Finding somewhere to live in Barcelona

The contract types, and why it is the whole game

Under the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, a lease for your habitual residence carries a long minimum term the tenant can extend but the landlord largely cannot break, plus rent limits in areas declared as stressed. A temporada contract — nominally for study, work postings or other temporary reasons — sits outside that regime, and landlords in Barcelona increasingly default to it. Catalonia has moved to bring seasonal and room lettings under price rules too, but the detail has been litigated, so check the position that applies when you sign.

• Ask explicitly, in writing: is this an arrendamiento de vivienda habitual under the LAU?
• A temporada contract must have a genuine temporary reason stated in it.
• Barcelona is a declared zona tensionada, which is what activates the reference price rules.

The reference index

Catalonia publishes an official index of reference rents (índex de referència de preus de lloguer) which, in stressed areas, sets the ceiling for what a given flat may be let for. It is public, free and takes a few minutes to check by address, size and condition. It is also the single strongest negotiating position a newcomer has, and most people never use it because they do not know it exists.

• Check the index by address before you make an offer, not after.
• The previous rent paid on the same flat also constrains what may be charged.
• Ask for the previous contract's rent — in stressed areas the landlord can be required to disclose it.

What you will be asked for, and what you may be charged

The standard package is a NIE, an employment contract or proof of income, recent payslips and often the last few bank statements; self-employed applicants are asked for tax returns instead. Agency fees are now the landlord's responsibility rather than the tenant's, so a fee demanded from you is worth challenging. The deposit is one month by law, held on your behalf and lodged with the Catalan housing agency INCASÒL, and any additional guarantee is separately capped.

• NIE, passport, employment contract, payslips, and often three months of bank statements.
• Fianza of one month must be lodged with INCASÒL — ask for the deposit lodging reference.
• Additional guarantees (aval or extra months) are limited; a demand for six months is not normal.
• Ask for the cédula de habitabilidad and the energy certificate — both are legally required.

What the flat will be like

Eixample flats have high ceilings, interior light wells and a great deal of noise from the street; Gràcia and the old town have small windows, older wiring and stairs without lifts. Air conditioning is more important than heating here, and many older flats have neither. Community charges (gastos de comunidad) are usually the owner's cost but are sometimes passed on — establish which before signing, along with who pays the IBI property tax.

In order

1. 1Get the NIE started before you begin viewing — no NIE, no contract.
2. 2Check the reference index for the address and size you are considering.
3. 3Confirm in writing which contract type is on offer.
4. 4Assemble income evidence: contract, payslips, bank statements or tax returns.
5. 5Pay the one-month fianza and get the INCASÒL lodging reference.
6. 6Do the empadronamiento at your district office once you have the contract.