Testa Residencial’s guide to renting a home

Walking the streets looking for “to let” signs is a thing of the past. Rather than putting on sneakers and walking around town, nowadays, those looking to rent a home are more likely to be wearing slippers and looking for a property online.

How can you make this search for a rental property successful? Before you start your search, the first thing to do is to analyse your personal situation and aspirations for the mid term.

The area

Analyse and think… where do I want to live? If you are young and single, the centre of town is likely to be more attractive than a residential neighbourhood in the outskirts. The opposite is the case for a family, especially one with children. In this case, you will probably prefer a gated community in a residential area.

Once you have decided on the area, find out what it has to offer. From public services to transport connections, traffic levels, shops, leisure facilities, etc. And measure the distance from home to work, for many people this is a key factor in terms of quality of life.

The characteristics of the property

Once you have decided on an area, look at the features of the property bearing in mind your wishes and budget: size, number of rooms, fixtures and fittings, furniture, terrace, swimming pool, parking space, etc.

Start your search

Once you are clear about these aspects, it’s time to put your slippers on! Grab your PC, tablet or phone and consult Google about rental properties in the area you have decided on.

• There are many websites offering homes to rent. Some, in the style of Idealista and Fotocasa, others belonging to property companies and others belonging to property companies which have a selection of their own homes for rent. Make sure you select the appropriate search filters: town, area, type of property (villa, flat, attic, etc.), and number of rooms are the most usual.

• Analyse the search results in terms of value for money and bearing in mind your budget. Generally, the rent should not exceed 40% of your income. Don’t just look at the features of the property itself but also those of the building or community.

Time to get in touch

After analysing all the information available on the internet, prepare a ranking with three or four options that fit perfectly with what you are looking for. Time to get in touch. In the vast majority of cases you can do this by phone or online (e-mail, contact form, etc.).

In this first contact, ask about all you need or want to know regarding the characteristics of the property and the rental conditions, regardless of whether it is a private individual or a property sector professional you are speaking to. Bear in mind that they will also want to know about you as a potential tenant.

Visit the property

It seems you’re happy with each other. Now’s the time to arrange a visit to the property. It’s time to take your slippers off and visit what could be your future home.

Make your visit an opportunity to see what the area’s like and to take a walk around what could be your future neighbourhood checking everything out: Is there a supermarket nearby? Hospitals and health services? Green areas? A lot of people in the street? When you arrive at the property do the same. Check out all the details.

Decision time

You go home, and in the following days visit the other properties in the top-5 of your ranking. And now’s the time to make a decision! Consider it carefully. It’s an important decision both for your life in the short and mid term and for your personal economy.

Bear in mind all the terms and conditions of the lease and the type of landlord with whom you are entering into a contractual relationship (private individual, professional property company, etc.). It’s important. They will do the same with you, assessing whether you have the financial solvency to make the rental payments, for which they may request certain guarantees.

Documents you will be asked for

In order to assess the solvency of a potential tenant, landlords will usually check whether the person in question has outstanding debts by consulting bankruptcy and insolvency registers such as for example the ASNEF.

Once this hurdle has been overcome, they will probably ask you for documents certifying your level and stability of income:

• If you are a salaried worker, your labour contract (permanent or temporary) and recent payslips.
• If you are self-employed or an entrepreneur, they will ask for your latest tax return (form 100), your income tax and VAT statements of recent quarters, proof of payment of social security contributions and your working life report.
• If you also pass this test, then in order to draft the lease, they will ask for your national identity card or foreign resident’s number, or if you have neither your passport number, and the number of your bank account if you decide to pay the rent by standing order.

Deposit and insurance

Remember too that, according to Spanish law, you have to pay a deposit equivalent to at least one month’s rent. Landlords often require payment of two months’ rent in advance too.

One thing that must be clear before you sign the lease is who pays for the house insurance.

Signing the lease

You have decided. You have found your future home. The neighbourhood, the property and the landlord are “ideal”. And the landlord is happy with you! All that’s left is to sign the lease. After signing the lease it’s time to think about moving in! But that will be the subject of a future blog post.

If you are looking to rent a home, we at Testa Residencial, a property company specialising in home rentals, encourage you to follow the recommendations of this rental guide. And of course we recommend you consult our offer of home rental properties. More than one of our properties is sure to figure in the top-5 of your ranking.