Renting in Gran Canaria

Hi, there are plenty of affordable places in Las Palmas - you don't need to worry about that. First, where is your school? and second it is much easier to find a flat while you are here rather than over the internet. Let us know where your school is and we'll advise on location and where to find apartments,  hope this helps.

Hi, you could try Sheena Gallagher, her details are above. If not just get a short term rent when you arrive and look in the paper or on the websites. there are plenty of properties available but you'd be best off seeing them first.

Regarding English speaking people in Las Palmas, there are loads of us. When you get here just get in touch and we'll introduce you, otherwise you may spend months without meeting anyone.

Spanish schools, get in contact with Steve at www.academiabb.com, both his children are in Spanish schools and he should be able to help you out.

Anyway good luck with the move and get in touch if you need any more help.

hi am planning on moving to the island n october and if not janaury and i planning n staying n san fernando
any info would be so helpiful about work visas, do i need a visa to stay in the country , wots the work like , finding places to live and how much

stacey xxx

At the moment work is very scarce in the south, bars are closing on a daily basis. A one bedroom apartment is about 600 euros a month including bills, the normal rental period is 6 months minimum and you'll require 1 months deposit in advance as well as your first months rent. My advice would be to leave it a while until the recession goes, save like crazy while you're still in the UK and come out at a better time. Sorry to be so negative but the reality is that there's no jobs and people are going back to the UK in record numbers because unlike the UK if you're unemployed here the social don't pay your rent so you need plenty of cash to keep you going through the lean times. When you do come over you need to register at the police office for an N.I.E. number/Residentia, this is a national identity number for foreigners, and you must do this within three months of arriving on the island. To get a legal job you also need a social security number, to get this you take your N.I.E, passport and house contract to the Social security office in San Fernando, take someone who speaks Spanish or they wont even attempt to speak to you, best of luck when do you eventually come over.

Hi Gemma, in answer to your questions:

Legal restrictions - if you are British you can work here but there is some paperwork you have to do - have a look at the moving to Gran Canaria section and the paperwork section of the website.

Accomodation - you can get accommodation for 3-6 months and prices vary hugely depending on where you are, if you have a look at the forum section you can get an idea of how much places are being rented for at the moment and some contact names, but minimum will be 600€+.

Jobs - I work in the north and there isn't much work up here at the moment. I'm afraid I am not that clued up on work in the south, hopefully someone else will be able to help you, but I do know it is not easy to find work and you will have to dedicate a lot of time visiting all the bars, restaurants etc.

hope this helps,

Richard

Personally I think coming over in December is a bad idea, if you want a job in the "english" speaking areas you really need to be here at the start of the summer May/June, after October it becomes "Scandi" season so unless you speak one of the scandi languages you will really struggle to get a job. We've been here almost 3 years and love living here but it's been very hard financially as my wife has a number of health problems that stop her doing a full time job so we've struggled by on 1 wage for most of the time, having said that we struggled in Scotland and i'd rather struggle here than there. My advice is to save as much money as possible, plan as far in advance as you can before coming out and learn as much Spanish as you can.

Hi, there aren't many driving jobs available here and unless you speak fluent Spanish it is unlikely you'd get given a job above a local Spanish driver. At the moment one of the only ways to find work is to go around and ask, there isn't much work available and that work is usually given to people who are here and ready to start immediately. The only work which may offer work to people out of the country is teaching and specialist tourism work. 

As far as I know there is no minimum wage here especially among British employers, i've known people to work for 4.50€ per hour with no contract which means that if you lose your job you have no rights whatsoever to unemployment money. Jobs in the tourist industry are generally not well paid anywhere you go and here is no exception. To be a receptionist, sales assistant or admin worker you would have to speak Spanish, unless you're fluent you're looking at a job in a bar or restaurant, on average a waitress/waiter earns 5/5.50€ per hour and kitchen staff earn about 6€. If only one of you find a job you may struggle like we have. To get around it we've rented a 3 bedroom house and in hard times we rent out 1 of the rooms to help us get by and so far it's enabled us to stay when we might have had to go back to the UK. If you can sell there are numerous timeshare resorts on the island who always appear to be looking for staff. There is an abundance of travel companies with offices in San fernando like thomsons, thomas cook, tui, first choice etc. you could drop your CV's in there and see what happens. The average salary on this island is 850€ per month and you'll do well to get more than that, when you're coming over drop me a private message and i'll give you my phone number and arrange to show you around San fernando if you decide to move there.

San fernando is safe to live in, there is 1 alleged "notorious" part that is known locally as "beirut", having said that my wife and I have walked through it after midnight on numerous occasions and have never seen or heard any trouble, to be on the safe side I recommend looking anywhere around the football stadium and you'll be happy. If you find a place through an agent it will cost you 1 months money, I suggest unless you have money to waste that you don't use an agent but just walk about and get to know the area and look for signs in windows. You don't need a job to get an apartment, your landlord will require a photocopy of both your passports and a deposit plus your 1st months rent. As my name suggest's i'm Scottish and a bit mad, hence the nickname.

Welcome to the site, Puerto Rico is nowhere near the yumbo centre (if that's what you meant) Puerto Rico is the noisiest resort in the south of the island although you can live at the opposite end away from the beach for a quieter life. The yumbo centre is in Playa del Ingles and about a 10 minute walk to the beach, if you're planning to live here long term you have to decide whether you want to live near the beach and pay a lot of money for "holiday" accommodation or be a bit further away and get a lot more for your money. A lot of workers in Playa del Ingles live in "San Fernando" which is a bus or taxi ride away from the beach but you will get a lot more house for your money. This is where I live and I can walk to the yumbo centre in about 15 minutes. A typical example of the accommodation you can expect in this area is this, 600€ will get you a 2 bedroom apartment in Playa which will be small with the kitchen as part of your living area, 500/550€ will get you a 3 bedroom apartment in San fernando which will be huge compared to Playa as it is an urban area as opposed to a tourist resort. It's always best to book yourself some cheap holiday accommodation for the first 2 weeks when you arrive as this will give you time to look around, if you find something through an agent, chances are you will need 3 months rent up front, 1 for the agent, 1 for the deposit and 1 for the rent. I suggest you take a walk around and look for signs in the window "SE ALQUILA" chances are this is a private rent and you would only need 2 months up front. If you really feel you need to be near the beach and in a quiet area your best bet is Meloneras but this is rather expensive, I know a few people there but no-one pays less than 1,000€ per month as it is very quiet and a bit upmarket. San Agustin is a bit closer to Playa and is right next to the beach and rather quiet but again you will be looking at a small apartment for the same money as Playa. I and many other people enjoy living in San fernando as it's not full of tourists, you have 3 supermarkets (not charging tourist prices) to choose from and numerous bars and restaurants that are much cheaper than the resorts, and all within walking distance.
If you need any more info just ask and i'll be happy to help.

Hi, I know it doesn't fit anyones requirements at the moment but I have a room available in Puerto Rico. Nice quiet and secure complex, great views, communal pool, washing machine, all the usual trimmings....please leave message if interested. Sorry no pets.

Hi, you can't get SMA milk here but you can get Aptamil, Hero and Hipp organic milk, you can get them at any big supermarket. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to drop me a line, I've got a 14 month old and have loads of experience with babies here, good luck with the move, Ros

Hi, there are lots of apartments in Las Palmas, usually studios with a kitchen. There are even a few on the beach with views over Las Canteras. Most of the apartments are at the northern end of the beach and prices from what I remember are from 40€ / night. Have a look here for starters but if you are going on holiday in the South and just want to stay in Las Palmas for a couple of days you should just walk along the beach and find one you like, outside July / August there usually isn't a problem with availability.