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Emigrating to Spain: what is the greatest difficulty of Argentines leaving and why

2023-05-10T09:45:58.101Z

Highlights: Many Argentines get jobs, but have nowhere to live. What requirements they ask for and alternatives to get a flat. As if Buenos Aires and Madrid did not already have many things in common, the real estate landscape adds to the list. There are few "flats" for rent for many people. In Spain it is more difficult to find a house than a job. In Seville the rental price drops by 30% if you are 30 minutes from the train center of the Andalusian capital.


Many get jobs, but have nowhere to live. What requirements they ask for and alternatives to get a flat.


As if Buenos Aires and Madrid did not already have many things in common, the real estate landscape adds to the list. There are few "flats" for rent for many people. And every time they ask for more euros for less square meters.

The imbalance between supply and demand and the rises in inflation (with their abysmal difference) are in both capitals, but the difference is that while here they are desperate for foreign tenants, to charge them in dollars every month, in Spain they almost prefer "only Spaniards".

Thus, everything is a little more complicated for Argentines who emigrate. In Spain it is more difficult to find a house than a job.

There are two classic scenarios to rent as an immigrant: by real estate or private. Nothing strange. It is between the two great types of aspiring tenants where the picture becomes more complex.

Those who work as an "employee" (in a dependency relationship), will have to present DNI (if you have Spanish nationality or the NIE, which is the Foreigner Identification Number), employment contract with a minimum seniority of one year, last payrolls (salary receipts) and, if it was already rented before, it adds a lot to show invoices for services paid in your name.

On the other hand, those who are self-employed (freelance, entrepreneurs), according to the Argentines who complain about this on TikTok, will have to present "unicorn blood". That's an exaggeration, of course. But it is a good image to get an idea of the requirements.

"I'm used to having it difficult for me even though I have citizenship. They ask you for ID, self-employed registration, be up to date with your social security contributions, last income statement, quarterly statements (taxes), bank movements. This is true if you are already working in Spain. If you have just arrived, they are more demanding. How to pay two months in advance. If you go for real estate, one month + VAT, "says Daniela, who emigrated four years ago.

She considers that renting "is the biggest headache of living in Spain".

The best, he says, is to arrange the conditions directly with the owners, "not pay anything before seeing the apartment" and make sure that in that floor "you will be able to register." This is essential for the process of residence and complications are avoided if the owners are not still registered in that home.

In big cities like Madrid, rents are prohibitive for immigrants. Photo EFE

"I've been in Barcelona since 2020 and moved four times. I never took care of the rent. I searched the app for some temporary ones. I do not have European citizenship and they warned me that it was the first thing the landlords asked (owners) and that if not, they would not answer my emails. I always chose floors where all that is already solved and that we are not more than five. The best thing is the company, people who are in the same way as you and become friends, "says Josefina (37).

We do not have to think about what we call "floor" here. This is how they tell departments that they have more than one environment. The "monkeys" are mini-flats there.


Sharing a flat or renting a room allows you to escape the 1,200 or 1,400 euros that can be requested in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga or Seville. In addition, far from the center is up to 60% cheaper. But it does not go below 500 euros per person. Plus the "deposit" (an extra month as a guarantee in case of non-payment or for possible repairs), which is legal but not mandatory.

In terms of euros – no longer papers – it is key to know that, for example, in Seville the rental price drops by 30% if you are 30 minutes from the train in the center of the Andalusian capital. All this data is in the Facebook groups of compatriots who are already on European soil. But there are Argentine experts who advise other Argentines on this issue.

How much harder is it to live than to work?

Among the legal requirements, there are also the preferences of the owners.

"Abstain people who telework", "Indefinite contract is required with payroll of 2,100 euros", "It is essential to be over 35 years old", "Demonstrable active working life during the last two years", "Annual income of 25,000 euros", "Cash signal", "Deposit, guarantee, deposit, current month and fees to the agency plus VAT", published the Spanish newspaper El País, to display the restrictive virtual ads even for Spaniards.

So, for Argentines it is a level above restrictive.

"It depends on where you settle. In Madrid or Barcelona staying is very complicated. It is very, very difficult to rent an apartment for one alone or as a couple. Not only because of the prices, but because the owners prefer not to rent to a newcomer, even if they have already gotten a job," Lucio Boggio, who emigrated to Barcelona almost 20 years ago and provides free advice from the blog of the www.mbtabogados.com studio, explains to Clarín.


Almost all immigrants, Boggio says, solve this by renting a room inside a shared apartment. "That's why contacts help a lot, but there are also apps dedicated exclusively to room rentals," he says.

The positive part of big cities is that it is easy to get work. In small towns or cities in Spain the situation is usually the other way around.

"

There are plenty of houses, but there is no work. And, in general, you will have to travel several kilometers to a larger city where you can work, "says Boggio.


Beyond Booking.com or Airbnb, ArgentApp is an application that seeks to make it easier for Argentines to stay for personal or work reasons. Eliana Diehl is the porteña who created it and tells Clarín that "from experience we know that of 10 families who come to the house of acquaintances or relatives, 9 leave before the month."

More than "unicorn blood", the digital developer believes that residing there actually requires careful planning and a lot of patience. Give a key tip: activate the search mode after having obtained the visa or residence permit. It is that doing it before does not lead to the lifestyle for which, in many cases, it was decided to leave.

"Housing in Spain can be expensive in Madrid or Barcelona, but you can even find large houses on the outskirts. You have to look in more areas and before moving always make sure it is a safe and comfortable place."

According to Fotocasa, a site with 5,250 offers to rent in Madrid, prices are at an all-time high. Not only in the center of the capitals. In Getafe, Leganés or Móstoles the average is 900 euros per month. Idealista, which has 10,680 ads for houses in Madrid, emphasizes the phenomenon of express rental: "Flats that disappear shortly after being advertised." In less than 24 hours.


Remaining undocumented makes it difficult to access better-paid jobs. But even to be "glass washers", which starts at the base of 800 to 1,000 euros per month. The fines for employers are very high and that is why they avoid these applicants.


If you are in that situation, you get "in a matter of days" cleaning jobs in private homes or caring for the elderly, children or the sick.


For those who do not arrive so improvised to Spain and then do not charge the minimum wage, it is not easy to rent either. There appear more services of Argentines for Argentines.

"We accompany in the process of finding the new home. We analyze the needs and begin to make a detailed search adjusted to the client's budget, "say Lorena Ribichini and Mariana Moreau, founders of Argentinas in Madrid. That's called relocation.

After filtering by price, location and requirements, they define three pre-selected homes. "We can visit them in person when they are in Madrid or through video call, so that when they arrive in Spain they can enter directly, without having to go through a temporary rental beforehand," explains Lorena.

"I live with a friend and I spend about 400 euros on rent. Valencia is a big town but with city life. It's the tranquility with a little noise when you need it," Melissa (27), who until a year ago lived in Belgrano, tells Clarín. She is a psychologist, earns 1,800 euros per month in a socio-health company and got a job "right away".

Melissa (left) and her friends in Valencia. He says he was able to get a well-located flat because of his Italian citizenship.

Thanks to her Italian citizenship she had no complications to obtain the NIE (green, definitive), but her friend, also an Argentine immigrant, highlights that "the great advantage" of the red passport was to get a flat "so nice and at a good price, where they accept dog".


Being away from "the capital" in Spain is not the same as in this country. In addition to electric units and full transport connectivity, tariffs move in the low band compared to other European countries.

Barcelona does not plan to offer free transport to its citizens, as Madrid does on certain days, but the price of "tickets" has not risen for two years.

ACE

See also

An off-the-radar destination attracts more and more Argentines with an official program to work and study

Italian citizenship: the 5 most common mistakes for which you can be rejected and how to avoid them

Source: clarin

All life articles on 2023-05-10

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