Job Discussion Forums

[PL]

Hi,

My wife & I are now in Chile with the intention of running a business, doing some part-time teaching work and eventually buying a property here. We did all the right things to get here and have (after great expense and a great deal of time) obtained a Temporary Residence Visa for one year. However our major problem is finding a flat, it is proving to be virtually impossible!!!

The problems include:

1. 90% of those advertising in the Mercurio & Rastro simply don�t answer the phone. (We have also checked other internet based sites - they are equally unhelpful.)

2. Of those that do answer, the flat they�re offering is a different price - a lot higher.

3. Many who we have phoned say they will contact us with an appointment - they never do.

4. When we eventually do arrange to see a flat and are interested, we have been told that must provide a AVAL (A document from a Chilean person that legally requires them to pay our rent in the event we default.) We don�t know anyone that well here so can�t get an AVAL.

5. Then instead they demand a full years rent up front! (We only need a flat for 6 months)

6. I�ve offered 6 months rent up front to three agents but they have still asked for an AVAL and that we sign a years contract!

7. We�ve finally found a flat (Certainly in no way our first choice) where the landlord will accept three months rent up front but the forms he required us to fill in could not be completed in some aspects such as details of a Chilean bank account: We can�t open a bank account until we get the RUT (Chilean Identity Card) We should get this on the 25th June as we applied within the first few days when we arrived but I still don�t know if we can open an account without a permanent address. (Catch 22?)

I would have never have believed that it could be so difficult! We have a personal reference from the Chilean Consul in Cali, Colombia, a good private income, the right visa and are willing to pay up to 6 months in advance - are we just unlucky? It�s enough to put off anyone from ever coming here.

Can anyone offer me any advice? We�re pretty desperate now and the hotel bills are mounting up!

Thanks, PL

(1st July 2008) Since I listed this message we have found a flat - totally by luck! We just walked into an up market block of flats in the Santa Lucia area and asked if there were any vacancies. There was one, a two bedroomed unfurnished flat; exactly what we wanted. We only got it on a 6 month contract with one months rent up front and one months rent in advance because the landlady was Colombian (as is my wife) and they got on very well. While we were there paying over the deposit and signing the contract, three more people asked about the flat at reception- it hadn�t even been advertised!

Good luck to anyone else searching for an appartment, you�ll need it!

[ghostdog]

Frankly, the only real advice I could give you is: go somewhere else, which is what I intend to do.

However, a couple of points:

1) In Chile, when someone says, "I'll call you tomorrow/later/back," what it generally means is, "I'm never going to call you again." (If you get your hands on it, a book called, "How to Survive Doing Business in the Chilean Jungle" is particularly useful in decoding the gap between words and reality here -- unfortunately, it seems to be out of print, but you might be lucky and scare up a copy somewhere).

2) The bank account shouldn't be a problem. If you have enough of an address (hotel, whatever) to get your RUT number and CI, you have enough of an address to get a bank account. The only relatively easy bank account to get, once you have your RUT, is a Cuenta RUT from Banco Estado, which seems to be open to anyone with a RUT. It will take about two or three weeks from the time you apply to process your application, though.

Good luck.

[PL]

Hi, Thanks for the info. I�m determined to sort it out here though as despite these set backs, I believe there are some great business opportunities here and also some nice areas to live. I�ll look for the book you mentioned and thanks for the bank advice. Cheers, Philip