The Game in Spain

Hi all, stumbled upon this forum while searching for some urgent guidance on a rental problem we have out here.

The two of us moved into a shared flat in Vigo at the start of the month. Our intention had been to find shared accommodation to help us find our feet in the city, before either deciding to stay on or find a flat of our own a few months down the line.

We rented out one room in a shared four-bed flat with one other inhabitant - a local man. We verbally agreed on a €300 monthly rent for the room and paid €600 upfront for July's rent and the deposit.

We did not at any point sign or see any contract of any kind, but we were a little desperate to have a roof over our heads so we made the payment.

We received a signed receipt stating that the above amount had been paid for the rent and for the deposit.

We were given the impression the man who we shared the flat with (and the only person we spoke to) was the landlord, but he is not and he claims he is on the 'right to buy' scheme.

However, things became very bad very quickly and through no fault of our own, we decided we needed to move out and will be moving into a flat of our own on 31st July.

The man initially said this was fine and he would return our deposit immediately, but the next day he changed his mind - saying he would talk to his lawyers as we were not owed anything and he was very aggressive. (we actually need to now move out of the flat entirely as we genuinely do not feel safe)

From my (very) basic understanding of law and a quick read online, we *should* be in a legal position to get this money back.

However, we do not know what we should do or who we should talk to.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

missile

It will be difficult and could be expensive to recover anything. Not worth the hassle for 300€ and I would suggest you put it down to experience and move on.

lurchio

This has happened to some friends of mine. No contract and just a piece of paper to back up you are probably 300 euros down, have a look at some other tales on the forum, sad stories just like you and sometimes much more loss. I am really sorry for your predicament and also glad you have a new place on the way. Honestly, write it off to experience and move on with your lives. Its a great Country and in future you only need to take the common sense precautions that you would in the UK to be okay here. All the very best of luck for the future, leave this cr** in the past.

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

jonboy

600euros divided by 20 nights is 30euros a night, not what you signed up for but could be worse. Not the most expensive lesson. Yo may need to use a solicitor for any other contracts you sign or do not think you need to sign. Move on and sod 'em all.