Job Discussion Forums

[marcoelgrande]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering what is the best way to go about renting an apartment in S. America. I assume lease contracts would of course be in Spanish; do you have them translated and then sign for however long, or pay cash by the month but without the documentation?

Has anyone had any bad experiences with the second option (e.g. being thrown out with no real recourse)?

Of course each person's situation will be different; I just wanted to get an idea of how people approach this.

Any info would be great!

Thanks,
Marco

[Guy Courchesne]

I imagine this must differ quite a bit from country to country...even within Mexico it varies.

What I've found in various places in Mexico:

Renting a place for a full year, furnished or unfurnished can require a lease. Pretty standard issue lease in my opinion, requiring first and last month's rent, and sometimes a security deposit. I've never had any of mine translated, but I suppose you could. Some places I've seen rented out required a guarantor, with variations on the type of guarantor needed, ranging from a person who owns property in the same city, to a bank that will back you, to anyone willing to vouch for you.

Going month to month without a lease, in cash, is also very common, especially for foreigners renting furnished rooms or apartments for leases less than a year. I've never seen anyone thrown out, but I have seen some people lose their security deposits due to damage they've caused, phone bills they've run up, or shady landlords that simply don't give it back.

[naturegirl321]

Apartment contractsare usually only as good as the paper they're written on, if they haven't been notarised. Meanin that you both sign in front of a notary, you could pick up and leave and they could evict you.

It usually doesn't happen, unless you have parties at all hours.

[marcoelgrande]

Thanks guys-awesome info!

Just a few more questions:

-To find an apartment, is it better to scan the newspaper ads yourself, or approach a realtor/agency? I suppose the first option might result in a cheaper rent price, though I'm not sure.

-Is it standard practice to negotiate prices down, even as a tourist? (As a side note, have you ever found people in a particular city overly reluctant to rent out a place to non-citizens?)

-Finally, are pay-by-the-month apartments, as opposed to yearly contract places, really few and far between where you are?

Thanks for your help,
Marco

[naturegirl321]

[Justin Trullinger]

As you plan more, you'll really want to get into specific countries- SOuth America is huge, and customs related to renting vary a lot from country to country, and even within countries.

Renting to foreigners is a preferred option for many Quito landlords, as we have the reputation of paying on time. But we also have the reputation of being rich, so negotiation is advisable.

Most contracts are for one year, and pay by the month.

All contracts I've ever seen are in Spanish, which is fine with me. If you don't know Spanish, have a Spanish speaking aquaintance who you trust translate it for you- but know that the legal version, which they'll expect you to sign, will be what's written in Spanish.

Pay by the month places aren't hard to find in the cities in Ecuador, tend to be harder to find in out of the way places. Much more expensive than a regular contract though- they do tend to be furnished, which most apartments aren't.

I haven't had any real horror stories, but a few mildy unpleasant ones. (One apartment knocked halfway down by a minor earth tremor; one senile landlady who developed an issue with us, started sneaking in and stealing really weird stuff, including a wastebasket.)


Best,
Justin