HAPPYHAPPY

Hi

We(family of 5) are moving to Spain in a few weeks time...we have nothing arranged for our accommodation (due to sudden change in plans).

I was looking around Javea for a long term let which would be near to shops & primary school. Would anyone be able to advise me of a village which is more family orientated as opposed to teenage drinking or retirement village?

Reading from older threads the primary schools I should be considering are:
Vicente Tena
L'Arenal
Benitachell

I only see the XIC primary school in Portichol, is there a state primary school in the area too?

We have seen a few houses online that we like in the area of Portichol, viewing on Wednesday. I hope it will be a successful trip.

We are not looking for work. So no commuting issues. Our Spanish is very basic...so lots to learn but we are eager.

Any pearls of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mitzyboy

Welcome to the forum

We have a member here who is quite active in the Javea area so hopefully you will get some good info from her

Rosemary

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

lynnxa

me???

bustersmum is in Javea too now

Javea is so NOT a teenage drinking or retirement area - the vast majority of residents are families with kids - there is a high proportion of 'foreign retired' but the overwhelming majority is truly families with kids - I haven't time to look for it just now but the census figures from 2010 showed this

do you want to be within walking distance of shops & a primary school? - if so, you need to be right down in the Arenal, Port or 'Old Town'

Portichol is lovely - but a good 15 minute drive from any school and anything apart from a 'corner shop' and a couple of restaurants & bars - there are no state schools 'in the hills' as it were - they are built in the areas where people actually live - in the middle of things, as opposed to where holiday homes were built - the majority of properties 'in the hills' were built as holiday homes & are still used as such

there are tons of properties available for rent - I'm loath to recommend agencies, having had bad experiences with the only one I ever used - but a friend of mine who I have known for years runs this one & I believe she'd look after you http://www.javea-estates.com/

be prepared to negotiate on rent - it's a 'buyer's market' as it were - & if you want any help just shout - I'm happy to check over contracts & so on for you - to be legal it would need to be in Spanish

perdiu83

Hi

If you are considering Spanish primary schools the one at Benitachell is outstanding. Good mix of Castellano and some Valenciano is also taught. A range of nationalities attend the school but it may be difficult to find a 4 bed villa with a pool to rent ( if that is what you are looking for), in the village.

HAPPYHAPPY

Thank you.

HAPPYHAPPY

Thank you for your opinion, I don't know the area well, so thank you. I do not want to be living amongst empty homes, how lonely, so I guess Portichol isn't the place for us at this time.

Thanks for the link to Javea Estates, I have already been in contact with them. And I hope to get a viewing with them this week. The other agent has now mentioned "terms" which I guess is her fee to show us various homes. She has not emailed these terms through yet, I don't know what to expect.

Thank you for your kind offer to look over the contracts, I may take you up on that.

HAPPYHAPPY

I do not know the area well, so thank you for your opinion. I do not want to live amongst empty house so I guess Portichol is not the area for us at this time.

Thanks for the link to Javea Estates, I have already been in contact with them and hope to get a viewing this week.

The other agent has now mentioned "terms", which she has not yet emailed, I assume this will be a fee for her showing my husband the houses she has to rent. I don't know what to expect.

Thank you for your kind offer to look over the contract, I might take you upon it.

HAPPYHAPPY

I will have a look around that area too, thank you.

Yes we will be looking for 4/5 bed villa with a pool and a garden for the energetic children.

Mitzyboy

Charging people to show them around a house that they will get a commission for renting???? Is that normal Lynnxa

lynnxa

some seem to get away with it

it's not so common around here, but I have heard of a couple charging a 'finders fee' - I simply wouldn't bother with an agent charging that - there are enough who don't & plenty of properties to rent

another thing to remember is that they shouldn't be charging more than a month rent in advance & a month deposit - so if they want more than that, walk away unless it's something really special - but there are plenty of 'really special' properties too

HAPPYHAPPY

As we suspected it is a fee, hold on to your hats...a whole months rental is her fee!

Mitzyboy

If I were you I would ask her if she is on some kind of mind bending hallucinogenic drug

Don't be taken in by these people ..... they think because you are just moving to Spain and don't know "the ropes" that they can charge you anything.

Listen to Lynnxa ... shes there on the spot and has experience of rental agents

lynnxa

I hope you told her where to stick it


I hate agents as breed with a vengeance, a lot simply don't really know the rules/laws - the one I have recommended is a friend & has been doing this for some years & I hope she does (it's not something that comes up at the school gate or in the bar)- but from a distance you don't have a huge amount of choice I guess


when we came 8 years ago we already knew the area fairly well & rented a house short term from the owner via the internet - & then just drove/walked around looking for se alquila signs.....................and that is how we have found somewhere each time we have moved (except last time when we used an agent....should have known better)

is there any way one of you can pop over for a week to sort something out?

HAPPYHAPPY

Yes it is a bit difficult trying to sort accommodation in Spain while we are in the UK. My husband is seeing some places tomorrow, he is only there for the day.
Nothing like a bit of pressure!

I agree with your plan of action and think we should follow. Find a short term let for now and sort the long term let out later.

I do need to point out, the agent that wants a months rent as her fee did say that would include her services for setting up phone & bank accounts and sorting out change over of utilities etc. Not that we had asked her for these services.