MaxTucker

Hey Guys,

I have just phoned eight people/letting agents from fotocasa.es to organise to view a property I was interested in in the Alicante area. All but one of the conversations went like this:

Me: Hola, habla Ingelse
Them: Perca?
Me: Would like to view property for rent.
Them: Non hablo, non hablo.

Phone call ended

--------------

The other phone call went a little better.

Me: Hola, habla Ingelse
Them: A little.
Me: Hello, I would like to view property.
Them: Rent or Buy?
Me: Rent.
Them: Wait 1 minute......

Phone call ended

So how does one find a property when they do not speak Spanish. It seems Alicante is not as English friendly as I have been lead to believe. 8 phone calls and no progress.

I do have an appointment with a British agent when I am there but I do not want to be totally reliant on one guy. It seems near impossible to make your own appointments though if you do not speak Spanish.

Rosemary

Have you thought about e-mailing them using Google Translate or something similar.

Rosemary

MaxTucker

They never respond to emails. I must have sent 15 out by now. One guy actually did respond this morning, a week and a half after I first emailed him.

cricketman

You should physically walk in to the letting agents to see if someone speaks English or go to those websites where English people let their properties. Of course there will be less to choose from

Very few Spanish people speak English well enough to have a conversation with you. And even those who do may not want to

Oh and learn some Spanish!

HBG

I would advise going into the online versions of one of the many expat newspapers, like the Costa Blanca News, where you will find thousands of properties for rent and all the agents speak English.

Alicante city itself is mostly Spanish, but I remember one of the major letting agents, something like Inmo Swiss speaking English.

If you're calling from the UK the agents might think you're a bit insincere about renting in Spain and will respond better if you're actually in the country, preferably knocking at their door.

I can't think of one major estate agent in an expat area who can't speak English - they wouldn't survive. And it's not just for the Brits, the Germans, Scandinavians and Russians all expect to converse in English.

Grebo

I must agree that Alicante is not particularly Brit orientated, what gave you that idea out of interest.
It is very much a Spanish City. Not Benidorm.

Suzi

HBG

http://www.theleader.info/property/f.../costa-blanca/

pwwm

Have to say very British disease this, rest of world must speak English but put boot on the other foot, how many agents in UK would speak Spanish. not many,

I agree with walk in and ask or look for english speaking lets on tínternet.

agoreira

How many Spanish are buying in UK? I'm willing to bet that the Spanish agents in a Brit buying area that have taken the trouble to learn some English, sell/rent a lot more properties than those that haven't. Similarly, those in parts of Mallorca that speak German probably do better than those that don't. It's not a question of expecting people to speak your language, but any agency worth their salt in such an area would be advised to have an English speaker on the books. Simple business sense.

fionamw

I was going to 'not reply' on the basis that that would take the thread off topic. Then I read the thread title.
My answer would be: possibly with great difficulty. Assuming you're talking about rental properties in Spain, where the language is Spanish. Lest someone picks me up on my admittedly not perfect Castellano, no I can't say absolutely everything I want to about everything to do with renting (among other things) but before attempting to speak to an agent I'd be prepared to try. To have the vocabulary ready to deal with 'another way of saying it'. Being more constructive, yes Google Translate, while it has its downsides, might help you send a sensible email enquiry. And understand the response. At very least it might help weed out those who have anyone who speaks English who could help you discuss your requirements.

steviedeluxe

If there is a big demand for English-speaking agents in that area, then there is a business opportunity there! * I notice that the one agent who the OP is meeting, is an Engish agent. If it's true that people will be more inclined to rent rather than buy in Spain, then a decent English-speaking agent who wants to work out there should be learning Spanish right now.
There are a lot of Arab and Russian speakers buying up property in London, but I wonder how many local agents would learn their language? Again, probably a job opportunity for Arabs or Russians who want to work in london.

* of course the demand may not be that high

HBG

Renting in Spain, the proper Spanish way, is very similar to buying in Spain. Legal contracts are drawn up, references checked and there may be solicitors and banks involved. Clients are vetted by agents, which may explain why they are not interested in telephone or email enquiries from abroad.

Taking on a long term rental is often a commitment for many years or even for life. Tenants have legal safeguards and are hard to get rid off by landlords, so they want to make sure their tenants are serious people.

You can easily get a short term holiday let from abroad to allow you to look around first, and for those you need next to nothing apart from the rent money and a small deposit.

You won't need to learn Spanish in a saturated expat area, though it would still be advisable. Somehow incomers expect the city centres of Alicante or Torrevieja to be English speaking, but they're not, far from it, very few expats live there.

Countryboy1

I think in Spain, email translates to Spanish as pasar por alto (ignore).

jackytoo

Absolutely, not sure if they ever read them. 99.5% are never replied to, everyone says the same.
.

Saxy

Hi again Max,
If you are planning to rent, the first thing I would recommend, is check out
"Long term Spanish rental and the law". You will then have a better idea of what you can expect.
The other thing is, when you say Alicante area, what sort of maximum distance are you talking about from the center of Alicante?

John.