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Confused about requirements for renting a property in roquetas de mar

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 12:42pm
11 replies346 views8 members subscribed
kathy2017

Posts: 114

19 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

Joined: 15 Apr 2017

Hi all

I am very confused as to what I need to rent an apartment in Roquetas De Mar for one year.  I have an apartment in mind and I was told that the rental contract will be for one year.  I intend travelling back and forth to UK during that time - only staying in spain a few weeks at a time. I am aware that I will probably have to set up a spanish bank account to pay rent and utilities.  Do I need such documents as NIE for renting purposes or proof of residency, or are these only required if I am purchasing a property and intend moving to Spain to live full-time.

Thanks

Kathy

BobL

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 1:37pm

BobL

Super helpful member

Posts: 2170

1225 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 18 Aug 2016

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 1:37pm

Hi 

This has been dealt with within the last 20 posts. Even after 15 yrs here I am finding the new requirements confusing, but then I am elderly.

May I suggest you contact www.citizensadvice.org.es &/or

CAT SERVICES of La Alfoquia, nr Huercal Overa..They are on Google Search.

Wish you all the best and glad we did this 15 years ago.

Saludos,

Bob and Sandra

Mojacar Playa and Puerto Lumbreras

kathy2017

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 2:50pm

kathy2017

Original Poster

Posts: 114

19 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

Joined: 15 Apr 2017

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 2:50pm

Thanks

typed in the information, but nothing up yet.    I'll check back through website also.  Just don't want to sign up for a years rental contract  until everything is sorted. 

kathy

Rob20B

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 6:03pm

Rob20B

Helpful member

Posts: 604

462 helpful points

Location: Los Gallardos

Joined: 12 Aug 2016

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 6:03pm

kathy2017 wrote on Sat Oct 6, 2018 12:42pm:

Hi all

I am very confused as to what I need to rent an apartment in Roquetas De Mar for one year.  I have an apartment in mind and I was told that the rental contract will be for one year.  I intend travelling back and forth to UK during that time - only staying in spain a few weeks at a time....

... I am aware that I will probably have to set up a spanish bank account to pay rent and utilities.  Do I need such documents as NIE for renting purposes or proof of residency, or are these only required if I am purchasing a property and intend moving to Spain to live full-time.

Thanks

Kathy

You don't need an NIE or a bank account to rent. Our long-term tenant in Palomares had neither when he started renting from us via D&D Rentals on Mojacar Playa. But getting a bank account sorted quickly is generally a good idea (your lawyer will be able to do this for you, ours did with Sabadell in Vera who are very good and speak better English than I speak Spanish). Initially, before you get a really local bank account (or perhaps even instead of) I recommend Transferwise - and I think BobL does too. You can pay local bills from it and it doesn't come with the risk of funds being blocked by the utilities companies or local authorities for all sorts of nefarious reasons.

Rob
Los Gallardos/Palomares

kathy2017

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 8:24pm

kathy2017

Original Poster

Posts: 114

19 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

Joined: 15 Apr 2017

Posted: Sat Oct 6, 2018 8:24pm

Thank you for your useful information.

I hadn't planned on renting until after September 2019 but when I saw the apartment that was available, I didn't want to miss out on it, so I agreed to take up the rental contract in January.  I had looked at buying but decided to rent first.  I have booked flights etc., for January and they were not cheap  but if I get the apartment it will be worth it.   My long-term plan is to move to Spain.  I am retired and have a reasonable private pension, plus the state pension.  I have ongoing medical conditions like a lot of people, and of course I'd want to make sure that they would be catered for in Spain, if I moved over permanently.

I look up Transferwise and BobL

Kathy

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DarioMartin

Posted: Sun Oct 7, 2018 2:35am

DarioMartin

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 5342

6309 helpful points

Location: Vera

Joined: 16 Aug 2017

Posted: Sun Oct 7, 2018 2:35am

To add my two céntimos worth, please remember Brexit is March 2019.  What is currently possible on a British passport may become “challenging” post March 2019.

Rule of thumb.  If you intend to reside in Spain for more than 3 months, you require Residencia.  If you intend to make any large-ticket purchases, i.e. car, white goods etc, you will require NIE.

At the moment, things are quite relaxed, but who can say how they will tighten up post March 2019

Cheers, Darío

chrisso50

Posted: Sun Oct 7, 2018 10:47am

chrisso50

Super helpful member

Posts: 1106

1334 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

Joined: 23 Jul 2018

Posted: Sun Oct 7, 2018 10:47am

Hi Kathy. I agree with what Dario posted above. If Brexit takes place UK citizens lose their EU citizenship and the UK becomes a third country in terms of freedoms within the EU, much like Ukraine and Serbia for example. If you are already a resident here by 29 March then that should help. By the way, as you are living in N. Ireland you can obtain an Irish passport and will thereby have continuing rights as an EU citizen. It is possible to retain your UK passport as well after obtaining an Irish one.

We are a retired couple and left the UK in late May and have been renting long-term in the Roquetas Urbanisation since then. We obtained a Sabadell Key account in March (at that time we were non-residents) during a brief home-finding holiday here. We took various documents along to the Sabadell Roquetas branch where there are staff that speak English. You can enquire by email from Sabadell in London about the documents required. During this summer Sabadell informed us that an NIE was required and we obtained this from the Oficina de Extranjeros in Almeria city. We later converted our non-resident account to a no-fees Expansion account with Sabadell, which is for residents.

It is possible to manage without a Spanish bank account but it's much easier to have one, with a debit card and credit card supplied gratis. We have a monthly direct debit set up for rent, the landlord pays the electric, water and community charges: we refund him the electric and water, again paying by direct transfer from our Spanish account.

To transfer funds to our Spanish account from our UK account we do not use the SEPA system (Single Euro Payments Area) - far too expensive, at about £9 a time. After Brexit it's possible that UK banks will have to use SWIFT instead (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) where the charge from our UK bank is £20. Transferwise is a far far cheaper transfer system for moving sterling to a euros account or vice-versa.

Hope this helps! We obtained Residency in August and that was more complicated. Just message me privately if you want further info on translated documents, health care provision, a local gestor we used, etc.

kathy2017

Posted: Sun Oct 7, 2018 12:44pm

kathy2017

Original Poster

Posts: 114

19 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

Joined: 15 Apr 2017

Posted: Sun Oct 7, 2018 12:44pm

Thanks for your helpful reply

I had already used my UK passport to reserve my apartment as the girl in the property office that  let out the apartments asked me for it - she also told me that I'd be better to open a bank account when I start to rent.   I know nothing about the

process at all but I'm getting there.  Since returning home I have received my   Irish passport.  So I have the 2 passports now.  I had also found my apartment on a brief holiday but I had been to Roquetas on  many ocassions and stayed in hotels.  I have been thinking about the move for a very long time.  I have booked for one

week to  Roquetas in January to hopefully sign my rental contract and I will visit the Sabadell bank in Roquetas.

I will email you privately and let you know how I get on.

Thanks again

Kahty

Champ

Posted: Mon Oct 8, 2018 4:40pm

Champ

Helpful member

Posts: 107

62 helpful points

Location: Huércal-Overa

Joined: 19 Jun 2018

Posted: Mon Oct 8, 2018 4:40pm

kathy2017 wrote on Sat Oct 6, 2018 12:42pm:

Hi all

I am very confused as to what I need to rent an apartment in Roquetas De Mar for one year.  I have an apartment in mind and I was told that the rental contract will be for one year.  I intend travelling back and forth to UK during that time - only staying in spain a few weeks at a time....

... I am aware that I will probably have to set up a spanish bank account to pay rent and utilities.  Do I need such documents as NIE for renting purposes or proof of residency, or are these only required if I am purchasing a property and intend moving to Spain to live full-time.

Thanks

Kathy

I have rented a flat for a year and I use the app Transferwise which sets you up with a sterling and IBAN euro account so easy to pay your landlord - extremely user friendly and if you keep an eye on exchange rates great value re changing currency - they send you a debit card that works in either currency. I went to the Spanish Embassy in London after booking an appointment and filling all the forms you download for a NIE - it took five minutes to see them and they email you your NIE about two weeks later - very simple process to do from the UK - you do not need one to rent a property but sometimes you need one if you are buying larger items - well, so I have been told. I think if you are not in spain full time you do not need anything else if its under 90 dayd a year - I think that’s right but hipefully someone will correct me if it’s not!

Buen suerte

Champ

Posted: Mon Oct 8, 2018 4:42pm

Champ

Helpful member

Posts: 107

62 helpful points

Location: Huércal-Overa

Joined: 19 Jun 2018

Posted: Mon Oct 8, 2018 4:42pm

kathy2017 wrote on Sun Oct 7, 2018 12:44pm:

Thanks for your helpful reply

I had already used my UK passport to reserve my apartment as the girl in the property office that  let out the apartments asked me for it - she also told me that I'd be better to open a bank account when I start to rent.   I know nothing about the ...

...

process at all but I'm getting there.  Since returning home I have received my   Irish passport.  So I have the 2 passports now.  I had also found my apartment on a brief holiday but I had been to Roquetas on  many ocassions and stayed in hotels.  I have been thinking about the move for a very long time.  I have booked for one

week to  Roquetas in January to hopefully sign my rental contract and I will visit the Sabadell bank in Roquetas.

I will email you privately and let you know how I get on.

Thanks again

Kahty

Forgot to say the NIE costs £8.50!

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