Hi, we are a married couple in our late 60’s, we have been taking holidays in Malgrat de Mar since 1986 (some say we are boring but we love the place). Next year, to mark our 70th birthdays, we are planning to have an extended stay, for three months, in a rented, furnished, property. I have made email and personal contact with a local property manager who is willing to help find a suitable property and can see no problems with our plan.
I have carried out a lot of research so far but am worried that there may be one or two pitfalls which we may have overlooked due to ignorance. Can anyone suggest any snags which might hinder our intentions?

No ?

If you are alluding to residencia etc don’t worry if your intention is just a 3 month stay come and enjoy and don’t worry about that.
Be careful if you are signing a rental contract that it is exactly what you want and that you fully understand it.

Thanks for the reply, Rob.
I think I need advice on how to sort out things like TV, internet, telephone etc, bearing in mind we will only be out there for 3, possibly 4 months, I don’t want to be tied to long-term contracts.
I was thinking about getting a “dongle” for mobile internet, but I’m not sure of the name in Spanish or Catalan.

You probably won’t be able to sign any contracts for any services without NIE and Spanish bank account so you really need to rent with everything included. So need to look for rentals more from the ‘holiday’ angle than permanent residents.

ROB1305 - 19 February 2013 02:20 PM

You probably won’t be able to sign any contracts for any services without NIE and Spanish bank account so you really need to rent with everything included. So need to look for rentals more from the ‘holiday’ angle than permanent residents.

Ah! Understood, I should have realized that. The difference in cost for “holiday” properties might be an influencing factor.

Yes but don’t be deterred - with this economy there are lots of options as some people are desperate to arrange a letting. But of course typically landlords are looking for long term (usually a year) or doing short holiday lets. But you never know until you look!

Yeh, 3 months is way too short but try a long term deal on airbnb maybe?