Finding a rentalArticle 10 of 12 · 2 min read
Renting with children: what changes
Pick the school area first, then the flat, and register on the padrón at the new address before you apply, because catchment uses the padrón address. A child who arrives mid-year is placed by the regional education office, and the place is kept.
Choose the school area first
A school place depends on where you live, so pick the school area before the neighbourhood. Proximity points count only when a school has more applicants than places, and they use either your home or your workplace address, not both. Andalucía uses the school's area of influence; Madrid uses a single zone per municipality or district.
The padrón and your address
Register on the padrón at the new address before you apply, because catchment uses the padrón address. Your lease is also accepted as proof of address. Before you sign, make sure the landlord lets you register at the flat (empadronarse).
When to apply
Applications for the next school year open in spring, long before September: Andalucía and Madrid take them in March and Valencia in May and June. Nursery places (first cycle) have a separate call.
If your child arrives mid-year
The regional education office places a child who arrives during the school year, and the place is kept. Contact it as soon as you have an address on the padrón.
How school admission works and when to apply explains the cycle. Admission, points and getting a place and School types and choosing a school cover the points and how to choose a school.
References
More in Finding a rental
- How the Spanish rental market works
- Searching for a rental from abroad and timing it
- What rent really costs in Spanish cities
- Estate agents (inmobiliarias) and the fees they can charge
- What to check when viewing a Spanish flat
- Furnished or unfurnished: what a Spanish rental includes
- Finding a family-sized rental in Spain
- From search to keys: how renting in Spain works and where you can't turn back
- What you can negotiate in a Spanish rental
- Finding an accessible home as a family: what changes
- Viewing a flat with accessibility needs: what changes
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