apt. q's: are agencies the safest? how long do they take? USDs?

[jrockstar80]

Hi everyone,

I'm moving to BA in early Jan. and have some Q's about apartments. My Spanish is very good, but not fluent, if that influences your answers.

I posted these Q's in my post in the newcomers forum: http://baexpats.org/newcomers-forum...short-term-apt-tips-other-tips.html#post88839 so I hope nobody wastes their time answering twice...

a) Because of problems with getting security deposits returned, it sounds like the safest thing to do, at least for the first month, is just rent an apt through an agency. Is that about right?

b) Also, how long does it take to line up an apt through an agency when you're there? I'm wondering whether I will be spending so much money on a hostel/pension while I find an apt. that it makes sense to just line up an apt. before leaving (Let's of course assume that an apt. through the agency will be what is advertised...)

c) if you can't negotiate payments in pesos and need USD, is the consensus that casas de cambio is the best (only) way for people with visas turistas to do this?

Thanks in advance... this is the biggest anxiety I have about getting to BA!

 

[PhilipDT]

I would absolutely never ever arrange an apartment before you´re in the country. I did this once and it was a huge mistake.

 

[Guille Amejka]

Hi,

Here are my suggestions/responses. We lived in Buenos Aires 4 time in the last 5 years.

a) We have rented through agencies with a lot of success. I would recommend Romina at http://www.cometobaires.com/ She is very professional and customer service oriented. I would stay away from ByT. We rented a place from them and there were some issues. ByT's customer services was very poor.

b) You can usually find an apartment in a day or 2. I would recommend visiting the place and not just relying on fotos from the internet. You are really renting the neighborhood as well as an apartment. Visit the area in the AM and PM. Sometimes a nice place in the morning is not so nice in the evening. Also, if the apartment is very close to a school, you might not have peace and quiet during the daytime.


c) Check with the agency. They might take pesos. You will just need to agree on the conversion rate. The current rate is almost 4 to 1

1 U.S. dollar = 3.96270304 Argentine pesos

Good luck!

Saludos,
Bill

 

[sesamosinsal]

Agencies here are not great. They collect their fee, and you never see them again.

I've rented two apartments with agencies. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never had any major problems. In fact, the owner of the second one gave me her contact information, and I ended up renting her place this year directly through her. I even wired her my deposit money. So, there do exist honest and trustworthy property owners.

Regarding your questions:

a.) Yes. I always rent through an agency to find something else. Renting for a month at one place gives you a nice home-base to start your search.

b.) Agency apartments for tourists are done online. BAStay and Idearental are two companies that I have used. They are not amazing, but they work.

c.) Refuse to pay in dollars. I always get the deposit in dollars, but I refuse to pay the rentin dollars. If they want dollars, tell them to give you the difference between the compra/venta rate (usually like .02 ARS per dollar-- www.dolarhoy.com ) and a 20-peso fee (for your time) to buy them. (There are limits in place for locals to buy dollars, I believe). It's illegal to demand rent in dollars.

 

[tinto]

I´m the manager of Casa34, a small (Dutch-owned) rental agency. There are two permanent employees, myself and Celia. I moved here from California in 2006 and Celia is Argentine. Currently we have a Dutch and a French intern. If you are looking for great customer service and personalized help with your search, we are the agency for you.

Most of our property owners will take pesos for the monthly rent. The problem with waiting until you are in Buenos Aires to start looking for an apartment is that all the good stuff is probably already booked. Of course there are gems to be found through hours of Craig´s Listing, etc., but your best bet is to rent something for 1-2 months and let patiently start your long-term search either through an agency or on your own.

If you are interested in seeing which apartments we have available in January, please contact me by email: [email protected] or Skype: Courtney-casa34. We also have a U.S. toll-free number: (888) 242 2963. We are in the office M-F from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.

 

[Sofkapopka]

Hi there,

I am moving back to the UK for an initial 6 month period as of December 28th and am looking to rent out my apartment.

It is a one-bedroom PH (in spanish this means "piso horizontal" or horizontal floor which is located on the ground floor of a 6 apartment building). It has a dining room, living room, office, walk in wardrobe, kitchen, breakfast bar small walled garden and bathroom with bath and shower and is bright and airy with very high ceilings throughout. Internet, aircon, and washing machine are also included.

The apartment is situated in the Colegiales neighbourhood, a cluster of beautiful tree-lined streets near the train and subway stations (D line) and a short walk into Palermo Hollywood. The area is very safe and buzzy with professionals and young families (everyone seems to own either a dog or a bicycle!) and lots of great coffee shops and restaurants.

Personally I have not had good experiences with agencies so am looking to find a tenant directly. You can find photos of the apartment on the site soloduenos.com (a site dedicated especially to landlords) http://www.soloduenos.com.ar/ficha.asp?Id=89863&EsEscritorio=S

If this sounds like it might be of interest, feel free to get in touch either by email or via skype: sofisdesk (Argentina)

Good luck!

 

[citygirl]

.

c.) Refuse to pay in dollars. I always get the deposit in dollars, but I refuse to pay the rentin dollars. If they want dollars, tell them to give you the difference between the compra/venta rate (usually like .02 ARS per dollar-- www.dolarhoy.com ) and a 20-peso fee (for your time) to buy them. (There are limits in place for locals to buy dollars, I believe). It's illegal to demand rent in dollars.

Just an FYI, I don't believe it's illegal if you have signed a contract where you agreed to pay the rent in X currency. The landlord has the right to stipulate and if you have agreed to it, you really can't argue after the fact.

Some landlords want rent in dollars because of the relative uncertainty of the peso. In fact, the vast majority of short-term rents are quoted in dollars. You usually can pay in pesos at that days conversion but the landlord may require you, the tenant, to cover the conversion charges as s/he will probably then change it into dollars.

ETA - Really, there is no hard & fast rule so it's best to talk with your landlord. For example, my rent is in dollars. I usually pay the owner half in dollars to her US account (she is overseas) and then half in pesos here to a family member who uses the money to pay the local bills. In this case, it works out for both of us.

 

[tinto]

One more comment following what citygirl said about dollars: sometimes the landlords need the dollars to pay a mortgage here or their bank account is in dollars so they ask for that currency.

It might be illegal to do a standard two-year lease with garantía, etc., in dollars, but I´ve never heard that before. It is not illegal to do short-term rentals in dollars.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Just an FYI, I don't believe it's illegal if you have signed a contract where you agreed to pay the rent in X currency. The landlord has the right to stipulate and if you have agreed to it, you really can't argue after the fact.

"En todos los supuestos, los alquileres se establecerán en moneda de curso legal al momento de concretarse. Será nula, sin perjuicio de la validez del contrato, la cláusula por la cual se convenga el pago en moneda que no tenga curso legal. En este caso, el precio quedará sujeto a la determinación judicial."

-Ley de Alquileres

and...

"La moneda de curso legal en Argentina es el PESO ($)." ~Argentina.gov.ar