Yzabelle Bostyn
RENTING is notoriously difficult on the Costa del Sol and now a landlord has sparked outrage after renting out a SOFA in a shared flat.
The advert was shared by local complaints page, @Marbellasequeja after it was posted on Facebook Marketplace.
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It shows a blue three person sofa with the caption: “Renting a sofa in a shared flat, Puerto Banus area.”
The monthly rent was listed as €400.
The post sparked fury and utter shock from social media users.
“Is the sofa just for you, or do you have to share it when your housemates watch the TV? For God’s sake someone please burst the housing bubble. This is totally surreal,” one commented.
Another said: “How can this happen in such a beautiful country like Spain?”
Others jokingly pondered how much the terrace and floor would cost and how you could practically live in this situation.
They asked: “What happens if you want to bring a friend over? Or if you’re dating somebody?”
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However ridiculous, the practice is not uncommon in Spain due to high demand for rentals.
Rental prices are set to rise by at least 5% this year.
In the first half of 2023, the all-time high rental price in Spain was recorded at €11.69 per square metre- a figure exceeding the previous record set during the 2007 real estate bubble.
Higher rents are causing- according to Fotocasa- the exclusion from the market of many potential tenants- up to 40%- who can only afford lower prices.
On Milanuncios, one of Spain’s most popular rental websites, The Olive Press searched for sofas and identified four for rent on the first page of results.
These ranged between €150-300 per month.
One, listed as a ‘living room in central Madrid’ cost €200 per month with all bills included, while another in Barcelona would set you back €250.
Property experts have questioned how a contract would be drawn up for this kind of ‘property’ and if renting a sofa is even legal.
The Olive Press could not find any legal basis to justify such a rental agreement.
Indeed, we could not find any sofas listed for rent on another popular rental platform, Idealista.
