It seems that the old-fashioned idea that renting means throwing your money away is finally being discarded in Spain and more and more people are opting for renting a house instead of buying one. The truth is that renting a house not only prevents a commitment to a bank, but also makes it easier to select the area where you want to live. However, this also has its drawbacks: rental prices are rising because of a strong demand and a scarce supply of units so this price rising is expected to continue during this year, especially in large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, where rental prices are approaching those of other major European capitals.
In Barcelona, for example, the average rental price for housing was increased by 11.84% in 2016, almost the double that in Madrid, where it was increased by 6.26%, according to the III Report on the market of Rent 2016 elaborated by Tecnocasa and the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) of Barcelona. Translated into euros, these percentages mean that the average price of the square meter per month was in Barcelona at 12.09 euros, 11.20 in Madrid while the national average was at 8.87 euros.
Living in the center of Barcelona
The head of studies and co-founder of Idealista, Fernando Encinar, also emphasize this rising of the prices and warned that living in the middle of cities for a reasonable rent is getting more and more complicated so many people choose to go to the peripheral areas. However, and although we can not deny that the rental prices of houses in the center of Barcelona may be slightly higher than some in the neighborhoods of the periphery, we are sure that it is possible to find housing which will fit all the budgets, as evidenced by our offer of houses for rent in the Casc Antic of Barcelona.
Given these data, it seems evident that to rent a house has evolved from being a poor choice to be an alternative with almost guaranteed success, both from a residential perspective and from the point of view of financial investment for the homeowner and lessee. In fact, if some years ago it took more than a month to rent a house, now a house for rent is leased in only 30 days (or less), which shows the high demand. According to the aforementioned study, the number of visits that a flat needed to be rented in 2016 fell to 7.22 on average, while in 2012, at least 8.44 visits were needed.
And what are these tenants like? They also describe them: according to the data collected, the profile of the current tenant is that of a single person (58%), with an indefinite employment contract (68%) and aged between 25 and 44 years (73%). On the other hand, in the case of Barcelona, we must add the important demand for housing by foreigners who decide to spend a season in the city or the international students who choose the city to study their masters degree, Ph. Doctoral studies or university exchanges.
Finally, if these data have convinced you that renting is the best option for your house, do not hesitate to contact us. In Casc Antic BCN we are experts in the old town of Barcelona and after more than 25 years of experience in the area, we have the necessary tools to select the best tenant, the one who provides the highest guarantees of payment and above all tranquility and security.
