It is Hostal Madrid. =) Very nice people. If they weren't a business and the owner didn't have to pay the business taxes, he'd let me have a piso for cheap.

And, if finding a place to live is very difficult now, think of how much moreso it will be when I'm in classes! I can't really see staying here without a place to live. Granted, I won't be in a cardboard box but I'd rather not waste money on a hotel with hopes of finding something.

I don't mean to sound down on Madrid, I'm just looking at the reality of the situation. If something comes up, great, if not, I will move on. I'm not going to sit around and wait though, esecially if something is just not meant to be.

Ciao,
Ryan

Is it your budget causing the problem, as I don't recall you mentioning what that is? There are pisos being added to segundomano website every day, and I just saw one added today right by the uni for 650€ a month. Have you thought of renting a flat, and then getting people to share with you, rather than the other way round.

My budget is not really a factor in deciding. Yes, I would prefer to pay 400 euros over 650 but that won't deter me from somewhere if it's right for me.

And, I've thought about it but I don't want to sign all the papers on my own and then be responsible if someone moves in and then moves out without paying the rent. I'm not a big fan of being the one responsible, as I've been screwed that way in the past.

i know it can be very discouraging to look for places...i was going to at least 4-5 places a day when i was first looking for an apartment and most of them weren't anything i was even remotely interested in. remember that the first place you rent doesn't have to be where you STAY your entire time in spain. unlike the states, you don't have to sign a 6mo or yr lease agreement for most pisos. i rented 2 places that i wasn't so crazy about before finding the last 2 that i really liked. moving is a pain, but it was worth it. once you get settled and are meeting people you will hear about places that never get advertised...that's what happened for me. good luck!

I hope this weekend was productive--I just wanted to echo what others have said: don't give up! You're almost there.

Looking for a place in a new city is very stressful--no matter where the city is. Madrid is much cheaper than any major American city, so consider nudging up a bit to avoid the fierce competition for the cheaper places. Imagine how hard it would be for a Spaniard to find a decent, safe room-share he/she could afford in LA, NY, DC, SF... I think we have it a lot better here.

Offer to pay a few months up front to see if that allays any student/slacker-related fears.

Remember that life in Madrid is lived in the streets, not at home.... Almost all of us have lived in what would constitute a closet back in the US at some point. And don't forget that there is a reason why students flock to Madrid from all of Europe and not the other way around. This is an amazing city--with incomparable marcha and joie de vivre--it really is worth all the effort of getting settled down.

Wow, it sounds like things have changed in Madrid and it is harder than it was before. I'm sorry to hear/read about it. Mariposita's got it right - there is a reason people want to live here so much. I hope, very much, you'll get to find out why. How did the search go this weekend?

And Ryan if you can, come by Areia this Thursday for our Fall get-together (see other thread), and meet some of the fine folks on this board, as well as visit one of the coolest bars in Madrid! We'll do our best to inspire you...

Juliette

Well...this weekend was fine. I found a place that was expensive (700 euros) but it was huge (35m bedroom!) and whatever, I told the guy I'd talk to him the next day and he said he'd hold it for me....can't get a hold of him at all. That was Monday.

So, I went to look at a place yesterday that is nice, in a charming building, the woman is charging a lot (550) but, whatever, however, the habitacion can seriously barely fit a little VW Golf inside. Literally. I thought, well, I'd move in and look for something else. Nope. She wants a one-year lease - not even school year (though it's all students), she wants till next October. I offered her more, she said lease. I said sorry and bye. I'm not paying for 5 months I won't be here (I'd leave in June when classes are done).

I went directly from there to look at a place with two guys. It's definitely a bachelor pad - one guy was wearing a robe when he answered the door! Whatever, they were nice guys, the place, though more of a crap-hole than I wanted is livable. Now, I'm just waiting to hear back from these guys. If they say no, I think I'm done.

I've been thinking about it a lot and I have a total peace now about leaving, if that's what happens. Before, I was upset, now, I really am at peace with it. It's out of my control. I have to crash at a friend's house this weekend because the hostal I'm out is already booked, so as of Friday, I'm homeless. And I won't come back to the hostal. I can't stay with my friend for too long. Classes start Monday.

If these guys choose me (and trust me, I offered to bribe them, they didn't seem interested), then great, I'll sign that lease till July. If not, well, adios Madrid.

hey Ryan.



pretty crazy stuff there! oh well, at least this thread may soon hold a record for being the only one (that i know of at least) posted by someone who had to leave madrid due to not being able to find a room.

forgive me but i am trying to find something positive in all of this.

wait a sec! how can the hostal toss you out if you are already staying there? when you reserved it or checked in did they tell you you would have to leave on friday?

anyway, i hope to see you at the "welcome (back) to madrid" get together tomorrow night (click HERE)

will be your first ( and maybe your last ) chance to meet everyone.

besides, gotta network a bit, may get lucky and find someone who can help ya with your delemma.

saludos,
jer...

Hey Jer,

With the hostal, I've been kind of adding a week on whenever I need to (but I have had to move around 3 times because where I was staying was booked) and they did tell me this time that Friday I'd be out, unless I paid for the weekend. With it looking pretty good as for me having a place, I said no to save the money. Oh well, that's how the cookie crumbles.

I should be able to be there tomorrow night. And yes, maybe I can find someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows a bridge I can sleep under free!

Ciao,
Ryan

I hate to be the one that says it but there has got to be something wrong with how picky you are based on the budget you claim you will pay and all of the bribe money you are boasting about. I get the feeling that you must be too picky at a time when all or most of the better rooms are being or are already sewn up until the end of June or until next year.
Everyone knows that this is the worst time to expect to get something good and that if you are here now you should just take anything cheap to get you through October and November when good stuff will become available again.

I do have to add though that there are no single rooms really worth the 450 euros to 650 euros that I have seen. Most of them are either crappy to average and you are being overcharged for them or super-luxurious and could be considered better than your own studio apartment. When I was in charge of booking rooms for TEFL students for their 4 week courses I had a budget of up to 600 euros a month to find them some respectable rooms and could not find them anything. The agency gave me 300 euro to 400 euro rooms and just pocketed the rest of the 200 to 300 euros and left me with all of the built in complaints.

Rocco, I agree with your first paragraph absolutely!!!! I have been looking at my favourite hostal's website, and they have plenty, plenty rooms free for the next month, and at a reasonable rate. But of course it is horses for courses. Some people will persevere, others will not.

First off, I'd like to say that I'm not "boasting" about bribe money nor about how much I can pay. People asked what my price range was and I was being honest: Most anything here is cheaper than the 1000 euros plus gastos (which are way more expensive) that I was paying in LA. And as for a bribe, I offered to pay the gastos for one month for the apartment - whooptydoo. If you see that as an "ostentatious display," then you're wrong, and that's your problem.

Now, with my standards being too high...I completely disagree. They were, for maybe the first week, till I saw what was out there. Then they dropped, and have continually dropped until the point they're at now: I tried to bribe some guys to move into a place that is probably infested with cockroaches.

I would move into that place gladly and move out in November or whenever the "good stuff" comes back available...however, every single place I've been to has you signing a one-year contract (school year or actual year). Every single one. Without exception. The cousins who purchased their own place wanted a year, the old woman who had the tiniest rooms on earth - one year, the bachelors who live in a hole - till July, guy with the expensive place (700) that was huge - one year. I could go on. I think people have figured out that that's what others do: move into one place only to find something better a little bit later and then move out. Landlords have wisened up and made contracts so they're not stuck with an open room nor do they have to go through the hassle of finding someone new.

And, MadridInsider, you seem to contradict yourself completely. On the one hand, you say I'm too picky. On the other, you say,

quote:

I do have to add though that there are no single rooms really worth the 450 euros to 650 euros that I have seen.

Ciao,
Ryan

What about Redwood´s place?

He's leaving soon and has a nice studio in a relatively swank and well connected part of town.

It might night be right around the corner from university city, but it isn't far either.

Just a suggestion.

hmmmmmmmmmm... i would not use the word "boasting". in my opinion, nowhere in your posts did i detect any bragging nor attempts to show off about how much money you have to spend.

i DO however agree that you were being too picky (at least at first) but if you say you have lowered the standards, great.

Chica, that's BRILLIANT!!!

Ryan, you should contace Shawn ASAP to see what is happening with his place. i believe his last month there is october.

i believe rent is around 700 but it is your own studio and the place has awesome transportation links.

Shawn would need to confirm the rent amt. and conditions of contract.

you would still have to find a place to lay your head in october though.

saludos,
jer...

Just to bring some closure to this discussion...for those who don't know, I found a place to live the night before I had to leave my hostal. It's great.

Thanks for the help and support everyone.

Ryan