# Moving in Jan/Feb



## LJ35 (Jun 10, 2009)

Hi again everyone, i posted on here sometime ago with reference to moving out to Spain after my partner & I get married. We were originally looking at Javea area but we have now decided that may be a little to rich for out pockets to start. I mentioned in my previous post about taking a CELTA course but since all that few things have come up & our plans have changed. We are looking to move in Jan/Feb (weddings in August then off on honeymoon till beginning of Sep), once wedding is out of the way & we have got xmas etc over as our first married xmas & all that family thing out the way! Now this sounds silly I know but we arent to sure on were to move? We have holidayed in Spain a few times but on reading threads on here etc we want somewhere were our money will get us a little more than in a tourist area, i.e what I mean by that is we want a 2/3bed villa, inland but not to far inland with nice surroundings & that has a fex expats kicking about so we wont be lonley to start off with . We are looking to rent & also to pay 12 months rental upfront so that gives us sometime to find out feet so that we dont feel the panic to jump into jobs straight away. Job wise im not to fussed to start bar work, gardening, pool cleaning, you get the idea. My other half is in lettings over here in the UK but we have gathered the market isnt that great out there for that so she's not to sure either, but she'll find her feet. We just want a better quality of life without all the sullen faces & the rat race over here, too much to ask? Not to sure, but im sure you guys on here can point us in the right direction. Also need some info on going about long term rentals paying a year etc up front, where to look, or are there any rental agents on here? Sorry to bombared you guys again but any help is greatly appreciated 

Cheers
Lee


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

LJ35 said:


> Hi again everyone, i posted on here sometime ago with reference to moving out to Spain after my partner & I get married. We were originally looking at Javea area but we have now decided that may be a little to rich for out pockets to start. I mentioned in my previous post about taking a CELTA course but since all that few things have come up & our plans have changed. We are looking to move in Jan/Feb (weddings in August then off on honeymoon till beginning of Sep), once wedding is out of the way & we have got xmas etc over as our first married xmas & all that family thing out the way! Now this sounds silly I know but we arent to sure on were to move? We have holidayed in Spain a few times but on reading threads on here etc we want somewhere were our money will get us a little more than in a tourist area, i.e what I mean by that is we want a 2/3bed villa, inland but not to far inland with nice surroundings & that has a fex expats kicking about so we wont be lonley to start off with . We are looking to rent & also to pay 12 months rental upfront so that gives us sometime to find out feet so that we dont feel the panic to jump into jobs straight away. Job wise im not to fussed to start bar work, gardening, pool cleaning, you get the idea. My other half is in lettings over here in the UK but we have gathered the market isnt that great out there for that so she's not to sure either, but she'll find her feet. We just want a better quality of life without all the sullen faces & the rat race over here, too much to ask? Not to sure, but im sure you guys on here can point us in the right direction. Also need some info on going about long term rentals paying a year etc up front, where to look, or are there any rental agents on here? Sorry to bombared you guys again but any help is greatly appreciated
> 
> Cheers
> Lee



Well its been said on here so many times before, the job market over here is terrible and sadly easyjet is full of ex pool cleaners/gardeners returning to the UK. Not only cos the expats who use these guys are going back to the UK, but those that are hanging on out here are tightening their belts and doing htere own gardening and pool cleaning. A years rent in advance is maybe good, it takes the worry away, but you need to think about the exchange rate, what if you dont like the property/area once you're in and of course if you wanna go back. My advise would be do it in 2 lots of 6 months.

As for quality of life? Well theres no quality without money.

Sorry if that sounds a bit miserable, I know you have to try it and I hope it works out for you. come over and see what happens. As for areas?? well again, you need to come over and see whats right for you. 

Jo xx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

We are here to help - I can see absolutely zero reason for paying 12 months in advance unless you are getting, say, a 50% discount and the way things are at the moment we are in a renters' market. I'd come over perhaps do a one month rental to get your bearings and then decide whether Albox is the paradise some estate agent painted or whether you should move on. 

We now have a sticky on teaching in Spain with some great input from PW, Graham y los demás 

Bottom line is if you need work it will be TOUGH. Self-employment is king so I hope you have the mentality that can crack that.


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

LJ35 said:


> Hi again everyone, i posted on here sometime ago with reference to moving out to Spain after my partner & I get married. We were originally looking at Javea area but we have now decided that may be a little to rich for out pockets to start. I mentioned in my previous post about taking a CELTA course but since all that few things have come up & our plans have changed. We are looking to move in Jan/Feb (weddings in August then off on honeymoon till beginning of Sep), once wedding is out of the way & we have got xmas etc over as our first married xmas & all that family thing out the way! Now this sounds silly I know but we arent to sure on were to move? We have holidayed in Spain a few times but on reading threads on here etc we want somewhere were our money will get us a little more than in a tourist area, i.e what I mean by that is we want a 2/3bed villa, inland but not to far inland with nice surroundings & that has a fex expats kicking about so we wont be lonley to start off with . We are looking to rent & also to pay 12 months rental upfront so that gives us sometime to find out feet so that we dont feel the panic to jump into jobs straight away. Job wise im not to fussed to start bar work, gardening, pool cleaning, you get the idea. My other half is in lettings over here in the UK but we have gathered the market isnt that great out there for that so she's not to sure either, but she'll find her feet. We just want a better quality of life without all the sullen faces & the rat race over here, too much to ask? Not to sure, but im sure you guys on here can point us in the right direction. Also need some info on going about long term rentals paying a year etc up front, where to look, or are there any rental agents on here? Sorry to bombared you guys again but any help is greatly appreciated
> 
> Cheers
> Lee


Hi Lee

Welcome back ..... lots to look forward to with the wedding and everything eh??!?! bet you are being kept busy at the moment ! 

Im unsure why you would want to pay your rent upfront ? paying upfront is a bit different to having 12 months rent in the bank, I understand what you are saying that it may prevent you from jumping or running or getting cold feet if it wasnt what you expected ... but at the same time you may regret tying up a whole years rent with little chance of getting it back! Entering into a 11 month rental contract is pretty standard here - 1 months deposit plus1 months rent to move in ... and then pay monthly. You may find you love being in Spain but the job you get is 2 hours away ... in which case you may want to move closer - and leaving a rental contract early is then do-able - but probably not if you have paid it all upfront ... I would seriously think about that one!

On the job front, as Jo says its pretty tough at here at the moment, we have lots of friends who have left Spain recently because they cant earn enough, or with any consistency. You may have a better chance if you have no ties (children etc) and can be extremely flexible, work wierd hours etc .... but be prepared for being in and out of work if you are lucky - in which case having some emergency money handy will help a lot!

As we have said before ... it only takes one job to make it all seem worthwhile ... so keep your fingers crossed that you can be one of the lucky ones!

Best of luck!

Sue :ranger:


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## LJ35 (Jun 10, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies guys. The reason we set about paying 12 months in advance is because we hoped to get a deal with the renter but if you guys are saying it's not worth it then we prob wont. Didnt realise it was a renters market in Spain. As far as works goes im self employed here in the UK & have been for years, so doing odds & sods to get money coming in isnt really an issue at the beginning, although I would like to settle after a while in some sort of full time role. I understand that the job market is very hard over there at the mo, is it more difficult than the UK then? As far as quality of life goes, yes I understand you need money, dont we all to survive but there's surving in a country where I dont see a future & certainly wouldnt want to raise a family, thens there's a country where I feel it would create a better life for me, my partner & our family when we eventually start it. Im not a blinkered fool being 35 & living it the USA for 8 years etc opened my eys to ALOT of pitfalls that many people dont see or care to see when they move, as they say the grass is always greener. Just want a better quality in terms of happiness really & want to try & get as much info as poss before coming over. Think travelling aorund to find best place is a good idea, obvioulsy hoping for a nice place to stay & some where that there are work opportunities if you put yourself out there. Just a question guys, what exactly do you lot do for work, or is the site full of very rich individuals that dont have to work, lottery winners, retired people , only reason I ask is it will give me an indication of how you lot get by. As I said before & has been mentioned there seems to be alot of unemployment but there must be some work otherwise how would the expats be able to survive? Once again, thanks for all your info guys, it's greatly appreciated


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

LJ35 said:


> Thanks for all the replies guys. The reason we set about paying 12 months in advance is because we hoped to get a deal with the renter but if you guys are saying it's not worth it then we prob wont. Didnt realise it was a renters market in Spain. As far as works goes im self employed here in the UK & have been for years, so doing odds & sods to get money coming in isnt really an issue at the beginning, although I would like to settle after a while in some sort of full time role. I understand that the job market is very hard over there at the mo, is it more difficult than the UK then? As far as quality of life goes, yes I understand you need money, dont we all to survive but there's surving in a country where I dont see a future & certainly wouldnt want to raise a family, thens there's a country where I feel it would create a better life for me, my partner & our family when we eventually start it. Im not a blinkered fool being 35 & living it the USA for 8 years etc opened my eys to ALOT of pitfalls that many people dont see or care to see when they move, as they say the grass is always greener. Just want a better quality in terms of happiness really & want to try & get as much info as poss before coming over. Think travelling aorund to find best place is a good idea, obvioulsy hoping for a nice place to stay & some where that there are work opportunities if you put yourself out there. Just a question guys, what exactly do you lot do for work, or is the site full of very rich individuals that dont have to work, lottery winners, retired people , only reason I ask is it will give me an indication of how you lot get by. As I said before & has been mentioned there seems to be alot of unemployment but there must be some work otherwise how would the expats be able to survive? Once again, thanks for all your info guys, it's greatly appreciated


Hiya Lee

I read in the Spanish news this morning that the unemployment figures for this month were up again (almost 19% now) - which is a slower increase than previous months - but still an increase. Apparently the rest of the EU has a total unemployment figure of just under 9% .... with Spain just under 19% making it the worst place in Europe to be if you are job hunting!! 

I wish I was windswept interesting and loaded ! but Im not! We have been here 5 years and both need to work - we just wanted a better work life balance so came to Spain. Im a Business Development Manager for a Spanish Law Firm, my husband has been out of work on and off for the past couple of years! and hes qualified, intelligent and hard working! just keeps getting stuffed by bad employees, or let go when the companies close down..... it aint easy! BUT if you can get it right it is a lovely place to live ...... luckily my work has always been pretty consistent and stable - but I consider myself very lucky indeed for that!

Sue


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## LJ35 (Jun 10, 2009)

Suenneil said:


> Hiya Lee
> 
> I read in the Spanish news this morning that the unemployment figures for this month were up again (almost 19% now) - which is a slower increase than previous months - but still an increase. Apparently the rest of the EU has a total unemployment figure of just under 9% .... with Spain just under 19% making it the worst place in Europe to be if you are job hunting!!
> 
> ...


Hi Sue

thank you very much for that. I may also try looking at a few of the spanish job websites (can anyone point me in the right direction?) aswell, although there does seems to be a few companies out there that want money to tell you how to find work etc, so i'll stay well clear of them! You hit the nail on the head tho with the better work/life balance, thats exactly what we are looking for, so even with very high unemployment it's a risk worth taking for us as we have nothing to lose & if the worse happens, we can always move onto another country although im hoping we can settle in Spain. Can anyone point me in the direction of good reputable rental agents also?

Lee


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## theagentmo (Aug 22, 2009)

*rental advice*



LJ35 said:


> Hi again everyone, i posted on here sometime ago with reference to moving out to Spain after my partner & I get married. We were originally looking at Javea area but we have now decided that may be a little to rich for out pockets to start. I mentioned in my previous post about taking a CELTA course but since all that few things have come up & our plans have changed. We are looking to move in Jan/Feb (weddings in August then off on honeymoon till beginning of Sep), once wedding is out of the way & we have got xmas etc over as our first married xmas & all that family thing out the way! Now this sounds silly I know but we arent to sure on were to move? We have holidayed in Spain a few times but on reading threads on here etc we want somewhere were our money will get us a little more than in a tourist area, i.e what I mean by that is we want a 2/3bed villa, inland but not to far inland with nice surroundings & that has a fex expats kicking about so we wont be lonley to start off with . We are looking to rent & also to pay 12 months rental upfront so that gives us sometime to find out feet so that we dont feel the panic to jump into jobs straight away. Job wise im not to fussed to start bar work, gardening, pool cleaning, you get the idea. My other half is in lettings over here in the UK but we have gathered the market isnt that great out there for that so she's not to sure either, but she'll find her feet. We just want a better quality of life without all the sullen faces & the rat race over here, too much to ask? Not to sure, but im sure you guys on here can point us in the right direction. Also need some info on going about long term rentals paying a year etc up front, where to look, or are there any rental agents on here? Sorry to bombared you guys again but any help is greatly appreciated
> 
> Cheers
> Lee


Hi sorry to throw the cat amongs the pigeons but we have been looking at long term rental for our Inland Villa and the advice we have from Solicitors from a landlords point of view is not to give anyone access to the house untill the Spanish /English contracts have been signed by both parties and at the time of signing the rent is paid up front be it 3 5 9 12 months or longer. 

Our friends recently rented their property out , the legal contract drawn up by a solicitor was slightly different as it was (on a rent to buy basis for 12 months) The rent has been paid up front, with a clause in the contract stating that if they buy the property at the end of 12 months a percentage of the rent paid is to be taken off the price of the house.

I do know friends who short term let on a regular basis and they take a bond and the rent is always paid either on arrival or in advance.

Good Luck


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

theagentmo said:


> Hi sorry to throw the cat amongs the pigeons but we have been looking at long term rental for our Inland Villa and the advice we have from Solicitors from a landlords point of view is not to give anyone access to the house untill the Spanish /English contracts have been signed by both parties and at the time of signing the rent is paid up front be it 3 5 9 12 months or longer.


I've not heard of that. Rentals in Spain tend NOT to be over 11 months due to a loophole in the rental laws here. As for paying up front, well thats usually negotiable, If you pay a significant ammount up front you can usually reduce the monthly ammount, but as I say its negotiable. Also the contract MUST be written in Spanish to be legal 

Jo xxx


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## grahunt (Jan 22, 2009)

*Places to Go*



jojo said:


> I've not heard of that. Rentals in Spain tend NOT to be over 11 months due to a loophole in the rental laws here. As for paying up front, well thats usually negotiable, If you pay a significant ammount up front you can usually reduce the monthly ammount, but as I say its negotiable. Also the contract MUST be written in Spanish to be legal
> 
> Jo xxx


Steve is right about the mentality needed to succeed here and the advice in this thread is great. I would suggest that you need to go to a big city as there are more opportunities even in these times. Temp jobs are available in many areas but as usual the most important thing is to make sure you learn Spanish. Don't expect great wages if you work on temp jobs for other people but Spain is still a land of opportunity for those who are willing to work. I have a friend who has just opened a new shop in Javea which is going fantastically and he is looking to expand into the rest of Spain. Get it touch and I will put you in touch with him. I don't know when he is expanding or whether he is taking people on around there but the rule is simple, ask ask ask!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

grahunt said:


> Steve is right about the mentality needed to succeed here and the advice in this thread is great.. ... the rule is simple, ask ask ask!


I really like the last part of what grahunt says here. It's something I find particularly difficult but have found it essential to living in Spain. Not wishing to go off thread tooo much, but for example I have realised that if you ask a doctor here all the right questions he/ she will give you lots of info, but if you don't ask you won't get the info. Like if you don't ask "Will this medicine give you any side effects?'" you won't be told it'll make you pee purple. If you don't ask if you have to take XXX paper to get XXX benefit you won't know until you're at the window being refused XXX benefit because you don't have XXX paper.

:focus:

These threads have loads of info and tell you a lot about what the situation is like in Spain today.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/26895-family-4-moving-alicante-mid-august-advice-needed.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/11854-anyone-living-nerja.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/26305-moving-spain-please-help.html

and many more...

Hope this is useful


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## LJ35 (Jun 10, 2009)

Thanks for all the new advice guys, we are currently on honeymoon (in Northern Italy, WOW great place) & have decided that we are DEFINATELY moving at the beginning of next year. We understand about employment etc but we are prepared to work hard to make it work & there's now 4 of us making the move instead of just 2! Grahunt I have sent you a private message about your pal in Javea, so any help will be greatly appreciated


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

theagentmo said:


> Hi sorry to throw the cat amongs the pigeons but we have been looking at long term rental for our Inland Villa and the advice we have from Solicitors from a landlords point of view is not to give anyone access to the house untill the Spanish /English contracts have been signed by both parties and at the time of signing the rent is paid up front be it 3 5 9 12 months or longer.
> 
> Our friends recently rented their property out , the legal contract drawn up by a solicitor was slightly different as it was (on a rent to buy basis for 12 months) The rent has been paid up front, with a clause in the contract stating that if they buy the property at the end of 12 months a percentage of the rent paid is to be taken off the price of the house.
> 
> ...


Hiya

Well thats certainly not something I have come across much, if at all. We have been looking at moving recently (although decided not to move after all ) - but we were never asked to pay that amount of rent upfront (other than one property owned by a Spanish owner in Fuengirola) - and were actually advised by many agents to walk away from those owners who asked us for it. I wuold never pay more than 1 months rent up front for unfurnished, and 2 months rent upfront for furnished. I do believe there is something written into rental law that relating to this - but also there is so much property around for rent I would think the vast majority of people looking for a property would choose 1 / 2 months rent upfront as opposed to anything up to a year! In the current climate very few people have that amount of money in their bank account to start with - in addition with the job situation as it is people are looking for a bit more flexibility in their rental options.

Sue :ranger:


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