kre8ivelyXposed - you asked: "The bigger question for me is whether a tenant would ever have socalled "squatter's rights" whereby the tenant had legal right to the apartment by virtue of just living there for a long period of time without a lease or comodato and only a utility or phone line in his or her name. "
YES. A friend of mine (Argentine) was in a similar situation. She allowed a "friend" to move on to her farm. This "friend" was also working at the farm. After 3 months, it became apparent it wasn't a good situaiton & she attempted to evict the person.
It took over THREE YEARS, multiple court dates & judgements, etc to get the person out. In the meantime, the "friend" had destroyed her property and there was nothing she could do about it. She sued for damages & the friend still owes her some 60K pesos but given the friend has nothing legally in her name, she'll never collect a penny. Seriously, it is very, very difficult to evict, especially if your friend is paying bills, etc & basically establishing herself as the resident.
For your own protection ALWAYS get a lease in place. If something happens, it will be very difficult for you to handle.
