blog shbarcelona català   blog shbarcelona français   blog shbarcelona castellano   blog shbarcelona russian   blog shbarcelona russian   blog shbarcelona   blog shbarcelona   blog shbarcelona
Moving in

11 Tips for Renting a Shared Apartment in Barcelona

two ladies share the bed with a dog
Written by Daniella

If you want to start living on your own or want to move to and live in Barcelona, sharing an apartment is an option you should definitely consider.

It is actually very common for many young people and students to share a place in Barcelona, as they cannot yet afford a place of their own. So finding a roommate to share rent and expenses is a good idea when renting an apartment in Barcelona.

  • monthly apartment rental in barcelona

 

Sharing an apartment in Barcelona: from 32 days up to 12 months

You may have already heard of monthly rentals in Barcelona. This type of accommodation allows you to rent an apartment up to a maximum period of one year.

Find your apartment in Barcelona

Many students and young people who want to live in Barcelona consider sharing an apartment, and they go for this option because of the advantages that come with it:

  • The apartments are fully furnished, decorated and equipped with all the essentials to make you feel at home from day one.
  • The apartments are located in the centre of the city, so public transport and services are always nearby.
  • Many of the apartments are designed to be shared, so they have several bedrooms, private bathrooms and plenty of space to live together in harmony.
  • Contracts are flexible and can be adapted to every tenant’s needs.
light bedroom with wooden beams

Monthly rentals by ShBarcelona

Sharing an apartment is an experience of a lifetime, with its good and bad moments. To help you make the best of sharing an apartment in Barcelona, we have made a list of tips.

Tips for sharing an apartment in Barcelona

Many people have fond memories of the time they spent in a shared apartment. Not only do you meet new and interesting people, but you also learn new skills when living with someone you didn’t know (well) before moving in together. Just imagine all the funny stories you will be able to tell.

It is important, however, to check out some of the advice listed below to make the most of sharing a place with others.

1. Select a roommate with care and attention

This is the first and most important phase, because although it can be complicated, choosing a suitable roommate is the first step. First impressions do not always last, and selecting the best possible person to live together with could avoid conflicts in the future.

Relevant aspects to take into account are: personal habits, work or study schedules, whether there are pets involved and what a person’s hobbies are. Ultimately you will be spending much of your time with the other flat mates, so spend an adequate amount of time on selecting the right person.

2. Spend time and do hobbies together

In order to have a healthy relationship with your roommates, you should invest time in getting to know each other. Spend time with the other individuals, both inside and outside of the apartment. You could block a certain day of the week to eat together, or you could start watching a new series on Netflix.

legs and feet in front of tv

Photo by Mollie Sivaram via Unsplash

3. Respect each other

Sharing an apartment is the best situation to learn to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. When a roommate’s habits or behaviour start bothering you, don’t automatically assume that someone does it on purpose.

You never know why people do the things they do, so have some empathy and don’t always think you are right or that your way is the only way. Give in to what someone else wants to do, even if you don’t exactly feel like it at the time. Go with the flow and enjoy the experience!

4. An organised apartment is essential

If you want to be a good roommate, you should always keep the apartment clean and tidy. This is one of the key aspects of living together, because it can quickly lead to conflicts between roommates.

To avoid having arguments or irritations, use a schedule, so everyone know what tasks they are responsible for during the week. It keeps the space you live in clean, and you make sure everyone contributes.

sharing an apartment in barcelona with confetti

Photo by The Creative Exchange via Unsplash

Related article: Covid-19 And How to Disinfect Your Home

5. Check with roommates before inviting guests

We all enjoy having our friends or family over at our place, but talk to your flatmates before inviting them over. This way you avoid having too many people over at the same time, and other roommates can adjust their plans or activities accordingly.

6. Communication

It can be hard to be open about what is bothering you about someone else when you live together. Communicating immediately when this happens and being honest with each other is key to avoid conflicts. Talking can solve matters very quickly and effectively.

7. Enjoy and learn from the experience

Of course, living with other people can be demanding at the beginning and even quite a challenge, but overall, sharing an apartment in Barcelona will be an incredible experience.

Many people end up being friends for life after having lived together for a certain period of time. They almost feel like a second family, and sometimes when you don’t live close to your relatives, your roommates can be the best support you could possibly have.

8. Your room is your private space

Spending lots of time in the living room with your new friends can be a lot of fun, but we should also stress the importance of having your own room in the apartment.

This will be the room you spend most of your time in, so it must meet a couple of important conditions: it should be comfortable and warm, you must be able to personalise it and decorate it to your own taste, there should be enough space, you should be able to focus and relax there, etc.

light bedroom with windows

Monthly rentals by ShBarcelona

9. Your bit of space in communal areas

Although you share almost all the rooms in the apartment, you should also be able to designate space in each one of them: a cabinet in the kitchen, a shelve in the fridge, a place in the bathroom for your personal items, etc.

10. How to save when sharing an apartment

“Sharing is living, living by sharing” is a common expression, and this is certainly true when you share an apartment, because it is so much more than just sharing a place to live.

Think about saving more than the rent alone, because there are other ways to lower expenses.

You could, for example, start washing your clothes together to save on energy and water, you can set the thermostat to have a comfortable temperature inside the house and save on energy there (this will also save energy, because not everyone will be tempted to have their own heating or cooling device in their room), you could even start doing the groceries together and buy products in bulk, like toilet paper, bottled water, cleaning products, etc.

11. A safe home

We would like to put some emphasis on our last tip when sharing an apartment, and that is the issue of safety. Many rental apartments in ShBarcelona’s portfolio are equipped with a security system and armoured door, but you might live in a place that does not have one (yet).

Making sure that doors, windows and balconies are closed properly and locked. Close the taps so they don’t drip, and turn off all lights and heating/cooling (if not programmed with a thermostat).

white door

Photo by Christopher Martyn via Unsplash

Now that you have learned of these 11 tips, let’s find you a shared apartment in Barcelona, so you can fully enjoy the experience.

Have you ever shared an apartment before? Do you have other useful tips?
Don’t forget to share them in the comment section below.

About the author

Daniella

Daniella enjoys everything the city of Barcelona has to offer. She writes, translates and loves discovering Catalonia and its beautiful nature.

Leave a Comment