Apt. Rental in Pesos...?? Light Blue Rate..??

[MiamiExpat]

My landlord has just asked to switch my rent from the official rate to the "light blue" rate, when we had previously agreed to use the official rate exclusively.

I think it might be fair for her to ask this, but I don't think it's right to have agreed to one price in the beginning and then renege on the prior agreement all of the sudden. Should I just accept her request? It's not wholly unfair, but I mean, if I agree to a bad deal, I accept it and move on, so I am a but apprehensive toward making it seem perfectly fine to change the terms of our arrangement midstream.

 

[anjuna11]

My landlord has just asked to switch my rent from the official rate to the "light blue" rate, when we had previously agreed to use the official rate exclusively.

I think it might be fair for her to ask this, but I don't think it's right to have agreed to one price in the beginning and then renege on the prior agreement all of the sudden. Should I just accept her request? It's not wholly unfair, but I mean, if I agree to a bad deal, I accept it and move on, so I am a but apprehensive toward making it seem perfectly fine to change the terms of our arrangement midstream.

No, you should not accept that. Each side should abide by the terms of the original agreement. If the landlord did not think that was fair, well she should not have agreed to it...

ESPECIALLY if you have it in writing, no way I would let someone go back after the fact and change a signed agreement.

 

[earlyretirement]

No, you should not accept that. Each side should abide by the terms of the original agreement. If the landlord did not think that was fair, well she should not have agreed to it...

ESPECIALLY if you have it in writing, no way I would let someone go back after the fact and change a signed agreement.

I agree. If your landlord already agreed to accept the rent in pesos at the official rate then she can't go back on her word now.

Did you get a written rental contract? How is it worded in the rental contract?

Tell her you will finish out your current contract under the mutually agreed upon terms and conditions and then you are open to discuss it after the lease is up (or just before it's up for any possible extension period).

I don't have any problems with a rental owner if they want to charge in dollars or even at the black/blue rate as long as they are upfront with a potential guest before the lease starts. But once they agree to the terms and conditions, both sides need to honor and respect them.

 

[Iznogud]

Landlords use(d) dollars to try to keep up with inflation instead of varying rates every two months even as/when the dollar was nailed to the ground. They lost some money while gaining a little peace of mind. But the dollar was effectively lagging way behind inflation rates for years. Rent has been for the most part a fixed rate when everything else has gone bananas.

Now inflation is still unchecked but instead of controlling the rate, the Government wants people to forget about the dollar and grab them all for itself and God knows what unholy purpose.
The dollar, while not the strongest currency, has traditionally been our means to save and combat peso inflation and depreciation.

Government grabing our dollars? Yes, been there, done that. They took the shirt off my back as well.

So, landlords are not evil greedy iceholes (well, not all of them), they're just trying to keep up like the rest of us. They -mostly- payed good dollars for their properties, it only makes sense to them that they get dollars for them as well. Particularly when they saved those dollars to somehow protect themselves from the peso insane behaviour.

 

[jez]

Am I the one person in Argentina who gives the official rate?

Book my apartment today (30 August 2012) and I'll give you the official rate: USD1 = AR$ 4.64

My apartment rates are in USD (international recognisable currency as I have guests from all around the world). I take a deposit to confirm the reservation in USD via PayPal (or £ via bank transfer to my UK account or AR$ to my Argentine account at the official exchange rate on the day)

If my client pays me in USD via Paypal, PayPal takes 2.9% commission > Paypal converts balance to GBP and charges me 2.5% for the privilege of doing so > I withdraw cash on my UK bank Card and get charged 3%. So I end up paying 8.4% to receive my money and don't benefit from the Blue Rate.

On check-in the client pays the rest in USD or AR$ equivalent at the official rate on the day of the check-in as per: 'Cotizacion Billetes' on the Banco de la Nacion website: http://www.bna.com.ar/ I occasionally get requests to pay the Balance in USD via PayPal which means I loose even more through commission & fees.

The only trouble is my apartment is located in Bariloche!: www.BarilocheView.com

 

[earlyretirement]

Am I the one person in Argentina who gives the official rate?

Short answer..

YES.

 

[prunes61]

Dollars are not a prohibited commodity.

While US dollars may not be a prohibited commidity, it is prohibited by Arg law to insist upon payment for rental propery in US $. Any rental contract clause purporting to require payment in US $ is voidable and unenforceable pursuant to LEY Nº 23.091-http://infoleg.mecon.gov.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/25000-29999/27287/norma.htm
which provides in pertinent part:
ARTICULO 1º —
....En todos los supuestos, los alquileres se establecerán en moneda de curso legal al momento de concertarse. 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 determinación judicial.

Landlords are free to charge as much as they want in pesos. I know of no legal prohibition on building rent price increases into the original rental agreement to kick in at periodic time frames over the term of the lease.

 

[Iznogud]

Am I the one person in Argentina who gives the official rate?

"There can be only one." - Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez

 

[Xeneizes]

I agreed to a price at the official rate (of the day of the purchase, and paid a flat peso fee each month), although he did bump up my rent 8% after 5 months.

 

[TheBlackHand]

Th real rate is the blue rate. Would anybody here accept anything less than the blue rate for their dollars ??? If not why do you think an owner should ??

Because your opinions aren't based on any other logic than " fuck everybody else except me " which is a perfectly fine attitude to have. Just don't expect an owner to go out of their way to accommodate your self centered attitude though.

If you don't like the rate. then look for another property or owner. There is nothing illegal about asking for the real world value of something.