Searching for accommodation in Madrid

Prior to fly to Madrid, I did not want to believe it was that difficult to find a place to stay. I was said that looking for a flat was very difficult and that accommodation was not that cheap. Still, I thought that those were just over-exaggerations, but soon I found out they were not.

First, I decided to join groups on FB where I could see advertising of flats. There are a bunch of them both in Spanish and English. Once in you can see how one post gets 13558384757392 comments. In 10 minutes the apartment is gone. Honestly, I am pretty sure many people accept immediately to take the place based on pictures, something I would never do: you never know who is hiding behind that post. And yes, scamming is a huge deal. You can also use Idealista, but you better call or write on Whatsapp: I have never received answers to my e-mails. So I decided to go there, take a bed in some hostel and search on the place.

Madrid has a lot of cheap, modern, newly renovated hostels. I even met people who decided to live in hostels because in the end is more convenient than renting a flat. I lived in one hostel for like 2 weeks, which is the time you will normally need to find a place to stay. My hostel was amazing: everybody was super nice, but that is transitory, people come and go so I needed a permanent place. The issue with flats in Madrid is first the fact that many people live in one apartment. You will find yourself reading of flats hosting 10 or 12 people with 2 or 3 bathrooms, each of them paying from 400 euros on. That sounds insane. You can do better than that, trust me, you just gotta be patient and most importantly be fast. In the end, I found an apartment for 500 euros all included (which was out of my budget but I was tired so I accepted). My flat was super central, in Fuencarral, between Chueca and Malasana. My room had a beautiful big window (oh yes, there is also this issue: many rooms do not have windows) and I shared the bathroom with only two other people. I think that if you want to live in the centre you gotta be ready to spend around 450 euros and more. If you are ok with leaving a bit on the outskirts, you will find places for lower prices. But be careful: do not accept a place without a contract. My impression was that landlords were for the most taking incredible advantage of students, their inexperience which is even greater considering that they are coming to another country of whose laws they know nothing about. But sure, in the end, it's up to you and in the end, these difficulties are very similar to those in other huge European capitals. Finding a place to stay in Madrid won't be easy, but be patient and do not give up and you will find something suitable for you. I know it's will look incredibly frustrating at moments, but you will make it.

Suerte.