Bairesapartments.com

[betts]

Hi All,
We are working with the above named temporary apartment rental agency to find an apartment for a 3 month stay in BA. Has anyone on the forum had any experience in dealing with them? We have just heard words of caution in dealing with apartment rental agencies in general and was wondering if any one could give a recommendation on them based on actual experience.
They want a downpayment to hold the apartment and wanted us to do this via Paypal. We asked for documentation before we sent any money, which they did provide - but we did think it odd that we had to ask. It was more like - here let me send you the link and you can make the payment.
We have spoken with them many times on the phone and sent many emails back and forth and they seem to be very nice and have made an effort to accomodate our pet. So any feedback anyone would have on them would be great.
Thanks!

 

[captdave]

Hello there!

I do not know that particular agency, but I would like to say that, in my opinion, you may want to consider finding a temporary place to stay (for a day or two) while you personally inspect the apartment(s) you are interested in. Many rental agents here can be somewhat shady, and even reputable agencies can have problems with the actual owners, who may believe for example that the fact that they advertised a washing machine or cable TV doesn't mean they actually work! Getting a refund of your deposit is virtually unheard of - once you send them the money it's gone!

You want to make sure the apartment you rent is on a nice block, in a neighborhood you want to live in, that it isn't too noisy or too dark, etc. Since these things are somewhat subjective, I feel a personal inspection is important, especially for a stay of 3 months (you can put up with a lot of things for 7 days that get old after a month or two!)

I understand traveling with a pet complicates this a little, so PM me for a few suggestions on where you could land while you look for the right place to stay.

Good luck!

David

Hi All,
We are working with the above named temporary apartment rental agency to find an apartment for a 3 month stay in BA. Has anyone on the forum had any experience in dealing with them? We have just heard words of caution in dealing with apartment rental agencies in general and was wondering if any one could give a recommendation on them based on actual experience.
They want a downpayment to hold the apartment and wanted us to do this via Paypal. We asked for documentation before we sent any money, which they did provide - but we did think it odd that we had to ask. It was more like - here let me send you the link and you can make the payment.
We have spoken with them many times on the phone and sent many emails back and forth and they seem to be very nice and have made an effort to accomodate our pet. So any feedback anyone would have on them would be great.
Thanks!

 

[Recoleta Carolina]

Hi All,
We are working with the above named temporary apartment rental agency to find an apartment for a 3 month stay in BA. Has anyone on the forum had any experience in dealing with them? We have just heard words of caution in dealing with apartment rental agencies in general and was wondering if any one could give a recommendation on them based on actual experience.
They want a downpayment to hold the apartment and wanted us to do this via Paypal. We asked for documentation before we sent any money, which they did provide - but we did think it odd that we had to ask. It was more like - here let me send you the link and you can make the payment.
We have spoken with them many times on the phone and sent many emails back and forth and they seem to be very nice and have made an effort to accomodate our pet. So any feedback anyone would have on them would be great.
Thanks!

Listen to captdave. He is giving you good advice.

The market is flooded with available rentals. Tourism is down. There is no need to send money in advance not knowing exactly what you are getting. Pictures on the internet can be deceiving. Also, your location is so important....you want to see what you are getting in person. And, it is true that once you give your deposit the chances of getting it back are nil and none. Also, you will most likely get a much cheaper price on your rental if you are there in person with cash in hand than if you book over the internet.

 

[jez]

If you turn up in BA and are able to find an Apartment that is available for 3 months at short notice I would ask myself why it was available...

I rent an apartment in Palermo and if you wanted to rent it straight through for 3 months the earliest availability would be October 2009!

 

[kmadigan]

Hi,
I've used bairesapartments 3 times, all successfully. I booked online from the U.S., and they didn't charge my credit card, as promised. I paid cash for the deposit upon arrival and received the cash back upon departure, no problem. My apartment was in Recoleta, great location, and it looked like the photo.
k

 

[taurito]

Personally, I wouldn't pay any money in advance. There are plenty of apartments around.

Check out http://www.nostromondoba.com/Departamentos.asp?I=E
Give Pedro a call or send him an email and he will drive you around when you get here. Speaks good Englsih too.

 

[svaldez9]

Their website makes them seem to be a pretty professional company but I have no experience with them. I want to make two points:

1) Don't book according to the price they have on their website, you need to try to negotiate. The real estate market here is taking a pretty hard hit as the recession moves our way. They may not have adjusted the prices on their website to reflect this.
2) Point 1 brings me to my next point. Wait until you get here to book. Stay in a cheap hotel or hostel for a few nights. You are likely to meet a couple people where you stay or get a free source of local advice, you'll be able to see the places before making any decisions and you can try negotiating in person (hopefully outside their office, ideally over a couple beers!). Negotiating in person is better for you for 2 reasons: a) You can look the person in the eye and be humanized; the trust level here is extremely low and lack of trust draws a premium on the rentals for people without 'garantias' (a garantia is essentially a LOCAL asset that backs your rental that they can try to take if you try to take over their place without paying rent).... if they like you and think they can trust you they will be much more open to negotiation b) The prices are going down... I am not sure how long you have until you arrive but if it is more than a few days then let the market drop a bit more before you make any commitments.

If you take my advice and arrive without a place I can give you a hand. I'm from the States but I've been here for 2 years and have a some friends that own rental companies and properties. I can get pretty good deals.

If you want to contact me my email address is svaldez9 (at) gmail.com.

Best of Luck!

Abrazo,
Scott