# If things are so bad why are rents still so high



## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

Been reading through all the " moving to spain" threads and the replies from members who have lived here a long time and all are saying things are bad etc etc and I m not arguing about that

But can anyone tell me why rental prices are still soooooo high - particularly in the southern end - I would have thought with all the brits and northern europeans leaving and empty properties everywhere prices would have gone down but it doesn t seem so ????

Any ideas guys ?


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

A lot of empty houses have been repossessed.. you can often rent these with the option to buy.


Rents high? Compared to where? I personally think that Spanish property is rented out much more cheaply than properties in the UK.


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> A lot of empty houses have been repossessed.. you can often rent these with the option to buy.
> 
> 
> Rents high? Compared to where? I personally think that Spanish property is rented out much more cheaply than properties in the UK.


We are just moving back after 10 years away and having been on all the websites we remember the rents "appear " to be the same as when we left - which was a time when most things were still going quite strong

Do you think owners/agents ( I see you are one ) are open to offers on these properties and are putting them up for rent at a price that can be negotiated

I am renting a 6 bed 4 bath new villa with pool and land in Cyprus for 1200 per month I don t see anything for this type of money on the websites ?

Thanks


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

philly said:


> We are just moving back after 10 years away and having been on all the websites we remember the rents "appear " to be the same as when we left - which was a time when most things were still going quite strong
> 
> Do you think owners/agents ( I see you are one ) are open to offers on these properties and are putting them up for rent at a price that can be negotiated
> 
> ...




I have no idea.. my property is a holiday let so a different market.

I am sorry I don't see why people compare what they paid in one country to what they want to pay in another. I live in Egypt and I could find a property for 50 pounds sterling a month but I would never imagine I could go anywhere else and think I could find the same. 

Also remember the property that you are in now would probably have a better holiday let potential in Spain.. quicker and cheaper flights comes to mind.


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## leedsutdgem (Jun 3, 2010)

philly said:


> Been reading through all the " moving to spain" threads and the replies from members who have lived here a long time and all are saying things are bad etc etc and I m not arguing about that
> 
> But can anyone tell me why rental prices are still soooooo high - particularly in the southern end - I would have thought with all the brits and northern europeans leaving and empty properties everywhere prices would have gone down but it doesn t seem so ????
> 
> Any ideas guys ?


Simple, people have high mortgages that they need to cover.


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> I have no idea.. my property is a holiday let so a different market.
> 
> I am sorry I don't see why people compare what they paid in one country to what they want to pay in another. I live in Egypt and I could find a property for 50 pounds sterling a month but I would never imagine I could go anywhere else think I could find the same.
> 
> Also remember the property that you are in now would probably have a better holiday let potential in Spain.. quicker and cheaper flights comes to mind.


Your probably right on one hand but on the other you have to compare like to like and having lived in 5 different countries in the past 20 years I have a good feel for how rents have fluctuated with differing economies and still feel able to say what I said above

My feeling is owners have an inflated idea of what their property is worth to rent and I guess this is to do with covering their mortage repayments and urbanisation fees etc

I don t however understand the mentality of people who leave properties empty and uncared for when they could ebhaving money for them

But there we are .......:juggle:


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Rents are certainly MUCH cheaper than when we arrived four years ago. The first house we rented was 2000€ a month - I would guess that same house would be going now for less than 1000€. Prices are negotiable and landlords still try to get as much as they can. There comes a point where you can reduce rentals any lower

Jo xxx


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

leedsutdgem said:


> Simple, people have high mortgages that they need to cover.


I did just say that in post above we must have posted at the same time

However I don t understand if they have to meet their repayments surely some monies towards it is better than none

I know our landlord here ( and I m sure many others ) rents to us at 1200 and his mortgage is double that but he doesn t want to lose his property so he make sup the deficit


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

philly said:


> Your probably right on one hand but on the other you have to compare like to like and having lived in 5 different countries in the past 20 years I have a good feel for how rents have fluctuated with differing economies and still feel able to say what I said above
> 
> My feeling is owners have an inflated idea of what their property is worth to rent and I guess this is to do with covering their mortage repayments and urbanisation fees etc
> 
> ...




I have a small town house that I leave empty.. simply because the rental that it could command would not in my opinion cover the cost of "rental" of my good quality furniture, nor would it cover the cost of having my place decorated. simple economics on my part.


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

I don't rent my property BUT for those I know that do, I think the prices ARE quite low. Definitely not to be compared with holiday lets which is what some of these are often advertised at rates wise. If it's a long term let then these can be negotiated


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Have to say... we have no morgages


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

I suppose as well the south ( Malaga down ) had a lot more properties bought during the boom at rather silly prices so mortgages are quite high - still doesn t make sense if people are struggling as the forum suggests 

People here in cyprus are selling their properties for whatever they can and renting and I know this is a fact - I wonder maybe if thats whats happening in spain >


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

You can't really make a valid comparison of rental prices in different countries. There are so many factors to consider. Cyprus cannot be compared to Spain. I have a friend who bought a property there for the cost of a good car.
My dil prefers to leave her Spanish property vacant if she can't rent to friends or colleagues she knows and trusts. She is of the same opinion as Maiden.
We hear a lot about dreadful landlords but there is also a problem here - a very serious one - of vile tenants who default on rent and trash property.
If I had property here I wouldn't rent it when I wasn't using it.
But thenm I wouldn't take out a mortgage I wasn't sure I could repay so I would never be in such a desperate situation.


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

You can't really make a valid comparison of rental prices in different countries. There are so many factors to consider. Cyprus cannot be compared to Spain. I have a friend who bought a property there for the cost of a good car.


Lol that must have been a very long time ago !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha

There are also bad tenants here as well as spain its not on its on in that respect but I do hear what you are saying but its not answering my original question but thanks for your reply


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

philly said:


> I suppose as well the south ( Malaga down ) had a lot more properties bought during the boom at rather silly prices so mortgages are quite high - still doesn t make sense if people are struggling as the forum suggests
> 
> People here in cyprus are selling their properties for whatever they can and renting and I know this is a fact - I wonder maybe if thats whats happening in spain >


I dont know about Cyprus, but I would guess that Spain is bigger and further into the recession and crisis. It has been "the" expat destination for longer and has a huge amount of half built, empty new builds littered across the country. There are many people who have huge mortgages and have simply posted their keys back to the banks and "done a runner" and have probably yet to be found...... IME, most landlords are Spanish who have more than one house and rent the other one out to make money to live on. Brits who live in Spain still live in their houses and so dont rent them out... those who are trying to sell, have reduced the prices to the point where they cant reduce them anymore - for now

Jo xxx


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Prices quoted on websites will probably bear little relation to what is actually happening. Also the rents asked by Spanish owners are usually far more realistic than by Brits and they are less likely to be on websites - they tend to do more word-of-mouth. A friend of mine (Brit) here wants to sell her house but even though she has cut the asking price to the bone, she can't sell it so she wants to let it. She went to a Brit who arranges lets and he suggested a rental price of 750 Euros - utterly ridiculous - she would be lucky to get a third of that. You will have to come and see for yourself - I doubt you'll get a decent deal any other way.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Rental in Cyprus has always been lower than mainland Spain, its good value for money, Gran Canaria is a lot different, you see small bungalows going for €1200 a month due to the all year round good weather which is better than the mainland or Cyprus; never a lot of choice on the island.

Another problem I would guess is that there are so many empty properties in Spain there simply are not enough people to rent them. Very little by way of state benefits in Spain so no rent paid by the government and the brits are packing up and going home. Seems only the Russians are buying these days.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

You can rent a 3-bed detached villa round here for about €600 a month, which I reckon is pretty cheap. A town-house can be had for €400.

At the luxury end, rents will remain high because the kind of people who rent these places are unaffected by the crisis.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> You can rent a 3-bed detached villa round here for about €600 a month, which I reckon is pretty cheap. A town-house can be had for €400.
> 
> At the luxury end, rents will remain high because the kind of people who rent these places are unaffected by the crisis.


400 Euros here (very close to Alcalaina) will get you a three double bed, huge sitting room with feature open staircase and gallery, two full bathrooms, good modern kitchen and outside patio and balcony with views. All newly renovated and in a quiet street in the centre of the village. You can pick up two bed houses for 250 Euros.


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2012)

jimenato said:


> 400 Euros here (very close to Alcalaina) will get you a three double bed, huge sitting room with feature open staircase and gallery, two full bathrooms, good modern kitchen and outside patio and balcony with views. All newly renovated and in a quiet street in the centre of the village. You can pick up two bed houses for 250 Euros.


we are drooling over the low rents, we found a flat, furnished, huge patio, looking at the Med. for 300 euros. What it was renting for four years ago? when we need a lift in spirits, we just visit fotocasa.es


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

folklore said:


> we are drooling over the low rents, we found a flat, furnished, huge patio, looking at the Med. for 300 euros. What it was renting for four years ago? when we need a lift in spirits, we just visit fotocasa.es


Think I need to stop looking at the websites and wait til we arrive and visit the agents when we arrive


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jimenato said:


> 400 Euros here (very close to Alcalaina) will get you a three double bed, huge sitting room with feature open staircase and gallery, two full bathrooms, good modern kitchen and outside patio and balcony with views. All newly renovated and in a quiet street in the centre of the village. You can pick up two bed houses for 250 Euros.


We are paying 1500 euros (previously 2000 euros, landlord wanted 2300 euros) for a very large house with pool on a double plot. The house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, salon with gallery, separate dining room (which we have always had in the UK and got used to). 
It's a really nice area on the coast,on the edge of a quiet Spanish village with fewer than 2000 inhabitants and we don't see many guiris like ourselves until the summer when the French come and rent houses and apartments previously rented or owned by noisy Madrilenos.
Our house is in an ordinary street, very quiet. 
My son and dil's house is a five minute drive away which is convenient as when they visit which is very often they don't stay with us!
I'm wondering, having read all this, if we would be cheeky to ask for a further reduction in rent, say down to 1250 euros...
The property is unfurnished and we pay the rent in advance in two chunks over the eleven month contract period. This will be our fourth year here.
We're on excellent terms with our landlord and I'm wondering if this would be pushing things a bit....taking advantage.
What would we pay for a similar property in your area? After all, you're not that far away.
But we do like it here and it's a very pleasant area to live in...within easy reach of Marbella and Estepona, equidistant from two airports....
But thinking of the future if the exchange rate does crash...
I suspect OH would rather move area than move into a townhouse. We tried apartment living but it's not for us.
My dil would like to buy this house and build a small house on the land which has seperate building permission so that's another factor keeping me at least here.


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2012)

philly said:


> Think I need to stop looking at the websites and wait til we arrive and visit the agents when we arrive


there is always colombia...great prices even with weak euro/dollar, and the weather is better here...


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## ukmocha (Jan 5, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> You can rent a 3-bed detached villa round here for about €600 a month, which I reckon is pretty cheap. A town-house can be had for €400.
> 
> At the luxury end, rents will remain high because the kind of people who rent these places are unaffected by the crisis.


Prices have gone down in Spain by all accounts. Our 3-bed town house in a small village is only €300 p.c.m. for a one year lease - however our landlord lives in Malaga and is Spanish and would rather let it than leave it empty.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

ukmocha said:


> Prices have gone down in Spain by all accounts. Our 3-bed town house in a small village is only €300 p.c.m. for a one year lease - however our landlord lives in Malaga and is Spanish and would rather let it than leave it empty.


yes - spanish landlords would rather let on a proper lease & realistic rent than have a property empty


conversely - when selling, they will decide how much they want & won't drop the price for anyone or anything!


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2012)

Contrary to what people think, many rental properties are fully booked for the year. It used to be unusual in Spain to have long lets, due to the law of getting people out once they'd been living there for months, or a year. There are low rents if you are prepared to look or negotiate a long lease.
Things aren't good in Spain in terms of the economy and unemployment. We are in our seventh year and have no intention of returning to the UK. We can afford a good life in Spain, but we'd struggle in the UK. We have a few friends who rent and they all have a good life here.
We have other friends who desperately want to go home to the UK but can't sell their properties. Perhaps renting is the best way forward as there are many retiring Brits who would like to live in Spain.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Tejeda said:


> Contrary to what people think, many rental properties are fully booked for the year. It used to be unusual in Spain to have long lets, due to the law of getting people out once they'd been living there for months, or a year. There are low rents if you are prepared to look or negotiate a long lease.
> Things aren't good in Spain in terms of the economy and unemployment. We are in our seventh year and have no intention of returning to the UK. We can afford a good life in Spain, but we'd struggle in the UK. We have a few friends who rent and they all have a good life here.
> We have other friends who desperately want to go home to the UK but can't sell their properties. Perhaps renting is the best way forward as there are many retiring Brits who would like to live in Spain.


we've rented for 8 years - have thought of buying a few times (still thinking about a casa de campo for hols/retirement - but not where we choose to live full time while the kids are at at school)

it has given us a flexibility we would never have had if we'd bought the first house we 'fell in love with' - _that_ one would have been a nightmare to live in all year


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> we've rented for 8 years - have thought of buying a few times (still thinking about a casa de campo for hols/retirement - but not where we choose to live full time while the kids are at at school)
> 
> it has given us a flexibility we would never have had if we'd bought the first house we 'fell in love with' - _that_ one would have been a nightmare to live in all year


Retiring to a house in the campo does have a few problems. As we get older, we are glad we have immediate neighbours. We have friends who live out on the campo and some have had problems with security, or where one person becomes ill. It surprised me to find, some couples who live on the campo and only one of them can drive. Having said that, we have good friends who love campo life. It is just you need to consider many things before buying. 

I guess the biggest issue of buying on the campo is the legality of the property.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Tejeda said:


> Retiring to a house in the campo does have a few problems. As we get older, we are glad we have immediate neighbours. We have friends who live out on the campo and some have had problems with security, or where one person becomes ill. It surprised me to find, some couples who live on the campo and only one of them can drive. Having said that, we have good friends who love campo life. It is just you need to consider many things before buying.
> 
> I guess the biggest issue of buying on the campo is the legality of the property.


absolutely - I suppose I'd have to learn to drive 

we're not thinking too remote though - and it would probably be more as a getaway place than full time


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> absolutely - I suppose I'd have to learn to drive
> 
> we're not thinking too remote though - and it would probably be more as a getaway place than full time


We have the best way of living, in our opinion that is. We live in a rural area in the mountains, about 20 minutes from the coast. We have neighbours who are both Brits and Spanish. Learning to Speak Spanish was a must to converse to the locals, but to their credit, some love to try and speak English.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

My daughter lives in the campo and has neighbours for the first time in her life but they are spread out. The draw backs of living in the campo when you have 3 children are when two start school at the same time but finish with an hours difference. The other child goes to school in the morning, comes home for lunch then goes back to school after 2 hours, stay for two hours then needs picking up again..there are days my daughter runs back and forth into the village 9times just to do the school runs. The boys are teenagers so of course they want to go into the village at night.. they have different friends so quite often they go and need picking up at different times.. Husband goes to the bar on a Sunday.. so he needs picking up.
Living in the campo can turn you into a taxi.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> My daughter lives in the campo and has neighbours for the first time in her life but they are spread out. The draw backs of living in the campo when you have 3 children are when two start school at the same time but finish with an hours difference. The other child goes to school in the morning, comes home for lunch then goes back to school after 2 hours, stay for two hours then needs picking up again..there are days my daughter runs back and forth into the village 9times just to do the school runs. The boys are teenagers so of course they want to go into the village at night.. they have different friends so quite often they go and need picking up at different times.. Husband goes to the bar on a Sunday.. so he needs picking up.
> Living in the campo can turn you into a taxi.


that's one reason we're so glad we rent

they move schools - we move house 

they were at different schools at opposite ends of town for a few years when dd1 started ESO & dd2 was still in primary - but we were far enough from the primary school to take advantage of the free school bus - & consequently free lunch :clap2:

they both walk to the secondary school now


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> that's one reason we're so glad we rent
> 
> they move schools - we move house
> 
> ...




My grandchildren should get free lunches and a money paid for petrol... but there has been no money available for the past three years. On that note my grandchildren always refused to eat at school as they say the food is disgusting so free or not is not the issue.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

On another note living in the campo allows my family to make as much noise as they want, the boys have had lots of friends around for a swim and the noise 10 boys can make is deafening and the nearest neighbour.. yards away never complains.. he moved there so he can sit outside and play his musical instruments without neighbours complaining as they did when he lived in the village. It is lovely to be sitting in the garden when Jose decides to rehearse.. we get a free concert.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> My grandchildren should get free lunches and a money paid for petrol... but there has been no money available for the past three years. On that note my grandchildren always refused to eat at school as they say the food is disgusting so free or not is not the issue.


my kids really loved school meals - all fresh & well prepared - they rather miss them now they're in secondary

appparently the best paella & fideua they ever tasted too

I guess it depends on who is cooking


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## simply (Jan 6, 2012)

I have to agree that Spain seems very overpriced to me.

Typically the main things driving prices higher are..

Infrastructure: jobs, location, general quality of life, cultural, etc.
Supply and Demand: This usually goes back to Jobs because as people move in for work the supply goes down and demand goes up, driving prices higher. Also limited area like Hawaii or other islands where building is limited.

I think we can say prices aren't where they are because of Jobs available.
Quality of life in general is pretty low on the scale also. Good weather yes, but..
Supply is up, demand is down and things are looking to get much worse in the coming years.

I can't wrap my head around the prices. They are pretty much on par with where I live in Canada which has way, way, way better quality of life, public spending like mad, very good job opportunities, etc. But we do get snow.

In all fairness I think Spain property market should be lesser 50%. Maybe it will be a few years from now.
Everyone sitting on property now thinking this brief downturn that's five years in and likely has at least another five to go might just regret not taking a loss sooner.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Things may change... Last night I went shopping in the oldest tourist/local market in the middle east and the place was empty of tourists.. I saw two and I was there for almost two hours, this time last year you could not move for tourists buying up cheap tat however those said same tourists have to be going somewhere else and maybe Spain will be their destination choice for 2012.


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

Tejeda said:


> We have the best way of living, in our opinion that is. We live in a rural area in the mountains, about 20 minutes from the coast. We have neighbours who are both Brits and Spanish. Learning to Speak Spanish was a must to converse to the locals, but to their credit, some love to try and speak English.


I totally agree - we also live in the 'proper' campo (not what a lot of people seem to refer to it as when it is just on the edge of a town like Alhaurin!) 

We are lucky enough to be only 30mins inland from the coast but we are really out in the sticks - nobody would find us without directions. 

We love the fact that there are no neighbours - nearest one about 1/4 mile down the track. No-one to complain about the dogs barking or having a party!

If you choose this way of life you cannot complain about having to become a taxi service for your family or not having a shop nearby etc - it is very different from living in a village or even on a remote road. Big fridge & freezer needed for a start! 

But yes, you would be a bit stuck if only one of your drove and ideally you'd want 2 vehicles too - one of them is bound to need to be in the garage for a bit at some point or the other person might be out and the person at home might need to go out in an emergency

Some have a back up generator for their electricity but tbh we haven't had many issues with the power - if it goes off it's back on again within 5mins.

Water - you will need a depositor - we do find a lot of times the water gets turned off out here because the water co presumes they are mainly weekend homes for the Spanish OR they haven't paid the leccy bill for the main supply pump! A lot of these houses already have a built in depositor (if it hasn't been made into a store room or swimming pool!) or you can buy them very easily. We keep 20,000l at a time.

Quite a different way of living but if you like to live the quiet life and be away from the madness then it's perfect :clap2:


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

donz said:


> I totally agree - we also live in the 'proper' campo (not what a lot of people seem to refer to it as when it is just on the edge of a town like Alhaurin!)
> 
> We are lucky enough to be only 30mins inland from the coast but we are really out in the sticks - nobody would find us without directions.
> 
> ...


We are lucky as we are well away from the 'madness', ten minutes walk to a quiet undeveloped beach and ten minutes drive from wild campo. Our village is small but we can easily get to towns and airports.
You described campo life very accurately, imo. It's a great life for some but not to be embarked on lightly and without consideration of all the possible glitches.


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## Lucie123 (Dec 7, 2011)

Ive been looking at longterm rental prices for the areas around nerja/frigiliana and the prices seem pretty cheap. or is that just me? we could rent our 3 bed semi worth around 165000 in Leeds for aprrox £650 a month bills ontop. where as ive seen houses and cortijo/villas in nerja/frig and the surrounding countryside for around £500 and under. these are the sort of houses that are on the market for sale for around £300000. and vertually all of them are way above what we could afford to buy.

so my question is to those who rent or have rented and then bought. should you rent somewhere that you know you could never actually afford to buy? is it a form of self torture! especially if you only want to rent for x amount of time until you have decided this is the area and country u want to be in. knowing that if you do love the town you are renting in theres very little property that you could actually afford to buy. or should you live the dream and rent that house you would only get otherwise if you win the lotto.


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2012)

Lucie123 said:


> Ive been looking at longterm rental prices for the areas around nerja/frigiliana and the prices seem pretty cheap. or is that just me? we could rent our 3 bed semi worth around 165000 in Leeds for aprrox £650 a month bills ontop. where as ive seen houses and cortijo/villas in nerja/frig and the surrounding countryside for around £500 and under. these are the sort of houses that are on the market for sale for around £300000. and vertually all of them are way above what we could afford to buy.
> 
> so my question is to those who rent or have rented and then bought. should you rent somewhere that you know you could never actually afford to buy? is it a form of self torture! especially if you only want to rent for x amount of time until you have decided this is the area and country u want to be in. knowing that if you do love the town you are renting in theres very little property that you could actually afford to buy. or should you live the dream and rent that house you would only get otherwise if you win the lotto.


Bear in mind, Nerja and Frigiliana areas are very popular and properties are in general more expensive, but putting a price on one is difficult as it is now a buyers market. There are a few Brits now realising, perhaps renting a place would be more affordable. The town next to Nerja is Torrox. Property there will be much cheaper and there is only a few kilometres between each place.
We bought almost 10 years ago and I'm glad we did. We sold up in the UK and integrated out here.


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

if it were me I would rent a) what I could afford b) the size that I am comfortable in c) in an area I want to try

In my opinion, I think you often rent somewhere and realise actually it's either too big/too small or maybe just right.

Remember the bigger it is the colder it will be in the winter (OR the higher your heating bill!!)


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## Lucie123 (Dec 7, 2011)

Yeah we have looked at torrox aswell. wasnt so taken by it the first time i went but grew on me the more times i went and yes its all of five minutes from nerja on the motorway so its like an extension. not much property there for us to buy though as we dont want to be in the backstreets. theres a couple of houses one town and one villa we are gonna look at when were are next out there to get a feel. we also looked at benamocarra which was nice but abit nearer to velez and further from nerja but is cheaper and we found a perfect house on the net but i think it might have sold now.

we mainly wanted to just sell here in the uk and buy straight out but everyone ive spoke to and research ive down says u should rent first. also the uk is the same as spain where u cant sell your houses. we live in an area where houses woul sell within a month. now theres houses in our local streets that have been for sale for litterally years. the only ones selling are ones where 30k is knocked off the price. so when the time to move does come we could be waiting years to sell depending on what the market is like. where as estate agents have told us the rental market is strong and we would get someone pretty quick although tbh i dont realky like the idea of renting my house out. where do u put all your personal stuff and worrying about them messing the carpets and house garden up.


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## Lucie123 (Dec 7, 2011)

donz said:


> if it were me I would rent a) what I could afford b) the size that I am comfortable in c) in an area I want to try
> 
> In my opinion, I think you often rent somewhere and realise actually it's either too big/too small or maybe just right.
> 
> Remember the bigger it is the colder it will be in the winter (OR the higher your heating bill!!)


Yeah thats true. we arent looking at big properties though as theres only three of us


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

simply said:


> In all fairness I think Spain property market should be lesser 50%. Maybe it will be a few years from now.


If you are talking selling prices I would say you are probably right, but rentals are far more realistically priced at the moment.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Lucie123 said:


> Ive been looking at longterm rental prices for the areas around nerja/frigiliana and the prices seem pretty cheap. or is that just me? we could rent our 3 bed semi worth around 165000 in Leeds for aprrox £650 a month bills ontop. where as ive seen houses and cortijo/villas in nerja/frig and the surrounding countryside for around £500 and under. these are the sort of houses that are on the market for sale for around £300000. and vertually all of them are way above what we could afford to buy.
> 
> so my question is to those who rent or have rented and then bought. should you rent somewhere that you know you could never actually afford to buy? is it a form of self torture! especially if you only want to rent for x amount of time until you have decided this is the area and country u want to be in. knowing that if you do love the town you are renting in theres very little property that you could actually afford to buy. or should you live the dream and rent that house you would only get otherwise if you win the lotto.


If those are the prices you are seeing at the estate agents they are probably hopelessly inflated which explains the reasonable looking rents.


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## Lucie123 (Dec 7, 2011)

Yeah i think the prices are over the top. one we liked in the valley outside of frigiliana was reduced by nearly 100k to a realistic price of around 250 euros and sold but most of them are ridiculos prices. maybe its ppl who bought at the peak and refuse to sell unless they can make a big profit. i guess if they arent desperate they will just sit out the recession. but when u see ppl wanting not far of half a million for a three bed cortijo you have to shake your head. even if i had that money i wouldnt pay


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2012)

Lucie123 said:


> Yeah i think the prices are over the top. one we liked in the valley outside of frigiliana was reduced by nearly 100k to a realistic price of around 250 euros and sold but most of them are ridiculos prices. maybe its ppl who bought at the peak and refuse to sell unless they can make a big profit. i guess if they arent desperate they will just sit out the recession. but when u see ppl wanting not far of half a million for a three bed cortijo you have to shake your head. even if i had that money i wouldnt pay


Frigiliana and Nerja houses and villas are still sought after properties. It's other well off Europeans buying now and Nerja area will always be higher than other areas. The Axarquia is the place to look for cheaper properties. There you will find some real bargains and Nerja is still only 30 minutes away or less.


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## Lucie123 (Dec 7, 2011)

Yeah it is very popular and rightly so.we dont want to be on a urbanisation so nerja itsself is probably out of bounds ad there isnt that much on offer. its a case as looking as near to it as poss for what u can afford. when we are next out we are gonna look around the benalmadena area as we went to mijas and loved it so it kinda put a spanner in the works. but tbh it will take alot to beat nerja


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2012)

Lucie123 said:


> Yeah it is very popular and rightly so.we dont want to be on a urbanisation so nerja itsself is probably out of bounds ad there isnt that much on offer. its a case as looking as near to it as poss for what u can afford. when we are next out we are gonna look around the benalmadena area as we went to mijas and loved it so it kinda put a spanner in the works. but tbh it will take alot to beat nerja


To be fairly near Nerja, have you considered somewhere inland, such as Competa, Sayalonga or even Arenas. They are beautiful places in the mountains. To me, Competa is much more interesting than Frigiliana.


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## Lucie123 (Dec 7, 2011)

Yeah we have checked out algarrabo (sp) competa, sayalonga where we ended up getting a tour of a house we had seen on the net. we bumped into the owner in the street who was irish and she invited us in and we spent ages chatting. she had lived in competa and sayalonga for 12 years so gave us alot of info. we also went up to lake vinuela, benamocarra. we didnt get to benamargosa so will look there when we are next over.i had done quite abit of research before but u have to visit places to get a feel.for example algarrobo looked lovely on the net but didnt really do anything when we went.

we decided sayalonga was as far inland as we wanted to go and wanted to be as near to nerja as possible as the idea of those roads at night and going up and down made us think. also may parents will be retired but i will need some part time work so thats a major factor in wanting to be near the coast.benamocarra ticked most boxes interms of it been a proper spanish town yet very near to the coast and its not steep like alot of white washed villages. the only thibg was that it was on the velez side more than the nerja but we timed it at all of 12 mins on the motorway to the nerja junction. i guess with everything where u would love to be u cant afford so its all about compromises in the end


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## simply (Jan 6, 2012)

MaidenScotland said:


> Things may change... Last night I went shopping in the oldest tourist/local market in the middle east and the place was empty of tourists.. I saw two and I was there for almost two hours, this time last year you could not move for tourists buying up cheap tat however those said same tourists have to be going somewhere else and maybe Spain will be their destination choice for 2012.


I don't think so. 
It would make sense too me too but it's not what we're seeing. 
That idea that instead of doing the 5k trip they do a cheaper Spain trip would show that cheap all inclusive are on the boom, which is partly true. Tourism has shifted to those cheap packages but it's so overall down (and not just this year) that it's still overall down a lot. 
People are instead said to be not doing anything or doing very local road trips and such.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

simply said:


> I don't think so.
> It would make sense too me too but it's not what we're seeing.
> That idea that instead of doing the 5k trip they do a cheaper Spain trip would show that cheap all inclusive are on the boom, which is partly true. Tourism has shifted to those cheap packages but it's so overall down (and not just this year) that it's still overall down a lot.
> People are instead said to be not doing anything or doing very local road trips and such.




Yes but the holiday season hasnt yet started in Spain.. lets wait and see.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lucie123 said:


> or should you live the dream and rent that house you would only get otherwise if you win the lotto.


We sold properties in Canada and the UK when we left seven years ago for the Czech Republic. We took with us all our household contents plus personal stuff.
Then we had it all transported to Spain. We feel more at home with our furniture etc. around us.
In the UK we lived in a rambling cottage built in the 1780s. We bought a renovated mill in a small town in the Ottawa Valley, intending to move there. But we decided we were Europeans so off we went to Central Europe.
We rented a large house, much larger than our cottage. It stood in 'grounds', not a garden and had a swimming pool you could cover and heat in winter. We didn't use it much in winter as we looked a bit daft trudging through deep snow in Wellies and bathrobes to the pool.
The £/koruna exchange rate was then heavily weighted towards the £ so we could afford this kind of lifestyle.
When we decided to move to Spain we tried apartment living but it wasn't for us. Our UK cottage was detached, away from neighbours and had very thick walls and small windows. We just couldn't live so close to people, hearing their noise.
So we rented the villa we're in now. It's taking up most of our income but the house is the focal point of our life here. No way could we afford to buy it (although I'm hoping my dil will). We look on our life here as being on permanent holiday, although we structure our time as in the UK and do community work.
Sometimes I feel a tad insecure as we don't own our bricks and mortar but then something goes wrong and there's a huge bill for our excellent landlord to pay and I'm glad.
There is no 'right' way about this. Many factors come into it. We have always been unrepentant SKINs and son and dil are very well-off and don't need any dosh we might have left when we kick the bucket.
People say that we have paid enough in rent over the past seven years to have bought a townhouse somewhere and that's true.
But our aim is to live well in our retirement-we've clocked up over seventy years of work between us - and leave as little as possible in the bank.
That choice works for us but may not for others.


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## bjhesol (Jan 2, 2012)

Better to wait until someone will pay a little more than first looking to hire. But the price of rent is of course down when house prices fall. But if the apartment or house is situated fairly attractive to, a mostly get hired out to an acceptable price.


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## elena40 (Jan 6, 2012)

MaidenScotland said:


> A lot of empty houses have been repossessed.. you can often rent these with the option to buy.
> 
> 
> Rents high? Compared to where? I personally think that Spanish property is rented out much more cheaply than properties in the UK.




you are correct, the rents for apartments on long term are not that much different than uk

elena


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

elena40 said:


> you are correct, the rents for apartments on long term are not that much different than uk
> 
> elena


I beg to differ.
I cannot begin to imagine what kind of rental we would pay in the UK for the large house we have here.
Certainly more than we would be willing to pay.
Hard to make an exact comparison but I would estimate we would pay double the above-average rent we pay here.
Seven years ago we rented out a not that spacious detached cottage in a not particularly pleasant part of the UK for £700 a month. People we knew were renting out similar properties for £1000 a month....
We rented a large house in large grounds with swimming pool five km from the centre of Prague for £800 equivalent a month when we moved there in 2005. In 2007 the value of the £ against the koruna fell by a third....and rental prices climbed.
Rents in Spain are in my experience much lower than those in the Czech Republic, a comparatively much poorer country, and those in the UK.
But it all depends on location....


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> I beg to differ.
> I cannot begin to imagine what kind of rental we would pay in the UK for the large house we have here.
> Certainly more than we would be willing to pay.
> Hard to make an exact comparison but I would estimate we would pay double the above-average rent we pay here.
> ...


I agree

we at one time looked at renting out my late parents' house in the UK - it's in a reasonable area in a not so very nice town but within 20 mins of an airport

it's an average 2 bed + box room

it would have realised a far higher rent than we pay here for 5 bedrooms, 5 mins walk from the sea, mountain view, 2 pools etc.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> But it all depends on location....


I agree with that. Location within Spain, a town, an area it all makes a difference as I think we all know. I don't know how you can usefully compare rents within Spain, let alone europe. 
Anyway, I think the OP kind of contradicted herself saying that rents were high and then stating ...


> We are just moving back after 10 years away and having been on all the websites we remember the rents "appear " to be the same as when we left - which was a time when most things were still going quite strong


If the rents are the same as they were 10 years ago then they are not so high. She is right that Spain was living a good moment then, but in those 10 years the rents and house prices rocketed/ soared/ exploded , but then plummeted/ fell/ experienced a sharp decrease (have been doing "graph vocabulary" this morning!)


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I agree with that. Location within Spain, a town, an area it all makes a difference as I think we all know. I don't know how you can usefully compare rents within Spain, let alone europe.
> Anyway, I think the OP kind of contradicted herself saying that rents were high and then stating ...
> If the rents are the same as they were 10 years ago then they are not so high. She is right that Spain was living a good moment then, but in those 10 years the rents and house prices rocketed/ soared/ exploded , but then plummeted/ fell/ experienced a sharp decrease (have been doing "graph vocabulary" this morning!)


I don t think i contradicted myself as 10 years ago there was not the glut of properties for rent that there is now in the area we lived as they were all being "built " but I have checked villas in same areas and rents have remained the same ........ so not a contradiction per se more of an observation

But as others have rightly pointed out I am looking at websites and this not a true reflection

I have spoken to many friends in Spain in the past couple of weeks and indeed it would appear that rents are negotiable and have gone down .......... as most people have pointed out :eyebrows:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

philly said:


> I don t think i contradicted myself as 10 years ago there was not the glut of properties for rent that there is now in the area we lived as they were all being "built " but I have checked villas in same areas and rents have remained the same ........ so not a contradiction per se more of an observation
> 
> But as others have rightly pointed out I am looking at websites and this not a true reflection
> 
> I have spoken to many friends in Spain in the past couple of weeks and indeed it would appear that rents are negotiable and have gone down .......... as most people have pointed out :eyebrows:


I'd be happy to rent smth for the same rent I was paying 10 years ago , even though it's true that rents have gone down more and more and are negotiable.
That's probably smth you _*can*_ compare between different countries in Europe - how mony countries have the same rents as 10 years ago?


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I'd be happy to rent smth for the same rent I was paying 10 years ago , even though it's true that rents have gone down more and more and are negotiable.
> That's probably smth you _*can*_ compare between different countries in Europe - how mony countries have the same rents as 10 years ago?


Pesky think you re missing the point lets leave it here eh lol


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

All I know is that the houses we looked at to rent four years ago, one of which we rented are all about half as much as they were then. The subsequent houses we rented are all considerably cheaper too. 

that said, the one thing I noticed about Spain is that they tend not to reduce prices to attract customers. Alot of Spanish businesses seem to put prices up if their clientèle get smaller! I have a friend who recently moved premises to the other side of the road cos his existing landlord wouldnt drop the rent (a good business and had been there years), even tho the shop opposite was exactly the same and was significantly cheaper

Jo xxx


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

The graph on the Fotocasa website clearly shows how much rents have fallen since they peaked in summer of 2007 (click on thumbnail to enlarge). 

You can customise it by region if you visit the web page:
fotocasa.es: informe del precio medio de la vivienda en España y su evolución.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

jojo said:


> All I know is that the houses we looked at to rent four years ago, one of which we rented are all about half as much as they were then. The subsequent houses we rented are all considerably cheaper too.
> 
> that said, the one thing I noticed about Spain is that they tend not to reduce prices to attract customers. Alot of Spanish businesses seem to put prices up if their clientèle get smaller! I have a friend who recently moved premises to the other side of the road cos his existing landlord wouldnt drop the rent (a good business and had been there years), even tho the shop opposite was exactly the same and was significantly cheaper
> 
> Jo xxx



We are doing the same... moving 3 doors up for a bigger, better fitted out shop for almost half the rent. The landlord did say he would reduce it for the winter.. a bar beside us has not paid the landlord for 3 months and the landlord said he would reduce it by 500 euros for the winter but it would be put back up in March..


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

philly said:


> Pesky think you re missing the point lets leave it here eh lol


Actually I think it's just that we don't have the same point of view, which is quite all right! We have difference experiences in different parts of Spain.
However, I'm not renting, I'm not paying a mortgage and I hope I never will do either of them again so I'll leave you to carry on with your idea of high rents and keep stum


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