Rental Properties in Torrevieja

[Kieran]

Hi everyone! Can anybody help me out with some questions? Myself and my partner are living in Dublin, Ireland and plan to move over to Torrevieja for a year starting in August. We hope to eventually re-mortgage our house here and buy Spanish property - but for now, we want to rent in Torrevieja - if it doesn't work out over there, at least we still own our home in Dublin. On the other hand we might love it and decide to stay. But first ..... questions, questions, questions! What's it actually LIKE over there, apart from the ever-present sun?! Who do we rent FROM? Can we deal directly with a letting agent IN Torrevieja? Anybody got a website? What's the average rental prices for a year-long lease? We plan to rent our home in Dublin and use that rental income to rent over there. Does anyone know what rental deposits are in Torrevieja? We also have a 13 year old daughter - what about school costs? And WHICH schools do other ex-pats send their kids to? Then there's jobs. How do you sort those out? Do you set up a job over there before you arrive, or when you get there? I am all ears for ANY information about how other families go about all this kind of stuff. Like I said, questions, questions, questions.....!

[Steve]

My goodness, where do I start? First I suggest you look through the old posts as almost every single question has been covered in some depth. Look through other expat sites and you will see that your concerns are those of thousands of others.

One thing you will find is that there is no such thing as black and white in Spain, everything is a shade of grey. So, if you can negotiate a 12 month contract at 300 euros per month without a deposit and to include all expenses that is down to you. Many people will NOT want to offer a 12 month contract in case you claim squatter's rights. Others will take the chance!

Work, is almost impossible to find unless you are here. You could check the online expat press but most work is self-employed, casual and/or found word of mouth. I would be surprised if you got a contract until you are here. New labour laws kicked in this month that will make it even less attractive for an employer to take somebody on a permanent contract. The figure of Spaniards on permanent contract is less than 10%.........of expats it is even lower.

That said, I PERSONALLY think you are mad coming out here without the intention of working for yourself and with a 13 year in tow.....unless you all speak fluent Spanish. I cannot think of a worse possible age to bring a child here. I really think that you should study Jane Cronin's semi-definitive guide http://www.thisisspain.info/help-advice/education

You should find other articles on education equally eye-opening.

Good Luck

Steve

[Kieran]

Hi Steve,

Cheers for the reply. Yep, I know it's not all roses moving over - but our quality of life is crap in Ireland (one of the most expensive places in Europe, as anybody who's ever visited here will discover to their chagrin) and our family ties are practically non-existent. Our 13-year-old is itching to move to Spain; more so than ourselves, actually! So in those terms, the move would be relatively painless. The only obstacles involve working and education. I will check out those posts you suggested. My own work situation here involved freelance journalism for local papers and magazines. I dunno yet what the situation is for writing jobs over there - if any working ex-pat writers see this, I am all ears. My partner is a bar natural and can work anywhere, with anyone, at anytime! Anyway, thanks for the hints.

[Steve]

I write/have written for several of the expat papers. Usually swapped for some free advertsing and IAC they would normally require you to know the area. Send me your email to shall@thisisspain.info and I can send you a list of the expat press and radio stations.

Good Luck

Steve

PS So I hope your daughter is cramming her Spanish. She will NEED it.

[torretommy2]

Steve may pick up who we are when he reads this.
Our advise is do some research before you come. Make sure you have finance to live off for a while to enable you to get yourself an income. We moved over last September with our 2 children aged 8 and 13, it wasnt easy for the 13 yr old but she is determined and can see the prospects of a better future here in spain than she would have got in the UK.
Work for yourself, be determined be honest deliver what you say you deliver all the time, and keep at it. Dont for one minute think its a holiday because that wont work and the money you have behind you wont last forever.
Word of mouth and recomendation is the main thing here in spain. Get yourself a good name word travels get a bad name it travels even quicker.

Good luck M&V