Ellie95

Hi guys

New to the forums but I have been following them for a while now. I cannot
express my gratitude enough for the depth of information on here; thanks
for your contribution to everyone.

Our tale goes like this. My family and I arrived in Malaga some days ago.
We have been living in a hotel for now (Melia Costa del sol) and we are
looking to kickstart the Surrinder Singh process.

The biggest challenge we face right now is housing. We are really struggling
to secure a place because no one is willing to rent out to an unemloyed person,
even though we could pay up to 6 months up front within our budget (EUR600 PCM).

The language barrier obviously doesn't help neither. Was wondering if there is someone who has any knowhow on letting agencies in the area of Malaga. From Benalmedia to Nerje or slighty in land but close to ammenities would be fine. We have a 7 month old as well and our primary concerns centre around him and whether any potential home will suit his and our needs. Any inputs are welcome, thanks in advance.

scot47

To go the Surinder Singh route, applicants must show that the centre of life has moved to another country in the EU. With no knowledge of the local language, no prospects of a job there, no accommodation available and no family ties in Spain, it would seem unlikely that this applicant will qualify.


Maybe I am being unduly negative and missing something ?

amideislas

I hate it when you move to a different country and nobody ever told you that it's not "British". No freebies, no M&S, no HP sauce, no Boddingtons, they arrogantly refuse to learn or speak proper English, dangerously drive on the wrong side of the road, and charge triple for everything. Welcome to the 3rd world...

teejaydee

You have not given the reason for choosing Spain, but most people would consider this to be a mistake. As you have found, language is a barrier and if you have been looking for work you may have found it difficult to obtain.

Anyway, you are where you are, and the decision you now need to make is: do you carry on in Spain, or move to another country? The country usually chosen for the "Surinder Singh route" is Ireland, although Malta is another choice. Both are English-speaking countries. Malta would be cheaper for rents, but Ireland is arguably better for work opportunities.

Take a look at the following threads:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/citiz...so-far-804420/

http://britishexpats.com/forum/malta...-malta-844728/

There are other threads, which you can find by searching.

Before you commit to renting a property in Spain, please consider if Ireland or Malta would be better options.

scrubbedexpat099

Malaga

Most of those things except driving on the wrong side they have sorted.

Pulaski

You show up in Spain completely unprepared to find housing or work but say that your baby is your "primary concern".

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

BEVS

Thanks Teejaydee.
Karma your way for a very helpful post. That is what BE is really all about. Trying to care and share.

If I can just remind others to perhaps not jump on newbies first posts just because we don't agree with or are unable to fathom their reasoning . We don't walk in their shoes and cannot know all the ins and the outs unless they choose to share with us.

A warm welcome from me Ellie95. Teejaydee has made some quality suggestions & his links are well worth a good read to help you.

If you choose to share why you have chosen Spain for your young family , then that is fine but do not feel you have to give more than you are comfortable with.

All the best with your quest.

Mitzyboy

But to be fair BEVS, it has to be told a bit as is. Before I moved to Spain I researched for over a year. I planned everything out and knew what I was going to do .... and I DIDNT have the additional concern of a young child.
Most people do. To arrive with no job, no property, no language .... well ... although I would join with you in welcoming Ellie95, I'd say that they really are up against it! Good luck to them, they will need it

BEVS

Oh I agree. It is sensible to not sugar coat but to be clear about possibilities and expectations. Help the OP to see the obstacles rather than just stick it to them with a pointy stick. I am sure the good people of the Spain forum who have lived and worked in Spain and who know the difficulties will help with that.

As stated teejaydee gave an excellent post & i think Scot47 hit the SS route nail on the head. The OP will obviously be wise to consider these posts & hopefully feel able to come back with any queries.

:Anecdote:
We know a Hungarian couple here in New Zealand. They arrived from Hungary via Australia & were nearly turned back by Oz Immy on the transit through.
At the time their kids were young. No jobs. No housing. No English language at all. Desperate to leave Hungary and they felt their options were NZ or UK. Sounds complete madness doesn't it. It was. All he had was a Hungarian trade plumbing qual which didn't even match the NZ standard here.
Today they are NZ citizens. It has been a long hard rocky road over the past decade but they were stalwart and made it through.

Ellie95

Jesus... So many negative responses from just me asking for accommodation help? If people do not have anything positive to contribute maybe it's just better to just not respond? I find it pretty shocking that just by me saying we are struggling to find a house due to the language barrier people can draw so many conclusions... "It's a mistake... You have come unprepared... Brit mentality there is no Hp sauce... Welcome to the 3rd world... blah blah." Why are some people so angry and bitter?

Anyway we plan on taking Spanish lessons, we have already enrolled on some courses due to start next week. Employment isn't so much a problem because I will be registered as self employed or "autónomo"....

Again all I was asking for was some pointers on where to look for accommodation so that we can settle in and kickstart our process and integrate.

Ps we considered Ireland but accompany spouse visas are taking more than 6 months. We considered Malta but with the refugee crisis we felt it was the more risky option. So in the end we decided to come here well aware of the challenges but willing to take them on and adapt and integrate. Which is why we are inn the Costa del Sol region because there is a large English community here and English isnt so foreign to some Spaniards. So next time I would appreciate it if some people didn't come to major conclusions when all they know is a tiny fraction of our story and all I was asking for was a bit of help regarding accommodation pointers.

Ellie95

Thank you for the warm welcome.

Ellie95

Teejaydee thank you for the helpful response. I will be ploughing through your shared links when we get back from registration today. We made an appointment and a translator will be there to help me with my registration. While Ireland and Malta were the obvious choices we decided against them for some of the reasons listed in my earlier response.

Ellie95

Thank you for the reasonable response Bevs. Yes there were several reasons for us not choosing Malta or Ireland some of which I have listed below. It's quite obvious that as I said some people jump to conclusions and insult you armed with very little information when all I was asking for was a bit of help. The world would be a better place with more reasonable people like you. X

BEVS

Some call it as they see it so don't damn them too hard. We are all different in our approaches are we not. We are all a big mixing pot.

Crikey , us Brit are very different over a very few hundreds of miles. I'm a safty Southerner. My husband a Black Country boy and his rellies hard hitting Scots and Northerners ---- (where is that after the Watford Gap exactly?) Where as I'm of a different ilk entirely.


I've no knowledge of the SS route at all. I emigrated to New Zealand.
Is Spain deemed to be of less time paperwork wise or something?

I can tweak your thread title for you if that would help. It is pretty generic at the moment.

Perhaps Brit in Spain seeking accom, work, ..something whatever else?