Renting through Idealista

Idealista are the largest property portal in Spain. They are a reputable company but at the mercy of owners and agents who advertise on their site.

If you contact a property via Idealista it will be sent to the owner or the agent who is advertising tgr property.

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Thanks 😊  I'll be moving to Spain from America and whatever I rent will be sight unseen. Do you know if people generally have a positive experience with idealista?  I don't want to disregard Idealista since it is such a big website. They seem to have a much larger number of affordable rentals versus what airbnb,  vrbo and other rental sites have.

Thank you 😊

I have lived here for six years and found Idealista an extremely useful website. i have found both of my properties on there and would highly  recommend it.

@Lisestrahle

I would say that Idealista is a large and reputable site, and most of the listings can probably be relied on.

But even with good sites, there is still scope for fraud. So you have to be careful, especially for remote transactions, and those where you pay cash up front (as you would be doing).

Idealista listings are by agents and owners. In the case of agents, I think you're safer as you can quickly find the agent's own website, see all their properties, and hence verify their Idealista listing. In the case of owners, they should have a local cell phone and sound sensible/honest when chatting with them. These days, I don't think it's a huge stretch to ask an owner (or an agent) to give you a virtual walkthrough via Whatsapp or similar. An owner should be able to give you a sensible contract (in Spanish/English, ideally) and proof they own the property and entitled to rent it out.

I have purchased remotely several times, but remote rentals I find far more difficult! Not from a scam perspective, but just that landlords seem a lot more precious about who they are renting to, and often want to meet their prospective tenants in person. And even when you can do that, they still want to meet x prospective tenants and interview them and/or do credit checks. Whereas, most sellers don't care who their buyer is, so first come with the money, first served. I've usually found it's easier to go there, rent something short-term via Booking/Airbnb, and then go look at places. Lots of folks would recommend you doing it this way, even leaving aside the fraud aspect.

Hi, do you know already where in Spain are you planing to move?  Have you been there before?  First of all, I will suggest, if possible, to spend some time renting while getting the feeling of the city and once there make the decission of buying.

Idealista its Ok, the ideal scenario is finding someone who represent you, like a personal agent that helps you with local laws, taxes, procedures, check the property actual situation etc.  and also do the searching for you locally prepare your agenda for you so, when you arrived you can visit the propperties previously selected according to your needs so you do not waste time and money. The only inconvenience you might have is that the property you like could not be available anymore at the moment of your arrival. The good ones does not last long on the market.

Will not be sure about sensible contract in a foreign language, Not sure if in  USA or any other country in Europe you can expect to have the contract in Spanish if requested,  you will need to translate it yourself in google    unless you want to pay for a certified translator.

If you are planning to move to Málaga, I can help you.

Kind regards.

Chris

Thank you so much for your responses. I truly appreciate it. It has helped me to make a decision. I will rent short term through a site such as airbnb or booking .com and from there conduct a search where I can physically see the properties. I have been to Spain twice. The last time was through March and April to see the different areas. I have decided on the Alicante area. Love Spain 

@Lisestrahle We are planning a move to Alicante in September (from US), visa willing. we are planning to book an AirBnb for 35-40 days so we can look for an apartment in person once we are there. we arent bringing a ton of stuff with us so that makes things easier. That said, I find Idealista listings pretty consistent between pictures and description.

    Can someone please tell me if idealista is a trusted reputable site? Are the listings accurate to the description, etc? I'm wondering if people have any problems with them. Thank you.
   

    -@Lisestrahle

Look at the customer review sites.

They tell a story

@Lisestrahle

Take a look at our house were renting in Cádiz province  https://arcoshousetrade.wordpress.com

@kippyelsemore I love the Cadiz area but I'm moving to the Alicante area. Thank you though 

@Lisestrahle

Good choice! :-) We think Alicante is a great city, and we enjoy our days out there. The coast (Costa Blanca) is delightful, with many nice beaches. We live in Elche which is Alicante's close neighbour (we fly from Alicante-Elche Airport, 20 minutes away). This is a more traditional Spanish city (UNESCO-listed for its palm groves) with a historic downtown. It's much less touristic (as the beaches are 15 km away) but it has all city amenities, and we've very much enjoyed it here.

@gwynj Do you know if there is there a plan to extend the tram south to Elche at some point? And maybe the airport? We visited Elche on one of our trips to Alicante and really liked it. The palm groves are amazing.

@LisestrahleWe had the same idea.  in fact we are in Spain at the moment.  i have used Idealista to locate properties.   However, getting the realtors to show me the property has been a real point of contention.  First, You must have your NIE.  I did not get this because you must do your paperwork in the region you want to live.  we didn’t know where we wanted to live.  Our plan was to go down the coast until we found the right ”feels”.  We decided on Valencia.  If i can get an agent to respond, they immediately   eliminate us because we do not yet gave our NIE.  The other thing most are insisting on is rent guarantee insurance.  This feels like a scam but is designed to protect the landlord in case you don’t pay the rent.  And you have to pay for that in addition to the rent which has skyrocketed to an average of €1200 per month for an average 2 bedroom apartment.  Thats even outside the city limits.  Im more than a little frustrated with the lack of help and general resistance to rent to foreigners.

Without your NIE you will find it almost impossible  to live in Spain. Get this before even considering  making Spain your new home.

Hi, do I need an NIE if I am only going to stay in Spain for a few months then leave for a month or 2 and back again? I do want to have a long-term rental apartment, so I don't have to keep moving to a new accommodation every few months. I am British, living in Switzerland at the moment.

My questions: Do I need an NIE

Can I rent an apartment long term?

Thank you.

@HalliKing

Yes, you generally need a Spanish NIE number (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) if you are not a Spanish citizen and plan to engage in any significant economic, financial, or social activity in Spain. It is essential for opening bank accounts, buying property or a car, signing contracts, working, or paying taxes.

@SimCityAT

Hi, I am not planning to work in Spain. I'm taking an early retirement due to some personal reasons. Ideally, I will be living few months in Spain and few months in Switzerland. Each stay will only be around 4/5 months and away for 1/2 months and back in Spain again for around 4/5 months and so on. I would like to learn Spanish and attend a regular classes. Do I still need NIE?

@SimCityAT
Hi, I am not planning to work in Spain. I'm taking an early retirement due to some personal reasons. Ideally, I will be living few months in Spain and few months in Switzerland. Each stay will only be around 4/5 months and away for 1/2 months and back in Spain again for around 4/5 months and so on. I would like to learn Spanish and attend a regular classes. Do I still need NIE? - @HalliKing

Yes, you will need a NIE and likely a residence permit, even without working, because your planned stay exceeds 90 days per visit. As you will be living in Spain for 4-5 months at a time, you are considered a resident, necessitating formal registration.

I moved to Spain a month ago and while I looked at Idealista before I came, I decided to wait until I arrived to commit to a particular apartment. I’m staying in an Airbnb while I look for a more permanent place to live. I want to see the apartment, see the neighborhood, meet the landlord in person. I think it would be unwise to send a stranger money to rent a place I’d never seen, and I definitely wouldn’t sign a lease in a language I didn’t know fluently (I barely feel good about signing a lease in English if it’s written in legalese). Is an Airbnb expensive? Well, some are, but if I lost a few thousand euros because I trusted someone I’d never even met, I would really kick myself. As far as getting a visa and NIE number prior to renting an apartment, Spain has a well-established sequence of steps for ex-pats/immigrants. And you can’t skip ahead- it’s set up to ensure that you  have the correct pieces of paper. For example, you can’t buy a car without a bank account, and you can’t get a bank account without a Spanish phone number, and you can’t get a Spanish phone until you have an NIE, and on and on. There aren’t shortcuts. Just start with the visa and go through to necessary steps. It won’t happen overnight, but life here will be infinitely easier.

@ABQAce

Exactly 100%. You did everything the way it should be done. Idealista is fine to see what is available and what is on offer in the when you are in the country.

@ABQAce

Thank you so much. This is very useful information. I’m totally with you about signing anything legal.

@SimCityAT

Thank you for all the information you shared. I really appreciate this. I'm glad that I'm in this forum 😊

@GuestPoster8490

they are, but be very careful on their "mortgage calculator". The figures they give are not correct for non-residents.