Whether you are coming to Madrid as an Erasmus student, as a future intern of a company, or a future student of one of the many good universities here in Madrid, one of the first things to do is to find accommodation for your stay: and how to look for a flat, then, while living abroad? Is it safe? What are the most useful tools for this kind of research?
Try using these websites
Looking for a flat can be tough work here in Madrid, especially from abroad, but one must start somewhere: websites like Idealista, Spotahome, Uniplaces, Badi, but also some Facebook groups could help! This latter is obviously less safe, so be careful about what people post (double-check everything you find!). Using these websites is also good because they allow you to put all the filters you prefer: whether you want a single or a double room, whether you prefer to live in the city centre or next to the university, and so on. Just make sure to have enough patience to embark on this adventure!
Ask for a virtual home tour of the flat
As you’re living abroad, you probably want to be sure that the flat you’ve chosen corresponds to the photos you’ve seen online. The best way to do so is to ask for a virtual home tour of the flat: this might be useful in order to get rid of false posts on the web and fraud.
Check all the conditions of the contract before signing it
Once everything is set up, you will be asked to sign a contract (and if you’re not, distrust the landlord). You will probably sign it digitally since it’s quite difficult to travel just to sign a contract. In both cases, read it over and over and be sure to know all the aspects of it. And if you have doubts about some parts of the contract, don’t be afraid to ask questions: the landlord has to be 100% clear with you. In this way, you’ll avoid negative surprises that could come from previous misunderstandings.
(And if you’re looking for some tips about how to choose your place to stay in Madrid, check this out!)
By: Alessia Cuofano, University of Naples L’Orientale ’22
