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Guide on Finding a Home in Madrid

Finding a home on your own in Madrid is a fairly simple process, although it can take a while to find an apartment that suits your taste and budget. You can enlist a real-estate agency to assist in your search, but conducting your own search may be more fruitful and considerably less expensive.

Newspapers

All of the national daily newspapers are published in Madrid, so their classified sections include local housing listings. The national newspapers run about €1.20 and include:

Now that the newspapers have online listings, the amount of listings published in the print newspapers is limited, so save your euros and use the Web sites.

Web sites

Online searches are by far the best way to find housing on your own. Searches can be tailored to suit your needs, by allowing you to specify type of housing, number of rooms, size, neighborhood and cost. The best Web sites specialized in Spanish housing searches are http://www.idealista.com (scroll to the bottom of the home page to switch from Spanish to English) and http://www.fotocasa.es (click on the drop down box on the left-hand corner of the home page to switch from Spanish to English).

Real Estate Agents

Using a real estate agent is not necessary and quite costly. Real estate agencies in Spain charge a month’s rent for their services. This means that if you rent an apartment shown by an agency, you’ll have to pay a month’s deposit, your first month’s rent and the agency fee. There are lots of apartment owners who advertise online and in the newspaper, so it’s much more economically recommendable to deal directly with the owner and save yourself the extra cost.

The cost of the agency’s services is excessive when you take into consideration that the real estate agent does nothing more than meet you in front of the building to show you the property in question and organizes the paperwork if you decide to rent the apartment.

However, if you are in a situation that requires you to work with an agency, there are several from which to choose. A popular chain of real estate agencies in Spain is Tecnocasa (http://www.tecnocasa.es/). You’ll find a Tecnocasa office in almost every Madrid neighborhood. Each office only shows housing in its particular area, so it’s best to pick the neighborhoods that interest you and visit their corresponding Tecnocasa offices.

If you are worried that language might be a barrier, try working with the following agencies:

  • American Service Organization – an established sales and rental real estate agent working with new arrivals in Madrid.

Tel: +34 915 483 046

Fax: +34 915 426 046

  • Estate One – Commercial and residential real estate agents working with Spaniards and foreigners.

Web site: http://www.estateone.biz/

Tel: +34 653 393 602

Top Tips

01 Start learning Spanish and have at least a basic comprehension before arriving in the country, it will get you off to the best start.
02 Give yourself enough time to adapt to your new city. Leave sufficient time to perform the required administration before starting work.
03 Expect to spend a bare bones minimum of 1000 Euros per month, but if you want to live somewhat comfortably, plan on spending twice that amount.
04 Make the effort to strike up relationships with Spaniards, and don’t be afraid to be the one who suggests getting together for coffee or a night

Useful links

  • http://www.in-madrid.com
    Regularly updated concert information, restaurant guides, nightlife listings and big parties in Madrid, all in English.
  • http://www.gomadrid.com
    An intereractive Madrid Street Map that uses advanced Google Maps technology to show a detailed city map of Spain’s capital.
  • http://nadyamadrid.blogspot.com
    Regularly updated blog that contains narrative about a British expatriate living in Madrid.

Interesting fact

The only statue in the world dedicated to the Devil can be found in Retiro park. It was made in 1877 by Ricardo Beliver for his patron Duke Fernán Gómez and sits at 666m altitude above sea level.
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