Landlord wants the rent paid... In cash, in a different city!???

[USAtoBA]

Hi friends,

First thanks as always to everyone who helps here. I backed out of an apartment deal today. The landlord/immobiliara wrote in the contract that I would have to go to Canning once a month to pay the rent from Monte Grande. 8 kilómetros. I know things are different here but that was completely unacceptable for me. They did give me my deposit back at least. I'm learning quickly why all expats stay in Caba or Palermo, and Airbnb in general.

Was that request in the contract the norm?

 

[Stafford]

First of all, good for you for walking out on it. That's not acceptable. And not normal. Anyone who asks for something like that is not living in reality and this request would have been the tip of the iceberg. Renting in Argentina can be frustrating, but in the provincia and in CABA there are good landlords. It seems like you won't find them, after so many nightmares like that. But eventually you will. Stick in there.

The landlord likely lives in a barrio cerrado and leaving the premises is a deep psychological shock to the system - even if they were to only do it once a month to get their money. They would need to be sure the locks are working on their car doors, that they had enough supplies onboard (water, food, etc.) to wait out a flat tire, since ACA can take forever. They'd need to be constantly watching their backs, especially after collecting your USD. They'd feel marked. They likely assumed you would have told the other hooligans in MG about the monthly pickup and each trip back to the country would be a white knuckled trip through booby traps. Much better for you to come to them, so they don't have to leave those big gates and not face the horrors of the outside world.

Fuera de joda, keep searching. You'll find the right landlord. And don't give up on MG. It's a beautiful suburb.
have you tried De Ollas y Sueños? One of my top 5 favorite restaurants in Argentina. The setting is magic. The owners are amazing and the food is delicious.

 

[MarshallE]

I don't see the problem. Lots of landlords want dollars cash, you can't teleport the money. So either he comes to you to collect cash or you go to him. Sounds like he was too lazy to drive out to you and expected you to go to him

 

[USAtoBA]

First of all, good for you for walking out on it. That's not acceptable. And not normal. Anyone who asks for something like that is not living in reality and this request would have been the tip of the iceberg. Renting in Argentina can be frustrating, but in the provincia and in CABA there are good landlords. It seems like you won't find them, after so many nightmares like that. But eventually you will. Stick in there.

The landlord likely lives in a barrio cerrado and leaving the premises is a deep psychological shock to the system - even if they were to only do it once a month to get their money. They would need to be sure the locks are working on their car doors, that they had enough supplies onboard (water, food, etc.) to wait out a flat tire, since ACA can take forever. They'd need to be constantly watching their backs, especially after collecting your USD. They'd feel marked. They likely assumed you would have told the other hooligans in MG about the monthly pickup and each trip back to the country would be a white knuckled trip through booby traps. Much better for you to come to them, so they don't have to leave those big gates and not face the horrors of the outside world.

Fuera de joda, keep searching. You'll find the right landlord. And don't give up on MG. It's a beautiful suburb.
have you tried De Ollas y Sueños? One of my top 5 favorite restaurants in Argentina. The setting is magic. The owners are amazing and the food is delicious.

Ollas Y Sueños is on my list! Perhaps I'll go this week.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[LuckyLuke]

There's a lot of negreada down here where landlords want physical cash (ideally dollars) for their rent. They want to tax evade, plain and simple. You do not have to go along with it. Nevertheless, until you get a local bank account, paying rent will be a pain in the ass since all you have is physical cash.

Since you, nor the landlord, want to visit each other, the best solution is you can offer to deposit the rent directly into the landlords bank on his behalf. This assumes they bank at a branch that is actually near you. This is the best middle ground. If they are too slimy to bank their rents, you can offer them to pick up the cash themselves. Making you deliver cash like some back alley drug deal is not only degrading, there is no paper trail that you've paid them anything, which is a liability on your part if there's ever a rent dispute.