fionamw

Sorry to start another thread but I thought a whole different set of people might be interested (apart from me, of course)...
OK I looked at my first house this afternoon and was stunned at the condition of the place. Good house, excellent area. Missing light fittings. Not bulbs, fittings. Not even a dangling single bulb affair. In several, possibly most, rooms. Holes in the wall from previous tenants' pictures. Slightly damp carpet in the basement estudio/playroom. Jacuzzi element of the bath not working (I know I don't need a jacuzzi, but if it's there wouldn't you expect it to work?)
In the UK it's a long time since I rented anywhere but you would expect the basics to be in place and the walls to be intact, wouldn't you? Is Spain different? We're not talking a dodgy bedsit in a dodgy area, we're in the expensive end of Malaga!

steviedeluxe

Err no, unfortunately. I'm not going to say that all rental properties are dire in the UK (and in London), and I've no idea as to the proprtion compared with Spain (or other countries) but I can assure you there are certainly hovels around. In fact I fear that London is possibly worse (within the UK) in this respect, as landlords often know they can rent without having to maintain their property. I think the answer is to keep looking, and when you see a half-decent property snatch the landlords' hands off!
Incidentally, did you ever see the comedy show "Rising Damp"? One of my favourites.

fionamw

Oh dear! .... maybe this explains why a 3-bed 240sqm house in a good zone less than 5min from school is under 1000€! Perhaps we should bite her hand off anyway....

Lionda

You could use any defects on the property to negotiate a cheaper rent, maybe a month rent free because of work which needs doing. We rented a property which needed rewiring and negotiated 6 weeks rent free and had the place rewired for us into the bargain.... of course that meant almost living with the electricians for 6 weeks as they turned up whenever it suited them and not always when they said they would, but they were nice guys and even helped me with my Spanish

steviedeluxe

Well yes, I suppose it depends though on how long you see yourself staying there. No point spending 3 or 4k doing up your new property if you're likely to move on in a year or two anyway.

fionamw

3 or 4K?????? I'm out of touch I think. Does this mean such expenditure is reasonable from tenants just to put right a cra**y property?

steviedeluxe

How long is a piece of string? Of course it depends on the work to be done, the materials etc. and whether you can do some or most of the work yourself. With luck you may get away with just a few hundred, but it depends what you need doing. At least now is a good time to get buidling workers!

The answer to your question is still no - I don't think it's "reasonable", but it may be necessary if you want that location.

jdr

Don`t forget to get your licences for the work.

cricketman

We rented places that had been recently reformed to avoid that problem. There are so many properties to choose from there is no reason to choose second best.

Yes 1000 euros/month for such a big house in the best part of Malaga sounds very cheap, most I have seen are 1500-1800. So the condition may have something to do with it. And if it is listed at 1000, you could probably negotiate that down to 850.

fionamw

You're right of course that there are loads of properties, but to find one being rented by (I discovered after enquiring about it online) someone I know through school, while on the one hand possibly complicating the ability to complain/negotiate etc., makes some stuff much easier. Like being able to get hold of the landlord! And actually when you start looking in Cerrado de Calderon (where this is) there are loads of flats but not that many houses to rent. Of course we could look in Pinares de San Anton, where I've seen them at 3000€
... oh, and we'd already got in mind negotiating - I just don't relish my oh wanting to do it through me when he's a hardnosed accountant and speaks barely any Spanish!!!!!!!!

cricketman

You're right, there arent that many houses. We've seen looking at some very nice 3-4 bed flats for around 1000 euros, but realise some people dont like flats. We are looking a bit further down, around Paseo de Limonar or Paseo de Mirador. Nice and close to the beach and a 10-15min walk to the old town. We just have to summon up some motivation for the move though as we have our own furniture and moving is a pain. So we may wait a few months yet.

scampicat

I thought renting was supposed to be cheap in Spain? 12 grand a year just to have somewhere to park your bum without any other bills doesn't seem cheap to me!

But then again I have never rented, other than a council flat for 18 months in the 1970s. Perhaps I am out of touch.

(Just remembered, some friends of ours rent their Spanish house out for 200 euros a month....so obviously 1000 a month is not the norm in Spain....however these same friends also fork out £1000 a month for a small house in Oxford. Location, location, location, methinks!)

The Pope

1000€ a month... no way!

Around this area you can get a 3bed house in Ayamonte or close by 400-600PCM on a long term rental, if you wanted an apartment even cheaper !

fionamw

Like Scampicat said, Locationx3.... within let's say 3or4km of where I'm looking (and, by the sounds of it, cricketman as well, not too far afield!) you can find 3bed places for between about 600 & - deep breath - 2000€ a month. But the lower end will be flats, the upper end (not always but sometimes) houses. And as I said in an earlier post, there aren't that many houses on the rental market, or any market actually unless you have megabucks in the bank, in this part of Malaga. I agree wholeheartedly it's a lot of money. Don't like it but if we want to make a HUGE difference to diesel bill, grey hairs, time spent plying to & fro, inability to get broadband or indeed any internet etc etc we'll probably have to bite the bullet.

cricketman

I rented out a 1 bed flat in London for £1500 per month, and a 2 bed in barcelona for 1400 euros

Depends where you want to live.