Are you coming to Buenos Aires? Planning to rent an apartment? How will you proceed next?
You have a million agencies that rent temporary apartments to foreigners. But who are you going to trust with your business? And be warned, there are plenty of unscrupulous agencies out there that love to take advantage of tourists dollars.
I have been renting apartments to foreigners from 2005, and after many clients with very positive stays, I know how to help you! The following is a guide of how things work and a few things to watch out for in the world of renting in Buenos Aires!
When renting apartments you have 2 different directions to take, depending on the length of your stay.
1. Short term: If you are coming for a short stay, the best option is to book an apartment online.
2. Long term: My recommendation is to book something short term online (I recommend the first month since the rent is a better deal than weekly and a month gives you time to get to know the city and it’s neighbourhoods). During this time you will be able to go VISIT the apartments you are interested in. Many times people experience that what they see online is not quite the reality of the apartment (Be careful). The only negative part to this is that anything you find ahead of time online, may no longer be available when you arrive.
Our clients find there are always plenty of options as we manage over 100 apartments personally and also work with 2 trusted agencies. So we can always find a great option for you!
When you arrive at the airport, you can get a taxi and we will meet you at the apartment to check you in. We watch the flights for your arrival so if you are delayed, we are aware, and are at the apartment at the correct time to meet you.
It is important to reserve the apartment you like as soon as you find it and can see yourself living there! WHY? Because if you take a few days to think it over... it may be too late (it happens ALL the time, especially with really good apartments or good deals, because the other people looking at it are saying the same). The reservation will be between U$100 and U$500 depending on the length of your stay and price of the apartment (owners need assurance that they will make something since they are turning down others once you have committed). This reservation fee will be put toward the total amount due on check in. It is NOT an extra fee.
Check in: You will sign a contract and receive the keys to the apartment (this day is arranged between you and the owner). You will need to pay in CASH! This is a unique part of South America (especially Argentina). BE AWARE: it does not matter the amount of money in your bank account, getting money from ATMs in BA is not easy. Many times there are ridiculously low limits (from $300 PESOS per day). The ATMs give pesos only (despite the option on their menus for Dollars) and you will need to change the pesos into Dollars to pay for most rentals. If you are planning on moving tomorrow, it may not be possible. Most Owners will not allow you to move in unless the full amount owed at check-in is paid. A few suggestions for handling this:
1. Bring Your home currency (Dollars or Euros are the easiest to change) to put down for your initial rent and deposit. This is excellent for the deposit especially since you will be getting the same currency back upon check out.
2. Prepare in advance. You can take out your limit for the needed number of days before your check in (Example: you need 3000 pesos and your limit is 500. Go to the ATM each day for 6 days in a row and get 500 each day). Leave yourself a few extra days just in case, remember you also need money to live on and eat with J!
3. Many times you have a limit (suchas $500 pesos), but you are able to put your card right back in the machine and draw again. Usually this is capped and you can only do it 3 times, but better than once.
4. Most owners prefer that the rent is paid in Dollars. A reputable exchange house that I have used for over 6 years and never had a problem with fake bills or a bad exchange is the exchange house on Juramento at Cabildo in Belgrano, across the street from the ice cream shop “Freddo”. You can exchange without ID as well.To check in, you normally need: 1-2 months of rent in advance, 1 month for the deposit (for both of these it depends on the length of stay and the apartment), and U$35-50 Admin fee (a one time fee; amount depends on the agency)
Deposit: The deposit is refundable on your check out from the apartment. Be sure that everything is in good working condition when you leave. If a glass was broken or something small, be sure to let the owner know (that is normally part of renting an apartment and understandable). However if there is something major that is wrong with the apartment (something major is broken; window, TV, etc.) be prepared for it to come from your deposit. If you return the apartment as you came into it, you should expect your deposit back.
Many times the price will include maid service (usually once a week for a few hours; they cover the basics depending on the apartment). This service can be adjusted with the cleaner themselves (and extra paid directly to the cleaner) if you need more (washing, shopping, etc.).
Check out: For our check outs we always have the owner there as well as Andrea to go through the inventory. We are always at the check out to act as an intermediate between you and the owner, always helping our clients to receive their full deposit.
Anything else you need, we are always there for our clients (a good reason to choose Andrea’s Style).I hope this information will help you! Enjoy your stay in Buenos Aires!!!
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