Hello all!! A Friend and I are moving to Barcelona in October to undertake a CELTA course in Granollers just outside Barcelona. We have accomodation sorted for the duration of our course but will need to find an appartment to rent afterwards. Can anyone give us any advice on were best to find a two bedroom flat to rent for between 800 and 1000 Euros per month?? I have heard scary stories of people having to pay up to three months rent in deposit, is this true?? Would it be cheaper to rent just outside Barcelona in a suburb similar to Granollers??

Any help would be much appreciated!

Hi…

http://www.pisos.net/default.aspx?cl=&lit=3&pt=2&ht=1≺=&s=&r=&t=barcelona&ft=true

is as good a starting point as any.

Re the comment about 3 months rental in advance as deposit… It can happen! Especially if rental arrangements are via an agency; up to two months ‘finders fee / admin fee’ for the agency plus one month as actual deposit to the owner of the apartment.

Lots of hungry sharks around so be careful!

Make sure all arrangements are formalised to avoid problems in the future.

Barcelona is way out of my territory, (I live in Granada Province), but the whole rental thing is common across Spain.

Have fun!

fb

Thanks alot for that website, it is really helpful!
The agency fees seem ridiculously high. Would you recommend staying away from agencies and looking for a rental privately? Perhaps from private listings?

Thanks alot for your help!

Does anyone living in the Barcelona area know if the rental prices drop significantly outside of the city centre? Is it easy to commute from surrounding towns such as Granollers??

Any help is much appreciated!!

Hello to all….....

Myself Jason Wentworth and i am newbie for this forum. I have same bit of query as that of Tourist.
I really feel Glad after reading this discussion because Admin provide a good knowledge which will help
me in finding accommodation during my moving time to Barcelona. The link is really good and reliable.
One thing i also want to know the tourist attractions near Barcelona which i have to explore in the future.

Regards and Thanks
J.Wentworth

Hello Pquin,

I live 1/2 hour from Granollers and also studied the Celta course there, this Feb past. (I assume it’s with Cambridge!)
Most private or agency will ask you for a deposit, and yes it can be up to three months! Prices tend to be pretty much the same until you get about 45mins from BCN city. There is a very good train network. I know many people who commute daily. It really does depend on whether you want to experience living in BCN center or not. Also if you commute it will cost you about 20? a week so that has to be taken into consideration. Most people will share a large flat with others, I did for two years and it wasn’t so bad, this tends to be the cheapest option, you still have to pay the deposit, but prices for a room tend to be about 250-400.
    Finding a decent 2 bed flat is quite tough. There are many suburbs very close to BCN that might be worth looking at, Badalona is a nice town and 20 mins from BCN on train and it’s also linked by the tube.
  On either side of BCN (but still within the greater city limits) you have St. Adri?  and L’Hospitalet, both are very much high rise blocks and not particually pretty, but there tends to be a lot of offers, here your spainsh will have to be good!.
  In the center of BCN I would avoid the gothic quarter aka ciutat vella, ( unless you want to be bang in the center of 5am loud conversations and people peeing on your doorstep!) Also the housing there is very old, so they have a great style but awful plumbing!.
    The Eixample is a good area, central with great bars, The Flats are enormous and you tend to have five or six sharing, however it is also v expensive, of course.
    Sant Andreu (which is to the north of the city) is very pleasant, and deffo worth a look. Many people like the Poble Nou (Sant Marti), it’s in the east next to the coast so your very close to the beach.
Barceloneta is quite degraded (when it comes to finding accomodation) a bit like the gothic quarter.
  Gracia is very much the arty center of BCN, quite pricey but very chic! Though it has to be said that it has lost a little of it’s charm over the last five years.
  Sants is close to the main train station and also a decent area to live. Sarria; unless daddy is bill gates I wouldn’t bother ?????!
To the west of Barcelona is Les Planes and La Floresta, these are small towns on the other side of the Tibidadbo mountain, there are large houses that have been converted into flats, here you will find a mix of squatters and rich folk, I lived in La floresta for two years and it is like living in the country but only 15mins in the car or 25 on the train to BCN. The offers are limited but worth checking out, you might get lucky!
  Zona Franca is the more industrial port part of BCN, there is a lot of building going on, but I think it’s probably the cheapest (decent) in BCN right now. High rise blocks and industrial estates. Note: there is no tube to this part of the city(not until 2013 anyway)

Check these links out, they should give you an idea of prices, and you can filter “barrios” (neighbourhoods)

http://english.habitaclia.com/

http://www.loquo.com/en_us   (this is very much a classifieds ad site)

Well hope I haven’t gone on to long!!! and I hope it has been of some assistence. If you are doing the CELTA with cambridge, you’ll love it, the guys are great and for your info, I found a job starting in sept, and all the guys who studied with me are now working as teachers! 

So best of luck!

ChrisM

Hi ChrisM,

Thanks alot for your post, it is really helpful! Yea I am going to be studying the CELTA course with Cambridge, can’t wait for it! Did you enjoy it?
Did you find it easy to find work afterwards?

I am a bit worried about the three month deposit stories, is it at all possible to avoid it by renting from private listings?

Thanks alot for your help!

http://www.loquo.com/en becareful of any website and wireing money befor seen any rentlys , there been lot off scamers on site say that own places but need to Western Union/MoneyGram Wire Transfers Google there address and email address , phone numbers and so on

here one letter that keep popping up

Thanks for the email. I own the house and also want you to know that it was due to my transfer to (AWAY EDITED ) that makes us to leave the house and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a responsible person and God fearing person who can take very good care of the house in our absence.we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean all the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own. So for now, We are here in West Africa and will be staying here for the next 4 years in our new house and also with the keys of the house for rent, we try to look for an agent that we can give this documents and the keys before we left but could not find, and we as well do not want our house to be used any how in our absence that is why we took it along with us. I and my Wife came over to *(XXXXXXXXX) for a missionary work, so i hope you will promise us that you will take very good care of the house. So get back to me if you know you could take care of our house or perhaps experience you have in renting home. Hope you are okay with the price of $1200 per month and the security Deposit is $600.Get back to me for the rental application. You can go and view. 
this is one of lot Scam email you see

again google Email , telphone numbers, and google street the Renty aswell ,
any problems give shout here
Jurdy

Thanks very much for the warning Jurdyr. i will make sure that I am ultra cautious when looking at properties.

Does anyone else have any tips on renting in the Barcelona area?
Whats the best way to rent a two bedroom appartment without having to pay several months deposit in advance??

Any tips or suggestions are much appreciated!

This place is really amazing and one should definitely visit it.. There is so much to do and have fun.. I have been there and it was a great memorable trip for me.. from nightlife to street, I enjoyed each part over there..