I have found the PERFECT job...Encargado

[citygirl]

Speaking of creative "benefits" - I once rented an apt here but had to leave for a few weeks for travel. I had left keys with some friends of mine to come over & check on things. While my friend was in the apt, the encargado's sister & her boyfriend keyed themselves into my apt using the encargado's keys. They obviously didn't realize my friend had stopped over. My guess was they were planning on (at the best) utilizing my apt as a love nest or at the worst, robbing me. When they saw my friend, they quickly left.

After that, I was always very cautious to not tell the building staff if I was traveling.

 

[lejohnson]

The main encargado in my old building in Recoleta made 10,000 pesos a month plus lived in the building for free, was incredibly rude and was NEVER at the door. The other 2 encargados made similar wages (8,000/ month) but they at least did their job well. The salary has a lot to do with location and how long someone has been working in the building. If an encargado has been in the building for a long time, the wages can be ridiculous and it is almost impossible to replace him due to union hassles and other laws even if he doesn't do his job.

 

[marksoc]

My place in the suburbs:

- Encargado: 5,329 ARS (August and a holiday)
- His wife (cleaner): 4,725 ARS.
- the Sunday encargado: 736 ARS

Garbage bags: 162 ARS
Cleaning stuff: 194 ARS

He gets the apartment in the seventh floor (of 11 floors) and I think the services.

The building is always clean, everything gets fixed quickly, sometimes we pay more to do an extensive reparation (like the elevators), the encargado is always available for any problem. He has been working in this building at least 17 years.

 

[sergio]

Speaking of creative "benefits" - I once rented an apt here but had to leave for a few weeks for travel. I had left keys with some friends of mine to come over & check on things. While my friend was in the apt, the encargado's sister & her boyfriend keyed themselves into my apt using the encargado's keys. They obviously didn't realize my friend had stopped over. My guess was they were planning on (at the best) utilizing my apt as a love nest or at the worst, robbing me. When they saw my friend, they quickly left.

After that, I was always very cautious to not tell the building staff if I was traveling.

Give keys ONLY to the most trusted friends!

 

[citygirl]

Give keys ONLY to the most trusted friends!

Eh? I only give keys to very close friends. In that instance, the encargado's sister keyed herself into the apt using HIS key. I didn't give it to them - it was a rental property and the owner had given the encargado a set of keys (I assume) which the cleaning women, etc used.

When your rent, you don't usually have any idea who has keys or not to the apt.

 

[DontMindMe]

When your rent, you don't usually have any idea who has keys or not to the apt.

So true. I had no idea how many people had the key to my apartment until I spent a couple weeks working from home. The maid has one, which I would expect, but so did two different repairmen, one of whom I had to ask to stop smoking in the living room. The other brought his three young kids with him. He didn't realize I was at home. Of course even though these people just screw around during the day (why do you need two weeks to paint a tiny bathroom ceiling?), they apparently have the utmost level of trust from the owner which means they aren't going anywhere. I just wish I could get a phone call or something to be aware that a strange man is about to enter my apartment, because it freaks me out every time they come in with no warning.

Makes me want to say, you know what owner, give all the damned keys to me and I will paint the stupid bathroom ceiling myself in one day, without having to take breaks to smoke/play with my kids/talk on my cell phone for an hour/blast cumbia. I hope he pays by the job and not by the hour!