¡Vamos! You’re going to Valencia for an internship or to study for several months. Of course with the Spanish fiestas, the Mediterranean climate and the treasures that this city beholds in the back of your mind. It sounds awesome and believe me, it is! But (somehow there is always a but) no one warns you about the stress and hassle it can bring. It seems like everybody, who has been abroad for a study or an internship, forgets about all the hassle they’ve experienced. That’s why we made a list with tips and useful sites for your search to a student apartment in Valencia.
6 useful sites to find your student apartment in Valencia
The amount of student apartments in Valencia are unbelievable and the rental prices are even better. The most student apartments are notable cheaper than, for example, in the Netherlands and they’re almost always furnished. If you’ve already been looking for a student apartment in Valencia you might have noticed that most of them are located in the street ‘Blasco Ibáñez’. Which is the place-to-be for the students in Valencia, because it’s near the universities. If you’re going to do an internship you might want to take a look at student apartments somewhere else in the city, closer to the company where you’re going to do your internship.
Uni-places
Uni-places offers a huge amount of apartments, enough choice if you’re looking for a student apartment in Valencia (and other cities in Spain), in different quarters/neighborhoods. Uniplaces charges a ‘one-time service fee’, the amount differs per room, but it’s below €100, -.
Housing anywhere
It’s the same concept as Uniplaces and Housinganywhere’s ‘one-time service fee’ is comparable to Uniplaces.
Spot a home
Also comparable to the sites above, they offer an enormous amount of apartments. However, the ‘one-time service fee’ Spot a Home charges is generally higher than they charge at Housinganywhere or Uniplaces.
Be roomers
Beroomers offers the option to move in with a host-family. The apartments they offer and the ‘one-time service fee’ are more expensive than they charge/ask at the other sites.
Foto casa
Besides renting student apartments in Valencia, Fotocasa also offers you to buy an apartment or rent a ‘holiday-home’. It’s not clear if you have to pay a ‘one-time service fee’ or other fees.
Stage in Spanje
‘Stage in Spanje‘ (internship in Spain) helps students, who want to go on an internship in Valencia, to find a suitable internship. Besides that, the company supervises the students during the ‘job-application’ process and they also seek them a suitable student apartment in Valencia. In addition, the student will also be picked up from the airport and be brought to his/her apartment. The costs for this service are €400, – (excl. tax), but that does mean that they’ll arrange everything for you (you still have to pay your monthly rent).
Extra tips
I’ve been living in Valencia for about three weeks and oh boy I’ve seen and ran in number of things which I’d like to have been warned about in advance. Don’t get me wrong, if I’d known these things I still would’ve gone to Valencia to do my internship but it would’ve been nice to know. Hence some extra tips:
Erasmus Grant
Try to be early with your Erasmus Grant application (if you qualify for this). Your university has a page on its website containing all the Erasmus data and a ‘step-by-step plan’ on how to apply for your Erasmus Grant.
Medication
If you have to bring medication for several months, you should try to arrange this as far in advance as possible. If you are travelling to a Schengen country and want to take medicines with you that fall under the Opium Act, you will need to have a Schengen certificate.
Services
Keep in mind that a lot of things can be less luxurious than you’re used to. For example: There is no central heating in the buildings here, that means that your student apartment can be very cold in the winter-months.
Roommates
When you’re going to live in a student apartment you’re going to have to deal with roommates. These roommates are probably from another country and have other habits than you, they speak another language and that can be the cause for a lot of problems. Try to make some common house rules at the beginning of your stay.
One-time service fees
As you may have read, most of the sites that function as a mediator, are going to ask for a one-time service fee. The amounts very per site.
¡Buena suerte!