Barrio Gotico, El Raval and the Borne: These areas are becoming trendier and are being fixed up. They are in the heart of the older section of the city and are close to everything, including Barcelona’s port. You will have a difficult time finding parking and most buildings do not have elevators. Rent prices will depend on whether the building is remodeled or not. Generally rent isn’t too much in these areas. The Raval is not as safe as the other two. This area is not recommended for expat families but could be an adventure for expat students.

Sants and Les Corts: Located near the train station Sants. This area is densely populated with 1970 and 1980 style apartment buildings. It is centrally located, relatively safe and an apartment shouldn’t cost too much to rent. Depending on the street it may be loud.

Sagrada Familia Area: There are a lot of apartments for rent in this area. The quality of accommodations and style of buildings vary greatly. Again, renting an apartment shouldn’t be too expensive. Make sure you live near the metro line for easy access around the city.

Gracia: Gracia is a densely populated older village inside the city of Barcelona. It is centrally located and contains many bars, restaurants and boutiques. It has a lot of character. There are many plazas throughout the village of Gracia where people meet to drink coffee and where children play. This neighborhood is centrally located and the rental prices vary but are on the mid-lower end. There are many foreign students who live here. Since it is an older area, many apartment buildings don’t have elevators.

The Eixampla: Known for its wide streets with clipped corners on the intersections, this is a good place to look for housing. Most buildings are still the modernist style of architecture. The “Eixampla Izquierda” (the part to the left of Paseo de Gracia, looking from Plaza Catalunya up to the mountain) is more expensive and desirable. Apartments facing the street may be loud. If you have a car you will have to rent a spot in a parking garage. The closer you are to Paseo de Gracia, the higher the rent will be. This neighborhood is centrally located.

The Upper Zone: Located on the “mountain side” of Diagonal, this zone is one of the more expensive neighborhoods. It is still densely populated but you can find apartment buildings with character.

Sarria and Pedralbes: Located away from the city center, these are more tranquil neighborhoods where many expat families live. The styles of apartment buildings vary and most have parking. You will pay a premium to live in these neighborhoods. Sarria is closer to public transportation.

What apartments are for rent in my chosen area?

Once you have selected one or a few areas then you need to revisit them with a notebook and pen. The easiest way to find out what is available is by finding posted signs outside buildings. The real estate agencies put adverts outside any available properties with their company name and contact number.

If you peer through the front door of each building you might see a “portero” (porter) sitting either at a reception desk or in a small office. If you do see one then you can buzz the doorbell and ask if the porter has keys or details about the apartment. Occasionally the agencies or landlords give the porter the keys to show people around. After walking around the neighbourhood you should have made a good start in compiling your list of possible apartments. After doing this there are other avenues for finding information:

Newspapers
The main paper for accommodations is La Vanguardia and it has a large classifieds section. You can buy this newspaper from most kiosks or paper shops; alternatively you can use the website www.lavanguardia.com The website is very easy to use and you can select by zone, number of bedrooms and price.

There is also another newspaper with free ads called Anuntis. This paper has a large number of adverts but BEWARE: most of the adverts are placed by list agencies and there is a government warning about this in the newspaper. The story is that you are likely to see some apartments for rent that sound amazing and cheap. When you call the number the receptionist will tell you that it has been rented but you can come into the office and register. Once you arrive they will ask you for a fee—between 160 – 220€ and for this they will give you a list of apartments available on a regular basis. Be careful, many times the apartment may not even exist! So you have paid for completely useless information. My advice is to stay away from agencies that ask for payment upfront.

Collegio d’Administradors
This office is located on Calle Mallorca with Calle Enric Granados (in an office building next to a shop called Planet Music). This is a centralized apartment search office and the service is very good. You can ask them for all apartments in a specific area, within a certain price range and specify the number of bedrooms. They will run this search and give you a print out with contact numbers for each apartment. The service is free.

Lots of real estate agencies belong to this service and so you will see apartments to rent on the list with the name of the real estate agent and their contact number. Word of advice: You need to act quickly as this is a very popular method of finding an apartment throughout Barcelona.

Real Estate Agents
There are a lot of agents–-called “Fincas” or “Inmobilarias”— and you can find the best list in the Yellow Pages. You can phone for information but most of the time it is better to visit the office directly as you will get a better response. They will give you details of all apartments for rent within your parameters and then arrange a viewing for you. An agent will always be there for the viewing.

You pay nothing up front so you can see as many apartments as you wish. Once you find the right one then the agency will charge either 1-month rent or 10% of the annual rent. For this fee, they will prepare the rental contracts for you and the owner and arrange the signing at their office with an agent present to ensure all forms are completed.

Here is a list of useful agencies:

Websites
Another option is to look at websites:

www.idealista.com
www.servihabitat.com – with this site you make an online appointment and a rep contacts you to confirm a time. They are normally quick.
www.lavanguardia.com – I have found a lot of places through La Vanguardia…..beware for list broker agencies as they sometimes advertise in here. You can normally spot them a mile off….3 bed, atico, Pg de Gracia…..300€!!!
www.iagora.com – mainly has short term lets but sometimes has owners advertising for a rental
www.barcelona-home.com

Viewing apartments

If you are using an agency then the agent will come along on the viewing, sometimes with the owner too. If you have found something privately then you will be dealing directly with the owner. If your level of Spanish is not very good then it is a good idea to take along someone who can translate as it is rare to find a landlord/agent with good English. Some agencies arrange group viewings to save time, so you may turn up to a viewing and be shown the apartment with other interested people—it doesn’t happen very often. Once you have viewed an apartment that you like it is better to act very quickly and find out exactly what paperwork is required.

Paperwork

Some owners are very cautious about renting properties to non-Spanish people as they are afraid the after a few months the tenant might move back home. This is why you may find a few problems when it comes to completing the paperwork. The agencies can ask for:

· Guarantor – this is somebody who will guarantee that they will be able to pay the rent if the tenant cannot.
· Bank reference – they may want a letter from you bank stating that you are a good client with a good financial history.
· Bank Statements – they may wish to see your bank statement for proof of salary.
· Employer contract – they may need a copy of your work contract and the monthly salary details
· Residency/NIE – they may need your proof of residency
· Passport – For non-residents they will need a copy of your passport

They may not need all of these and if you are a resident working in Spain then things will be easier. The standard documentation that you will need is:

1. Proof of residency
2. Contract of Employment
3. Bank details – for paying the rent
This is normally all that is required.

Finances

The rental agreement in Spain is very standard so you can work out how much the initial cost will be depending on the price of the apartment. As a guideline you will need to pay:

1. Deposit: one month for unfurnished or two months for furnished
2. Advance rent of one month
3. Agency commission of one month or 10% of annual rent.
4. Aval bancario

Aval Bancario
An “aval bancario” is like a large deposit that is held by a third party (bank) during the rental contract. At the end of the rental contract if there is severe damage to the apartment and the original deposit will not cover the repairs then the owner can take the money from the aval bancario. This has to be agreed by all parties. This is becoming more and more common as a way to safeguard the property owners. An aval bancario is normally 6 months rent in advance but in some cases can be one year! It is very important to check this before deciding to rent somewhere.

Contract Signing

The contract signings are very straightforward if you have presented all of your information. You will meet the owner and each sign the contracts after the agent has explained everything to you. You also have the option of asking for the contract before the signing if you would like to check it out with a lawyer. Once the contract is signed and the payment received—this is always paid in either cash or by cheque—then the owner will give you the keys and you are ready to start the move!

The monthly rent can be arranged in two forms. The easiest being a direct debit between your bank and the owners. Alternatively, you can pay the rent each month in cash at the agencies office.

Moving In

Once you have all the paperwork arranged then the really hard work starts! You will need to start with the utilities, gas, water and electricity. Sometimes they are already connected and you will need to contact the companies and change the account to your name and give them your bank details and residency/NIE/Passport number for identification. This can all be done over the phone. If they have been turned off then you will need to re-connect them, which is called “dar de alta”. This is slightly more complicated and is a service you will need to pay for.

Utilities

Electricity: Once you have phoned and requested that you be re-connected an engineer will come to the apartment to make adjustments to the meter. Assuming everything is working ok then the electric will be connected immediately.

Boletin Azul: The electricity company needs to make sure that you have a boletin azul, which is a document by another engineer (normally the one that installed the system) to say that the system is installed correctly. Once they are happy that you have this then they will connect the electricity. There is a number on the form that you need to give to the electric company.

Gas: Again, once you have requested that the gas supply is re-connected you need to wait a few days for it to be switched on. There is normally a tap in the building (usually in the basement) that needs to be turned on so if you have a portero then ask them to switch it on for you.
Water: Same as the gas supply.

The most important thing is to ask the agency or owner what the status is with the utilities when you are signing the contract as they may be able to do some of the work for you.

Additional Utilities

Telephones are installed by the company Telefonica and it is not renowned for its speed or efficiency when processing your request. You will need to pay a connection charge and as with most telephone providers, a monthly rental fee. ADSL is also installed by Telefonica and is a longer process.

Opening a Bank Account

There are many ones to choose from and in most central branches there will be an English speaker. The main bank is La Caixa, which offers lots of additional services and hundreds of branches in and around Barcelona. If you need to open a bank account and don’t speak Spanish then a good contact is Ruth Balñeros – La Caixa – Diagonal 621-629 (central office for La Caixa). She speaks very good English and can explain the whole process and the details of the account. You can also be set up with internet banking making the whole process even easier.

Language Schools

Over the last 6 months there have been scandals regarding the large language schools and several have been closed leaving students without classes that they have paid for. With this in mind I would advise the following:

1. Contact most of the language schools to find out hours, prices and how long they have been in business
2. Choose the ones that interest you and visit them in person to see the facilities and get a feel for the style of teaching and general environment.
3. Make sure you are clear about the methods of payment as many will ask you to pay for a course in advance—be wary of the ones that ask for lots of money up front or to sign a contract for a year.
4. If you choose group classes then make sure that they give you a maximum number of people in the class—from personal experience they may tell you that there will be no more than 6 people when in reality there could be 12 or more—limiting your learning time.
5. A good school will ask you why you want to learn and what sort of student you are. For example if you need to find a job and grasp the basics quickly then maybe individual classes are best for the first month. You can then switch to a group class. They may be more expensive but you will learn more quickly. If you are looking for the cheapest method then a large group class would suit you better.

I would advise that you use a local small language school rather than the large branded centres. Word of mouth is always the best method so you will probably meet people in Barcelona who can recommend a good school. When you select a school you will need to do a brief exam to assess your level – unless you are a complete beginner and have no prior knowledge. Any school that does not ask you to do this is not committed to your learning.

Residency

This is a complicated process that changes from time to time so remember your consulate should be able to provide you with the updated information. If you are an EU citizen then the process is not too difficult but will take some time to complete. For Americans it is more complicated.

You can complete the process yourself or you can use a “gestor” (a lawyer who manages the paperwork) to process it for you. It isn’t too expensive and is the best option for those people who are already working as you will not have time to queue at the appropriate offices.

Useful contacts:

Man with a van
For low cost moving options this is highly recommended. A British guy called Julian can help you move from any location in Barcelona. He owns a mid-sized van and charges reasonable hourly rates. Included in his price is also labor and from personal experience he provides invaluable help lifting and moving furniture. He also does lots of IKEA pick-ups so you can do the shopping, give him a call from the cash desk and he will arrive when you are ready to leave. It is a good idea to phone him well in advance as he can get booked up quickly. Number: 626274907

Gas Natural: 900760760

Fecsa Endesa (Electric): 902507750

Water: 900710710

IKEA
There is a large IKEA store on the outskirts of Barcelona in a town called Badalona. You can reach it by Metro on the red line, which takes you into the centre of Badalona and then take a taxi from there to the store which is 5 minutes away. A taxi from Barcelona centre will normally cost about €12. In this retail park there is also a large DIY store called AKI and other furniture stores.

Newcomers that are interesting in just renting a room

If you plan on staying in Barcelona for a few weeks or a few months then you just want to rent a room from someone. The best way to find a room to rent is to look on bulletin boards where English-speaking people congregate. There are bulletin boards at many Irish pubs, at internet cafes, at the British Market (Calle Verdi), at the Bagel Shop (Plaza Rius y Taulet) and at the bookstore/café Laie (Calle Pau Claris 85). It will be difficult to arrange these accommodations from overseas and it is best to do it once you arrive.