Madrid Accommodation Questions

[Aussie.in.Spain]

I'm moving to Madrid in September and wondering what kind of prices I'd be looking at for a room. I've had a look at some of the sites around the web but would like info from anyone on the ground.

I'm budgeting for 350-400 euros a month. Hoping I can get something more in the vicinity of 250-300. I'm not particularly fussy about size etc but I'd like it to be somewhere in the inner areas.

What are my chances? What should I expect? How easy is it to find accommodation in late September?

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[Beckett]

September is a tough month to look for housing in Madrid because there are numerous study abroad programs in the city and many of their students will be looking for shared-apartment housing starting in late August/early September. By late September, many of the nice places will be taken and it will be very hard to find something decent.

If you're not able to arrive sooner than that time, be prepared to stay in a hostel/hotel for up to two weeks and plan to spend your initial days in Madrid pounding the pavement.  Be prepared to put your own ad in Spanish media (see list of web sites below) as well as respond to ads.

A room in the city center will cost at least 400 euros but expect to pay somewhere around 500 euros for a decent, centrally-located place. Be sure to ask whether the utilties and Internet are included in the price. If you're willing to live further away from the more centrally-located neighborhoods, the prices will go down somewhat. But I'm afraid that finding a decent room to rent for 250 euros will be next to impossible in Madrid, unless you're willing to share a bedroom with another person.

One way to take the hassle out of your housing search would be to sign up for a language course with a Madrid language school and request housing through them. For example, you sign up for a two-week Spanish course and also request two weeks of housing. You land in Madrid with a place to stay and have up to two weeks to check out various neighborhoods and apartments while you figure out where to move next.

Good luck!

Some sites to check for finding rooms for rent:
www.loquo.com
www.segundamano.es
www.in-madrid.com
 

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[SRedw]

Aussie.in.Spain,

First of all, let my say that Beckett is 100% correct about September.  Many people are scrambling to get housing and university students prefer the center for the nightlife and the fact that they are, or may be, closer to their university.  If you can swing over in august, please do and you can avoid a major headache.

But I'm afraid that finding a decent room to rent for 250 euros will be next to impossible in Madrid, unless you're willing to share a bedroom with another person.

This is possible.  I have a friend who works at the Fulbright in Spain and she has a room for 280.  It's in Palos de la Frontera, which is in the south of Madrid, close to Legazpi, and there are many people who don't want to live in that part of Madrid.  Mind you, this doesn't include utilities, but utilities aren't that expensive in Spain, in my opinion.

I went to IDEALISTA and entered specifications for renting a room for 300 and below and the results showed 66 room for rent at the price that I wanted.

Here are few of the results, with pictures included

RESULT 1

RESULT 2

RESULT 3

RESULT 4:

This is what  entered to get these results:

tu eres:

chico

¿tienes perro, gato o similar?:

sin mascota

¿fumas?:

no fumador

precio máximo:

hasta 300 euros

buscas compis:

da igual

En fin, take a look at the website posted above and see what you find.  I found many rooms in the range that you wanted.  You can even sign up for email notifications and get notifications about rooms in your price range as soon as they pop up on the website

Suerte,

Shawn

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[Beckett]

Anything is possible. But in my previous posting I did say something \"decent\" for 250 Euros. What is \"decent\" is subjective based on who is doing the looking. Some people just want a roof over their heads, a place to lay down at night and access to a bathroom. Others may define decent as an exterior room with sunlight, Internet access, and non-smoking roommates.

Note that the search that Shawn conducted was done at the beginning of June, a time when many study abroad students are packing up or have already left. Shawn's Idealista search is a snapshot that is valid for this moment in time. There is no guarantee that there will be a similiar number of apartments at the same price point come the end of September.

Remember the cardinal rule of Econ 101: Supply and demand. There may not be as broad a selection of 300 euros and under apartments in the fall. Better for Aussie to set his/her budget a little higher to be mentally prepared to pay more and avoid frustration later. If Aussie finds something centrally located for under 300 euros, great! But it may take longer to find a place like that come September when he/she will be competing with hundreds of other foreigners also looking for inexpensive apartments.

Saludos.

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[SRedw]

Note that the search that Shawn conducted was done at the beginning of June, a time when many study abroad students are packing up or have already left. Shawn's Idealista search is a snapshot that is valid for this moment in time. There is no guarantee that there will be a similiar number of apartments at the same price point come the end of September.

Yes, Beckett.  What you have said here is true, but I just wanted to lead this person to yet another resource that's available.  I said nothing about these rooms being available in September, and this goes without saying.  The sites that you have listed are excellent and I thank you for posting them.  I have been to those sites numerous times when I was looking for a place in Madrid.

I am glad that you also told him to budget higher because I know that when I found my apartment in 2003, I had to go 50 Euros above my budget and it was worth it in the long run.

So, Aussie.in.Spain, it is my hope that you find the accomodation that you are searching for and use all of the websites listed here to find the room that you want.

Have a great day,

Shawn

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[SRedw]

Aussie.in.Spain,

Here is yet another great resource for finding places in Madrid.

COMPARTE PISO

This site is in Spanish and you should be able to navigate it without any problems.

Suerte,

Shawn





 

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[Aussie.in.Spain]

Thanks for all the replies,

The info is really useful. I thought I might have to go higher than 300. Unfortunately, there is no way I can get over in August. I'm quitting a job in Australia to head to Madrid and need to stay in it for as long as possible until I leave.

My requirements are relatively minimal. Furnished modestly and near enough to transport to enable me to traverse the city fairly quickly.

Any recommendations for hostels whilst I'm looking for more permanent accommodation? I've seen discussions about Madrid Insider? I've also seen a number of Hostals recommended on the Canterbury site, like Hostal Leon - all for at most 20 euros a night. What could I expect from these?

Cheers

Luke

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[SRedw]

I've also seen a number of Hostals recommended on the Canterbury site, like Hostal Leon - all for at most 20 euros a night. What could I expect from these?

Aussie.in.Spain,

I would suggest that you go the Hostal website, since many of them have a website now, and look at the pictures and read the description.  A lot of the pictures are on the up and up, since they want to bring in the business.  Do some reasearch on the net and see what you find and choose one that's right for you.

Shawn

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[SRedw]

Another quick bit of advice.  MAKE sure that you see a copy of the lease before taking the room.  A lot of times, a person will have you paying the majority of the rent while they pay peanuts.  I have heard this story many times before.  

Shawn  

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[sticky]

I am making the plunge into the accommodation business. If anyone has any specific needs, let me know!

Phil

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