euros monthly). The deposit was 600 euros, and the minimum number of months that I must make rent are six, though I plan on staying for the entire year. Luckily, I don’t have any roommates, so I don’t have to worry about establishing rapport or doing any communally scheduled chores. There are technically five rooms, but the layout is really a separate bathroom, a kitchen-dining-room mix, and a bedroom-living-room mix. I’m located very close to the center of town, but there isn’t a lot of traffic or noise. Overall, I love my place, and I hope that you find a flat which makes you happy much like mine makes me.  

P.S. Above I shared some photos of my apartment to give you an idea of what's it like. The best of luck with searching!