Valencia long(er) term rental questions
 

We spent time in Valencia (and eastern Spain) last fall and thanks to the very pertinent advice received in large part from this forum, our trip was nothing less than a resounding success. This makes us really appreciate the collective knowledge of the many people on this board. In particular, this city was quite a discovery for us and where we would very much like to return and spend a longer time likely in the spring of 2017.

We would be interested in renting an apartment for 1-2 months and I have started to search for possibilities in this regard. We loved the apartment we stayed in last year and would gladly stay there again for the entire time, however even though there are discounts for longer stays (I would have to verify exactly how much), I would expect the cost to be more than 3000 euros a month at least, making it quite onerous.

I therefore have been trying to find alternatives and am a little confused/unsure and would have some questions. Though my query is specific to Valencia, I suspect it would apply to other destinations as well. I have come across sites such as AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway, Booking dot com, etc.

Some thoughts:
1- I am a little leery of AirBnB as it seems to be somewhat of a hit and miss. We know people that have experienced both cases, and I gathered similar info reading some trip reports on travel forums such as this one. It is one thing to get a "miss" upon arrival for a short stay of a few days, but it would be more seriously disheartening for a 1-2 month stay ... Neighbours of ours have been using and swear by VRBO and claim to have never been disappointed after several stays over the last few years. One thing I cannot fathom is - what is it about VRBO that would make it a "safer bet" for lack of better words than AirBnB??? or than other similar sites???

2- I did note that some properties are listed on different platforms at sometimes slightly different prices. I could see how commercially managed properties would be wanting as much exposure as possible, but I am left wondering about the true owner who simply wishes to make his flat available to vacationing renters on VRBO ... I even noted commercial properties there (VRBO). What would be the case there? Perhaps I am missing the point.

3- I do not consider myself particularly naive and I have traveled independently to many countries around the world, but are there specific recommendations that could be offered to a prospective renter to try to ensure that the whole search/renting process is safe and successful? Any pitfalls I should be aware of? I have only very occasionally rented flats, and these were all based on solid references so in a way this is new territory to me.

4- The aforementioned cost of over 3000 euros a month sounds high for a city like Valencia, as opposed to higher cost places like Barcelona or Madrid where this figure might be more justified. While the apartment we had last year was quite nice, I always had the impression that Valencia was a in the middle of the pack cost-wise, i.e more than small towns but less than a large metropolis. Are my cost expectations off? Perhaps I need to re-think my budget ...

Sorry if this is a bit verbose, but as you can see I am a little confused and any words of wisdom as to the above concerns would be appreciated. I would be particularly interested in the thoughts of persons who have actually gone this route before.

I can't speak from personal experience, but my daughter (along with her husband and two kids) traveled throughout Europe (this year) for a little over 6 months staying in some places for as short as a weekend and sometimes as long as a month. They swear by AirBnB. But you really have to do your homework. She would check out places on line then personally call the owner.

I don't know but if you can ask for references from other tenants or if there is some way of getting ratings like they have on Trip Advisor which might help too.

Thanks for this, nanabee. It is nice to see that some did have consistently good experiences over such an extended period. As you say, doing some homework before hand really helps things.

As for reviews/references, I sometimes find that you need to put on your filter as they can be quite subjective for one thing, and also you have to try and see if they are genuine. This is usually an easier process when there are larger number of reviews for a particular property, however is not always the case. But the point is well taken.

My search continues :)

xx

If you are looking at properties that normally rent by the week, it is not uncommon for owners to offer a discount (up to 25%) for a month-long rental. The reasons are obvious - it's a lot of work to keep track of and manage weekly rentals. Have you inquired of the owner of the property you like in Cortina as to whether any discounts are available or long-term rentals?

Sorry, I got you confused with the poster looking for a Cortina rental. But you get my drift....

Sorry, I got you confused with the poster looking for a Cortina rental. But you get my drift....

There isn't anything magical about VRBO versus Airbnb or Homeaway (which I think is owned by VRBO) or others. I think your friends just had a lucky experience on one so presume it has something to do with VRBO itself. The system is the same, private owners wanting to rent places so they are using the platform to advertise, that's all. You do need some well-trafficked website to get business.

I'm not sure I understand your question about why some agencies may place apts on these websites--to get extra business, a lot of people use these websites. And as for why a private owner who do it on several, for the same reason, to get business. AS for slightly different prices, who knows, it could be updating reasons, even as simple as marketing reasons (thinking some website can handle a slighter higher price point), or slightly varying fees from the websites that the owner adjusts for.

I think the only answer is that if you plan to rent 1-2 months, you want to find something where you can find some kind of reviews that seem credible to you, at least when using websites like these. If it were a smaller agency or private owner you had experience with and trusted, that might be a different story.

You might also look at Spainselect as they specialize and do have apts in Valencia, also. I haven't used them but have read several reviews on Fodors from people who have and liked them.
http://www.spain-select.com/en_US

3000 euros for a month is crazy. Hopefully lincasanova will chime in, she lives in Valencia.

I am one of those people who have had very hit and miss experiences with Airbnb. I would be hesitant to book for such a long stay through that website. But if you find something there that looks good why not post a link here? You'll get some feedback outside the Airbnb system at least.

For a long stay you might check out Sabbatical Homes. I found this one for Valencia there -
https://www.sabbaticalhomes.com/Home...pain_49479.htm

I hope it works out and that you get a place for way less than 3000 euros a month. That is just nuts.

Spain select is excellent but I would probably cost you ...
Take a look.
We used VRBO in Venice...the apt. was managed by an agency , the owners lived in the US. Not sure how it works in other situations.
It was a very good experience.
I am afraid to try AirBNB...

Thanks for the very pertinent comment and info above - highly appreciated!

I should probably mention that we did use in fact Spain Select in Valencia last fall and we were very pleased with our experience. Of course they tend to have more upscale properties with commensurate prices. This is why I think it would simply be too expensive for lengthier stays.

StCirq - I understand your point and suppose there would be no harm in at least inquiring with Spain Select for monthly rates. By doing some simple math in my head and factoring some discount amount, I came up with my estimate of 3000 euros but I have not actually asked. Although I am not very hopeful that the figure would be much lower.

Christina - I probably did not word my 2nd question correctly thereby causing confusion (English is not my first language). Sorry about that. I understand your point about having more exposure when listing on various platforms and it does make sense. What I was trying to get at is that if a particular property is listed on different sites, and that some people are leery of one of those sites but are more confident with another, what is it about this other site that makes things more reliable for the same property?

To clarify the context, in another life I studied in Spain with living arrangements offered through the academic institution. With some schools, their accommodation listings was simply a "billboard" type system where anybody and everybody who had a place to rent could post their offer. However in other cases, the school had some controls in place, including standards which were required to be met as to the quality and actual amenities before authorizing a posting. This often made a huge difference!

My question was then a little bit along those lines, i.e. are some sites more discriminate than others in this regard? My understanding from your kind words is that there probably is not much difference from that perspective.

rialtogrl - I am glad to see I am not the only one thinking that the price is way high!!! And I appreciate your candid comment about AirBnB (especially for a long stay) and also, I was unaware of the Sabbatical Homes site so this is one I will look into as well.

danon - Your positive experience with VRBO sounds like that of my neighbours, though I am still unsure of differences with this site as compared to the others. Perhaps it is simply a matter of doing proper homework ahead of time ...

In any case I'll continue looking and will likely have additional comments/queries.

I have never encountered a rental where a monthly rental is not discounted from weekly ones.

We rent a penthouse in southern Spain for 10 days next March at 47 euro per night. The monthly rental is 725 euro in the off-season which runs from October thru April.

I'm pretty sure the same applies to Valencia, unless there's some festival going on (Las Fallas, La Tomatina, ...). During Las Fallas, for instance, our hotel cost is the normal price x 2.5!!!