# Wanted - for long term rent in Mallorca



## irishabroad (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi there,
We are moving to Mallorca on 20th August 2012. I have a work in Palma for 11 months minimum. My wife and three year old daughter and I are looking for a 2-3 bed house or apartment with a large terrace or small garden, access to pool and within walking distance to a village. Ideally in Andratx or Puerto Andratx but willing to look anywhere so long as within 30 mins of Palma. Must be fully furnished. From what I've seen so far, prices seem to vary quite a lot so not sure of budget. Would be happy to look at anything below €1,100 P/M. Would need to see photos first. 

Any help or offers would be great. I Have been dealing with agents and although very helpful, I cant bring myself to pay their fees. Some of them are asking 1.8 months +Vat as a fee, +2 months rent as a deposit + first months rent. Thats about €5,000 just to move in. NO WAY!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

irishabroad said:


> Hi there,
> We are moving to Mallorca on 20th August 2012. I have a work in Palma for 11 months minimum. My wife and three year old daughter and I are looking for a 2-3 bed house or apartment with a large terrace or small garden, access to pool and within walking distance to a village. Ideally in Andratx or Puerto Andratx but willing to look anywhere so long as within 30 mins of Palma. Must be fully furnished. From what I've seen so far, prices seem to vary quite a lot so not sure of budget. Would be happy to look at anything below €1,100 P/M. Would need to see photos first.
> 
> Any help or offers would be great. I Have been dealing with agents and although very helpful, I cant bring myself to pay their fees. Some of them are asking 1.8 months +Vat as a fee, +2 months rent as a deposit + first months rent. Thats about €5,000 just to move in. NO WAY!


Shop around or negotiate! The standard AFAIK is one months deposit, one months rent and the agents fee is one month - which can be split between the owner and the tenant. But its all negotiable. Times are hard in Spain, so they will expect to be "chipped"!!!! They want business in a struggling market. you have the upper hand, especially if you have work!

I've always knocked em down by 200 - 500€ a month and refused to pay more than 1 month as a deposit.

Jo xxx


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## irishabroad (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks JOJO, I'll use that upper hand. I'm not used to paying any fees when renting, never mind what they are looking for.
I Don't mind paying a reasonable price for good property but their fees are ridiculous. I'm hoping that an owner will stumble across this thread and will be willing to rent out their place for the off season. Most likely we will be out by next August so they will have it back for a holiday next year.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

irishabroad said:


> Thanks JOJO, I'll use that upper hand. I'm not used to paying any fees when renting, never mind what they are looking for.
> I Don't mind paying a reasonable price for good property but their fees are ridiculous. I'm hoping that an owner will stumble across this thread and will be willing to rent out their place for the off season. Most likely we will be out by next August so they will have it back for a holiday next year.


Some agents will take fees from the landlord, but they do have to make a living somehow - especially in these testing times. I must admit that when we first rented in spain I was only to happy to pay our agents as they helped us thru so much. they got us set up with NIEs, residencia, paperwork, helped us with schools, buying a car, find and make friends.... They were British, bilingual, had lived and worked in the area for years which helped!!!

I'm not suggesting you should feel the same way, but if you do find an agent who you get along with, they do have their uses

jo xxx


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## irishabroad (Jul 7, 2012)

jojo said:


> Some agents will take fees from the landlord, but they do have to make a living somehow - especially in these testing times. I must admit that when we first rented in spain I was only to happy to pay our agents as they helped us thru so much. they got us set up with NIEs, residencia, paperwork, helped us with schools, buying a car, find and make friends.... They were British, bilingual, had lived and worked in the area for years which helped!!!
> 
> I'm not suggesting you should feel the same way, but if you do find an agent who you get along with, they do have their uses
> 
> jo xxx


Fair enough, if they provide a service like that, they have a right to charge. If they do offer a service like this I would also be happy to pay. But it has not been mentioned or offered yet. In fact, one agent, when asked about schools in the area, she replied "I don't know anything about schools". 
I'm just comparing it to renting in Ireland and in the UK. I have rented in both and haven't paid fees like in Mallorca. I am also a landlord in Ireland and my tenants are not charged fees. But if that's the way they do it Mallorca, I'm not going to complain. Its just not what I'm used to and would rather avoid it and go directly to an owner. (which I accept may not be possible)


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

irishabroad said:


> Fair enough, if they provide a service like that, they have a right to charge. If they do offer a service like this I would also be happy to pay. But it has not been mentioned or offered yet. In fact, one agent, when asked about schools in the area, she replied "I don't know anything about schools".
> I'm just comparing it to renting in Ireland and in the UK. I have rented in both and haven't paid fees like in Mallorca. I am also a landlord in Ireland and my tenants are not charged fees. But if that's the way they do it Mallorca, I'm not going to complain. Its just not what I'm used to and would rather avoid it and go directly to an owner. (which I accept may not be possible)


you might find an agent who doesn't charge fees


one point - the legal requirement is for a month returnable deposit & a month rent upfront - so a max of 2 months

any agent fee is between you & them...... I have _never_ paid an agent fee

tbh I think jojo struck really lucky with her agent - I've never met one that helpful or knowledgable  - in fact I usually know more than they do...............


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

irishabroad said:


> Fair enough, if they provide a service like that, they have a right to charge. If they do offer a service like this I would also be happy to pay. But it has not been mentioned or offered yet. In fact, one agent, when asked about schools in the area, she replied "I don't know anything about schools".
> I'm just comparing it to renting in Ireland and in the UK. I have rented in both and haven't paid fees like in Mallorca. I am also a landlord in Ireland and my tenants are not charged fees. But if that's the way they do it Mallorca, I'm not going to complain. Its just not what I'm used to and would rather avoid it and go directly to an owner. (which I accept may not be possible)



Maybe we were lucky and simply found some friendly agents. So perhaps you could speak to others???? Its in their interest to be as helpful as possible. Rentals dont work the same as the do in the UK thats for sure. Also, when you get to the contract - it must be written in Spanish to be legal, so you'll need to get it translated for your own piece of mind. Make sure you understand who is responsible for what. Most dont include utilities, altho some include some (water, but not electricity for example). You will also find that some expect you to take on utilities in your name, while others will just send you a bill, but the services remain in their name. With all of this, I think, when you're new its good to have an agent who you can trust and who you can talk to - its not easy to negotiate with a pocket dictionary lol!!!!

If you do look without an agent, you will need to speak a certain amount of Spanish/mallorquine. I'm sure there are some British looking to rent out their properties, but its "swings and roundabouts" on price and British owners tend to live in the Uk and its hard to deal with them on a day to day level. Some also have an over inflated view of their properties worth. Remember also that if you're looking at this time of year, you'll be up against holiday rentals which are alot more expensive. 

jo xx


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