How to rent a house in Barcelona

If you are intending to live in Barcelona, you'll need plenty of useful tips on how to find a house to rent in the city: in this article, you'll find plenty of useful advice!

How to find a house through an agency

If you're travelling to Barcelona for the first time because you have to work in Barcelona,  you will probably need to find somewhere to live quite quickly and you'll need to put your trust in someone who can guarantee to find you accommodation in a particular area of the city.  If this is the case, then you may choose to use the services of one of the numerous real estate agencies which are well established in the Catalan capital such as Area Casa or ShBarcelona. The disadvantages of using an agency are mainly economical.  In addition to the deposit, you will also have to pay a certain amount of the rent up front.  And, be careful: the commission that is applied by the agency should be paid by the owner of the property, otherwise you will need to ask for clarification in order to avoid paying fees that are not applicable to you and which can become quite complicated. 

How to find somewhere to live privately

In order to avoid these kinds of problems, the ideal situation is to go to Barcelona in advance in order to look for somewhere to rent which will increase the likelihood of being able to find somewhere privately.  You can use the internet to search for advertisements of private properties to rent such as dealista or EasyPiso: here, you will be able to put your own profile together which you can send to the property owners and when you start to receive their responses, you'll have to be quick to make the appointments to view the property because, inevitably, you won't be the only person who is looking to find somewhere to live in Barcelona! 

How to evaluate a property in Barcelona

In order to evaluate the quality/price ratio of an apartment to rent in Barcelona you should bear in mind that, because this is a metropolitan city, rental prices are high.  Modest accommodation for two people can cost between €700 to €900 per month, without bills. When it comes to evaluating the services that are on offer, you should also remember that the majority of apartments in Barcelona don't have central heating, although you may be able to find an apartment which has a heat pump which is very useful for air conditioning on hot summer days.  Another important point to bear in mind when assessing a rental property in Barcelona is the location.  Make sure that it is well connected to the city's different means of transport and choose a safe neighborhood which is not too far from the area in which you are intending to work or study.

Living in a shared apartment

Lots of young people opt for a solution that's both economical and fun: living in a shared apartment. This is an experience that can be very useful, particularly if you are new to the city because it'll enable you to get to know new people in Barcelona.  Another advantage of this option is that it will cost you a lot less if you can find a room to rent in an apartment as opposed to renting a whole apartment yourself, (around €300 to €600 per month).  However, there are some negative aspects that you should also consider.  The first is not knowing anything about the people with whom you are going to share.  You'll only get to meet them once you're moving in and then you'll all be sharing the kitchen and the bathroom and hoping that there will be some mutual respect when it comes to privacy and noise as well as cleaning of the communal areas.  The second disadvantage may apply to the contract - and quite often, there is no actual contract as such and this will effectively be a sublet which isn't always above board and can therefore be useless in the event of any problems. But, if you're a generally good-tempered and open-minded kind of person, you have nothing to lose!  This option could be an enriching experience and provide you with the opportunity to make new friends in Barcelona!