Rental agencies - are they good? Which one to choose?

[Gono]

I’m looking to rent an apartment for 1-2 months starting from this week, and I’m leaning towards going through a rental agency.
However, I’ve done some research online and there are LOTS of agencies for apartment rental, so I don’t really know which to use.
Which are the good/bad ones?
Are agencies to be trusted, is there anything to think about when renting?
I need a receipt (for my companys expenses), should I expect to get one?
Will it be possible to bargain the price? My budget is around $1000/month.

I guess there are several of you here who have experience with agencies, so if any of you have any advice it would be highly appreciated!

These are some that I’ve found:
http://www.rentapart-baires.com.ar/inicio.aspx?IDIOMA=ES (seems to have the best prices?)
http://www.alojargentina.com/
http://www.homestayargentina.com.ar/index.htm
http://www.rentapartmentbuenosaires.com/default.asp
http://www.4rentargentina.com/
http://byt-argentina.com.ar/
www.apartmentsba.com
www.friendlyapartments.com/apart.htm
www.myspaceba.com
www.argentinahomes.com
www.roomargentina.com
www.stayinbuenosaires.com
www.tucasargentina.com
www.yourhomeinargentina.com.ar


There are lots of rentals on Craigslist, it seems like they have about the same prices as agencies.
Also couchsurfing has a section for rentals and room-sharing in Buenos Aires, which seems to be pretty active.

 

[dr__dawggy]

try vrbo.com or homeaway.com for other options.

Do your homework. There are lots of agencies and individuals trying to take advantage of extranjeros. Good luck...

 

[Ries]

I like Beatriz, at
http://www.buenosaireshousing.com.ar/index.html

I rented from her about a dozen times while my place was being renovated, and she helps me manage my apartment when I am not in Buenos Aires.

She is totally trustworthy.

 

[Celia]

I second Beatriz, lovely lady, gets things sorted out really efficiently...

 

[clooz]

I've used byt about 6 times.

The advantages of using a large agency to me were significant - they have a staffed office downtown and at eze. They answer the phone whenever you call including at night. These are advantages that I used when my flights were delayed a day and I needed to reschedule the arrival/check in date/time from some god forsaken place time zone airport. They were at the apartment checkins on time every time. They take responsibility to replace broken missing not working things in the apartments so you don't have to call the owner - in effect a kind of one-stop maintenance call for cleaning, flooding, water heater pilot light, wifi, etc. You can assume things will go out during national vacations or Sunday while small agencies and owners will be out of town for a month. Their office staff was endlessly cheerful, patient and helpful. When I called to ask for something to be provided that was missing, they always helped without complaint. They have many listings so possible to get the size and price in the location you prefer. No extra charges. All very useful.

Disadvantages: They have many listings so the quality of apartments is all over the place in terms of wear and tear, furnishings and cleanliness. Overall you get what you overpay for. When you book a place only having seen it via the web site it could be great or not. They all looked about the same quality in the pix. When you submit a negative report at the end of a rental it doesn't show up on their reviews web site, only the positive ones seem to show up. Not surprising of course.

Things to avoid like the plague: carpets - they don't get cleaned. windows that face the summer sun in the afternoon. microcenter locations. first few floors on streets with bus routes. Things to look for: contrafrente locations are quieter. higher floors are quieter. what you see out the windows in pictures is what you will see - how far away are the buildings outside?

 

[Gono]

Thanks a lot for your ressponses. I've contacted a few today, will also try these mentioned here tomorrow. Will post how it goes!

 

[annet]

I used byt when I first moved here to find a homestay. I went into their office and told them I wanted to see places before I paid anything. So they looked through the places on their site with me and called the owners to set up appointments. I was really pleased with the place I chose and had a good experience all around. However, I cannot speak to what their rental properties are like or the flexibility of the prices. If you can you should go in and talk to one of the staff members (agents?). Ask to see places before you rent. It was well worth it to stay in a hostel for a few days while I looked around for a more permanent place. In the end I found my current apartment on Craigslist and it was much cheaper than any of the rental places, but required a lot more digging and patience. Good luck!

 

[Holden]

I will add these three sites to the list:

http://buenosairestravelrent.com/
http://buenosairesapartments4rent.com/
http://idearental.com/

I have used all three and never had any problems.

I have also used BYTArgentina before and I got stuck with an apartment that had horribly slow internet (even though "high speed internet" was included) and when I offered to pay more to upgrade the Internet the owner was in Spain and could not be reached. That was in 2006 but I never used BYT again since they really didn't do much to try to help me and I need Internet to live/work.

 

[harrisonba]

I have to add my two cents about http://byt-argentina.com.ar/. I tried them based on the recommendations above. I found a great place in Palermo, and enquired about a 2 month rental using their online reservation form (I'm actually looking for a 5 month rental, but I'm not about to commit to/prepay for 5 months until I've slept a week in the place).

The one odd thing about the listing is that wi-fi wasn't listed as an amenity. Very odd in my experience, so I assumed it was an omission.

I emailed asking for clarification of wi-fi coverage and to view the suite before signing a lease. I was told, nope no internet connection at all, and: "Viewings are possible for extended stays of 3 months and above." I then replied saying that I would rent a 5-month term if the owner installed/included wi-fi.

In spite of the calendar showing full availability for the term I wanted, I received the following bullshit reply: "I am afraid the apartment will not be available for the period of your stay."

So in other words, go away -- doing business with you smacks of effort.

 

[dutara]

One thing that can be to your advantage is if the landlord tries to get a few extra bucks out of you for bullshit reasons (look at that scratch on the floor!) the agent might talk some sense into them.
Still, whoever you go with keep your wits about you and be shrewd. And for chrissake don't put down a deposit for something you've never seen. Yeah, they may say the deposit is refundable if you don't like it after you've seen it, but then they'll keep it, or some of it, and call it a service fee; for more on how that one works see some old Marx Brothers movies.
I recently had a agent email me that they don't show short-term rentals. You looks at the pictures and puts down your money. I can't believe people go along with this.