Basic and Practical Guide
2- WHERE I AM GOING TO LIVE IN VALENCIA?
4- RENTING A SHARED STUDENT FLAT (price, where, how...)
Conventions
ptas = pesetas
C/ = street
INTRODUCTION
This guide is made by years of experience
living in Valencia and advicing foreign students here. This information
is focused in ACCOMODATION because is the most complicate issue here in
Valencia. The information below is objective, global and not only made
from exceptions.
Some foreign students can get in trouble
in some situations referred with finding accomodation. The information
below try to make this adaptation as easy as possible.
WHERE I AM GOING
TO LIVE IN VALENCIA?
Well, unfortunately International Relations
Office in the University of Valencia has not a system to reserve or find
you an accomodation. They recommend you to live in a Hostel until you rent
a flat. You can get some Hostels Adresses
If you are lucky, your Erasmus coordinator
will reserve for you a room in a hostel or in a Student Residence for the
first days, if not, the first day you have to find a place for your self.
The problem is that both possibilities
(residence or hostel) are so expensive (between 3.000 - 5.000 ptas/day),
so you have to find a flat as soon as possible.
International Relations Office will send
you to CADE (office) to get a list of shared flats, but the list is always
too old and almost all the flats in the list are taken or if not is because
the flat is so bad.
However, there are two private companies
which are focused in renting shared flats. They find a place for you in
a shared flat. This is much easier and you can reserve a place from your
home country. Of course it's also more expensive.
| PICOMVAL
(have an agreement Socrates-Erasmus Association, 20% discount if you say you read this information) C/ Fray Junipero Serra, 71, 2, 8 46014 Valencia Tlf: 96 358 70 15 Fax: 96 317 02 81 Mobil: 670 789 657 www.picomval.com picomval@picomval.com |
AREIN CONSULTORES
(have an agreement with International Relations Office) C/ Almazara, 70, 1 46010 Valencia Tlf / Fax: 96 360 39 58 Office timetible: 9'30-13'30 and 16'30-19'30 |
WHAT ABOUT
STUDENT RESIDENCES?
Students Residences in Spain are not the
most common accomodation because they are expensive and include the meals.
A residence cost from 70.000 - 100.000 ptas per month, everything included.
There are not enough residences for all
students and because of the prices, only students with high incomes or
first year students live there.
Price
Most of spanish students live in shared
flats. Flats are quite cheap here in Valencia. A flat for 4 persons costs
between 60.000-80.000 ptas and for 3 persons 40.000-60.000 ptas (the highest
prices only for high standard flats).
One person should never pay more than
20.000 pts per month, and if you have no chance than pay more than that,
then the flat should be so nice. Usually you will pay around 15.000-18.000
ptas per month for a good flat near university with furnitures, TV, telephone,
fridge, washing machine, etc.
That's important, we are speaking only
about flats near the university. "Near", for us, means not more than 15
minuts walking, and not need to take a transportation to the faculty. If
the flat is not as close to Univerisity as that, the renting price should
be lower.
How can I find one?
Around all the faculties you will find
hundreds of small posters with the flat information, price and telephone
number. Sometimes they offer a empty flat to rent and other times they
are looking for one or two persons to complete a shared flat. Campus of
Blasco Ibañez Avenue has most of the posters, but also "Los Naranjos"
Campus and "Politecnico" University (a separate university) have many offers.
When?
Most of empty flats offers are in Juny,
July and September (in August Valencia is empty of students).
The offers to complete a flat are most
in September and October. Nowadays, because of the high number (1.500)
of Erasmus students in both univerisities Unversidad de Valencia and Universidad
Politecnica de Valencia, there are many offers to complete flats in the
begining of the second "cuatrimestre" (4 months period) February-Mars,
but actually also during the whole year.
The negociation
In Spain so little people speaks english
and it is difficult to speak spanish by telephone with an old woman who
rents a flat, then it's better to make a meeting to see the flat.
Many owners think that foreigns have so
much money and they don't know what you have right to ask for. It's very
important to know what you have right to get when you rent a flat.
Student flats have always furnitures and
TV, washing machine and many home electrical appliances, but usually flats
lack some things or some of them are so old.
We usually ask the owner for many things,
that's normal here. You will not get everything you ask for, but the most
important things. An example, we say "Well, I would like to move here,
but this flat need a sofa, two new mattress and ...". Maybe you need a
TV, wardrobe, sofa, two new beds or whatever, YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR THINGS
YOU NEED, IT'S YOUR RIGHT. Maybe you will not get new things, but somethings
better than you had before.
If some electrical appliance (TV, fridge...)
break down while you are living there, usually the owner have to pay the
reparation. You have been there only some months, you only have to repair
small things.
You almost never have a contract with
the owner, usually when you have one, the price of renting is higher.
COST OF LIVING IN
VALENCIA
A normal student, uses between 60.000-80.000
ptas per month, everything included, renting, food, electricity, telephone,
going out... Of course it depends on the person.
The fixed expenses per month are:
22.000
rent, electricity, water, telephone
30.000
food and small things (for a boy, girls uses less in food)
55.000
ptas
This is the minimum you will need to live in Valencia with a student standard way of life. We usually go out or buy some extra things, so finally it will be between 60.000-80.000 ptas per month.
Some prices at the year 2.000: (prices inflation in Spain 2-3%)
- University restaurants: 550-650 ptas
- Daily menu in a normal restaurant: 800-1.200
ptas
Meal in a spanish restaurant are three-course
meal, drink and bread (sometimes coffee is included).
- Bread (250 grs): 75 ptas
- Bacon (200 grs): 225 ptas
- Apples (1 kg): 200 ptas
- Bus Ticket: 125 ptas
- Expresso Coffe: 125 ptas
- Coca-Cola Supermarket: 45 ptas (33 cl)
Bar: 200-300 ptas
- Beer Supermarket: 50 ptas (33 cl). Bar:
200-300 ptas Disco: 400-500 ptas
- Whiskey. Supermarket 1200 (750 cl) Bar:
400-500 Disco: 600-800 ptas