We have looked a reasons for Moving To Javea previously. They are plentiful. Jávea is a pearl on the Costa Blanca with different areas catering to the wishes of most families considering a big move abroad. However, once the decision is made and the planning for a future in Spain has started, Renting a new home for your family abroad is exciting, the beginning of a new life and hopefully the first step to a glorious adventure.
But, it can be scary as well – what is the right area for you, are there any good schools for the kids in the area and what about all the formalities? In general moving to Spain is incredibly simple, particularly if relocating here from a country within the EU. Find yourself the house of your dreams, rent or buy it, get the removals truck on the road and start enjoying your new life in the Spanish sun. However, renting or buying a property abroad can be one of the more troublesome parts and Spain is not entirely rid of the con-men and scammers that used to plague the Costa Blanca and Costa Del Sol in vast numbers. The outright scams are rare these days, but it is still advisable to take basic precautions when investing your heard earned money and committing an part as integral as your home to the partnership of an estate agent or rental agent.
Finding The Perfect Jávea Rental Home
Taste in houses and homes is obviously individual, pick by your preference of course. But take a few steps to ensure the agent you are dealing with is legitimate, professional and easy to work with. In these Facebook days it is relatively easy to weed out the black sheep by simply utilizing the knowledge of people from the area you are planning to move to. For the Javea area, join the Facebook group “Javea Connect” (same with for instance the groups “Moraira and surrounding areas“, “Denia Connect” etc), ask the simple question “Has anyone used this particular rental agent? What are your experiences“. If they have never been heard of or the response is overwhelmingly negative, proceed with extreme caution or approach some of the alternative you get recommended instead.
Here´s a few things to look for and ask when approaching a Spanish rental agent about a specific property you are interested in:
- Does the agent have an actual local presence in the area of the property?
- Is the agent reputable? Ask on Facebook and search on Google
- How much does is the “agent fee”, deposit and other costs?
- Does the agent utilize a video inventory service such as Property Videos Spain ?
- Do they guarantee responsibility for electricity, water and gas bills up until the day you move in?
A couple of the points may seem unnecessary or strange, but for instance the agent taking on responsibilities for the electricity bills and other services can turn out to be quite important. It is far from uncommon that tenants flee a property without paying the last round of bills, when you then move in everything will seem fine for a couple of months or so until your water, gas or electricity is suddenly cut off due to a bill from before your time. Once that happens its very nice to be able to phone up the agent and have it sorted out immediately, rather than having to try and figure out how to pay old bills or having to fight over who is responsible for doing so.
The agent fee standard is half a months rent on top of the deposit. There may be plenty of good reasons for the agent fee to be higher or lower, if for example the agent takes on hunting down a specific type of property not in their inventory, but you need to know in advance and have a firm agreement. Firstly, the agent agreeing to handle any such situations in advance provides you the security of knowing, that any problems arising will be dealt with swiftly, but secondly a refusal to handle these matters might also give you an important hint as to what level of service you might expect in the future.
A video inventory service lends you at least three kinds of security for your rental as well. Stating the obvious but a video showing all inventory at the time on renting the property gives you solid proof of the state of the property, which is very handy for agreeing what needs improving or maintaining whilst living there, but absolutely essential when moving out, as you might otherwise get into a battle over existing damages, exactly what furniture or decorations were supposed to be there etc. Further, having a video inventory or a very detailed guided tour of the property in advance goes way beyond the traditional agent presentations with a few charming photos and some text picking up the property. Photos can be arranged, manipulated and taken at just the right angles that hides all the flaws of the property, a video tour or inventory will give you a much more lively and honest impression of the property in advance. Last but not least, simply seeing that an agent “dares” to have their properties presented via thorough video tours or inventories tells you, that they are confident in the quality of what they are selling you and honest enough to show you any downsides to the property prior to signing a contract to rent it. In the Jávea area the video service generally used by reputable agents, as mentioned above, is the Property Videos Spain.
Service Minded Spanish Rental Agents
A few more factors that may not make or break the deal, but surely shows that your agent is willing to provide a service beyond just giving you the key to the property could include answers to some of your more specialised needs – Can the agent sort out services such as telephone and internet in advance? Can they help you with a bank account in a Spanish bank before coming here? Can they recommend a school for your child?
Dont forget, things that appear too good to be true often are. An agent offering you a surprisingly low rent compared to market prices, no deposits or agent fees and a free flight to view the property might well be legitimate but should certainly be put under all the scrutiny you can master.
Fear not, your new and improved life in Javea Spain awaits if you decide to make the move. You will never regret doing so – particularly if you avoid the most obvious causes of hassle, worry and expense.
See more about Moving To Javea
Guide To Safe Jávea Rentals - Moving To Javea,
