Beware when renting

Most online estate agencies are a waste of time, there are a lot of rentals advertised which are no longer available and they very often don't reply to emails. I always recommend that anyone who wants to rent long term looks in local estate agents windows and actually speak with the agents. Never hand over any money until you are ready to sign the contract. Then you might be asked for 2 months rent in advance and equivalent of 1 months rent as (refundable) security deposit.

Steve 

I think you are right there.

We rented here first (property found on idealista) and then spent a long time searching for properties online. I found idealista to be the best online site for both buying and renting with the easiest search engine, the ability to store favourites and a good notification system. They also had some helpful articles about buying and living abroad. I have never paid any fee to them. I haven't reviewed the site but would definitely give it a five star. 

Other sites we used were mainly Pisos.com, Fotocasa, Rightmove and Habitaclia in addition to walking around our preferred area and noting the se vende signs. 

If we saw a property we liked we would first go and check out the area it was in and if we liked it we would contact the agency or individual who were advertising it for a viewing. My warning would be not just to trust one agent - they are looking to make a profit so their priorities are not necessarily the same as yours. There are many properties out there so do your research before you contact an agent. 

Idealista worked hard to get me to pay upfront for what looked to be a genuine ad on their site with inside photos and everything, and when it went wrong, there is only one phone number to complain, that is permanently engaged.

It is not just me. 87% of 249 people on Trustpilot have given Idealista a 1 out of 5 stars review, that being the lowest rating, which is necessary to post on their site. I would have been happier with a zero star rating.

I did try driving 50 miles to an area and checking out an estate agent who had many nice properties, who it turns out only had winter lets, not mentioned in their online ads. It does seem that most coastal areas now are very expensive summer lets, then empty the rest of the year. It is sheer greed.

Like many types of these sites, they became to place to go to and therefore attracted the wrong type of element and are now impregnated with scammers. BUYER BEWARE