The ordeal of renting an apartment in Madrid (me): An investment fund kicks me out of my house

I don’t know how many calls I had when the frustration finally set in, but I remember the moment perfectly. I called the phone number of a well-known real estate agency to visit an apartment that I thought I could rent. Nothing special: 45 sqm with a small room and kitchenette located behind the M-30 in Madrid. Price: 800 euros per month. After enduring a one-minute pre-recorded speech, the answering machine tells me: “If you’re interested in some of our properties, press 1, otherwise press 2.” Press 1. “If the sum of the incomes of all tenants is at least three times the rental price, press 1, otherwise press 2.” Echo… see more