Total Uruguay Expat eBook
Guidelines For Renting an Apartment in Montevideo
Lee  | | A view of the Rio de la Plata from the balcony of my second apartment in Montevideo | This is an outline of the the general process and basic requirements for renting apartment, moving in and moving out.
First, keep in mind that what is referred to as an "Apartment" in Montevideo would likely be called a "Condo" in the United States. In each building every individual unit has a different owner and is rented independently - therefore it is not uncommon to have two almost identical units rented at two very different prices. The only thing these units (apartments) have in common is that each must pay the same monthly communal building fee known as "gastos comunes". This fee can vary from 200 pesos ($8) to 15,000 pesos ($600) depending on what services are available in your building. It always covers water supply fee, after that It may cover anything from a door man ("portero") to building maintenance and cleaning, elevator service, heating, swimming pool and/or gym.
Gasto comunes for apartment buildings in Pocitos with a doorman and heating is usually 2000-4500 pesos per month (this should be listed with the rental price and may vary between summer and winter). It can be very expensive in one-apartment-per-floor buildings and those with facilities such as a swimming pool. Gastos comunes can be as low as 200 pesos in smaller buildings or places without central heating.
You may rent an apartment directly from the owner or through a real estate agent (known here as an "inmobiliaria"). Keep in mind that a real estate agency will generally deal with contracts of 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Usually you can have the lease for that period with an option to renew for the same. You should always ask that the lease have possibility to renew. There is no downside and you don't know the future so its better to have the option there. Don't bother with the real estate agents if you want to rent for less than 3 months.
If you are not fluent in Spanish I would suggest finding a friend that is. I think that will offer you more benefits than searching out a real estate agent fluent in English.
If you use the services of a real estate agent, there will be a commission: usually - 10% for 3 month leases
- 1/2 month rent for 6 month leases
- 1 month's rent for a year long lease
Make sure the real estate agent will be there for you when you move out too (they can help avoid hassles with security deposits and bills). Rental deposits are limited by law to a maximum of 5 months rent. Don't count on anything less and don't be surprised if they try to demand 6 or 7 months (I would simply walk away from any real estate agent that presented an offer request an illegal deposit). You may get lucky and only pay 1 or 2 months but it is very rare. I rented my first apartment for 3 months and paid a 2 month deposit, my second one for 6 months and paid a 3 month deposit, my current apartment for 1 year and paid 5 months deposit.
So you should plan to have 7 months worth of rent up front - Rent, Commission and Deposit. If you are moving from one apartment to another, you'll need double the deposit as you won't get your first deposit back until after you move out and the new apartment will expect the deposit before you move in. If your rental deposit is deposited at the Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay (as required by law) it must be made in Pesos. Change your dollars before you go to the bank for the best rate.
When looking to rent an apartment here are the important things to keep in mind:
Rent: Is it in dollars or pesos? Is there an option to renew your contract? If the rent is offered in pesos will they accept a contract in dollars? A good idea if your income is in dollars. How do you pay your rent? My rent has always been paid by depositing it in the owners bank account.
Gastos Comunes: What does this cover? is there heating? where do you have to pay this (because the lines in the banks here are ridiculously long and slow, if you will be working a lot you will not have time for this). Is it more/less in winter/summer?
Inmobiliaria fee: Some rental agencies (inmobiliarias) keep very quiet about this until you've signed the contract and then insist that you have to pay them a month's rent or even more for their services! Be fully informed. If they want more than the standard fees, ask why them. Talk to a different rental agency.
Type of heating (if any!): It does get cold here in winter and it can be quite damp too. It is important to know what kind of heating system a building has and if it will be sufficient for you. For example the gastos comunes may be cheap if heating is not included, but heating your apartment individually will be much more expensive and less effective than a central heating system. DO NOT RENT AN APARTMENT IN URUGUAY without reading this article about types of heating available.
Door Man: "Porteros" do a lot more than open the door here. They serve as a security guard, they sign for and collect any mail that comes for you (which is often a big plus as most buildings do not have postboxes, letters are just get pushed under the door). In many cases the porteros will help you with your bus routes, recommend handymen and other services, and maybe even act as a handyman or superintendent taking care of any simple maintenance problems you may have.
Building Amenities: Is there an elevator, a gym, a swimming pool, a roof terrace, a barbecue ("parilla") ? Do you want or need any of these things? Parking? Location: Is the area quiet at night? Is the area safe at night? Is it well serviced by public transport? Is it close to shops and places you need to go? Are there any parks or green spaces near by? Only you know what you want or need in your local area, it is easier to live close to those amenities rather than have to commute all the time.
You will also have to pay a municipal tax (tributos domiciliarios) to the local authorities (the "Intendencia"). In Montevideo this is about 340 pesos every two months. Make sure the property owner pays the prorated portion of all utilities, gastos comunes, taxes, etc for the period before you move in.
Utility costs are not included in rent or gastos comunes and will vary depending on your usage. Piped Gas (for cooking) is usually 200 pesos or so per month or 13kg propane can is 300 pesos. For Electricity (obviously depending on your personal usage habits) you can plan on 1500-2500 pesos per month (if your heating is electric it will be more). The price of electricity actually varies depending on the zone of the city you live in. A fixed telephone line is 235 pesos a month plus usage. DirecTV with HBOMAX/Movie City runs 1196 pesos (including 22% tax).
Sometimes the utility bills are in the owners name and you just pay them. Other times you'll need to open the accounts in your name. It is easier to just pay in the owners name if that's an option. However, many places (such as cell phone companies and banks) use your electric or phone bill as an "identity" document of sorts (proof of address). For that reason you may wish to put at least one of them in your name. This would be especially true if you are planning to live in Uruguay for an extended time.
The apartment sizes are listed in square meters (for a ballpark in square feet multiply by 10). Sometimes the figures include balconies. Consider them general figures. The newer buildings seem to have much smaller rooms. Most apartments are rectangular. Long narrow living/dining rooms are common. Long or small and narrow kitchens are normal. "Ambiente" is a studio where the living room, bedroom and kitchenette are all in the same room. In many apartments a lot of space is "used up" with long narrow hallways.
Furnished apartments ("inmuebles") seem to include absolutely everything you need to live - basic appliances, silverware, linen, etc. Furniture seems to range from modern to antiques to terribly uncomfortable. Unfurnished apartments can be the other extreme in that generally there will not even be light sockets in the ceiling! Usually the hot water tank is included, but ask to be sure!  |  | | You might be lucky enough to find an apartment right next to a fruit and vegetable market | Or close to the beach where you can enjoy a nice sunny day |
I found it very easy to find furnished apartments. Others have expressed difficulty. Due to the fact that furniture is fairly expensive here and the laws very much protect the tenants above the owners it is often not considered worth the risk (or cost) to furnish a rental apartment, they are afraid of damage or theft.
When you move into an apartment there will be an inventory. I found the inventory for one of my unfurnished apartments to be much more extensive than the furnished apartments, even electrical outlets and switches were included! It just depends on the owner. For your own piece of mind any defects, areas of poor condition, stains etc should be noted in the inventory, read it carefully.
The actual process of renting an apartment seems quite simple, though there are a couple of possible frustrations. The most important one is fluency in Spanish. Don't underestimate the worth of finding an Uruguayan friend to help you. Their assistance might go beyond just the language!
Once you find the perfect apartment there might be several hurdles before you can sign a lease. First, the owner might ask for another piece of property (in Uruguay!) as collateral instead of a cash security deposit! It is unlikely you'll resolve this issue so move on to one that accepts a cash deposit. Though a 5 month deposit might seem steep to from our perspective, the real concern of the landlords is the cost if you stop paying rent and refuse to move out (a common problem in Uruguay).
Some people have offered to pay a full years rent in advance only to find out the landlord wants a 5 month deposit too! You might be able to negotiate a discount on the rent, but don't count on eliminating a deposit that way.
The next hurdle may be references and/or proof of income. Since you've probably never rented in Uruguay before and don't earn your living here, these can both be a little tricky. The owner of my apartment called all 3 of my previous Uruguayan landlords and accepted a 1099 form from the USA as proof of income. However, they put a clause in the lease which was basically a declaration under penalties of perjury relative to my income. ie: to make it a serious problem for me if I lied about my income.
 |  | A view of the Port of Buceo from a luxury apartment in Buceo
| A view from the balcony of my first apartment in Villa Biarritz |
Some kind of paper which shows income is probably useful, but keep in mind that any document from the USA (and most other countries) will look "strange" to an Uruguayan property owner.
I think the reason I found it easier to rent a furnished apartment is that those apartment owners are used to renting to foreigners. They have less trouble with people paying the rent or moving out and are used to the "strange" references and incomes.
I have never had a real estate agent tell me that I need to make a decision rapidly because someone else wants the apartment (a common ploy in the USA, I believe). For example, the apartment I am in now was empty for approximately 3 months. Another recently rented by an American had been empty for 5 months before he moved in. These figures are based on the usage chart on the electric bill. I don't think you need to feel pressured to make a quick decision.
Many have commented on the lack of "business sense" among landlords here. Owners can be quite stubborn and instead of having their apartment occupied at a lower price they would prefer to leave it empty for months at a time due to an inflated asking price.
One apartment I looked at recently appeared to have been empty for quite sometime. A real estate agent showed me the property and then I looked it up on buscandocasa.com. The price and other details matched what the real estate agent told me but when I told the agent I wanted to rent it I was then informed the price had been increased by US$50! I re-checked the website and the price had indeed been increased. I told the agent I had no interest in such games and ended up finding a much better (and less expensive apartment). Months later that apartment is still listed for rent at the increased price.
After you've gotten past all those hurdles, you'll be ready to sign the lease and move in. That process is quite simple, but may it can takes several hours or longer due to waiting in line.
You may be paying the deposit to the owners directly (I did that twice) but I would not advise it for larger deposit amounts. To make the deposit the offical way, you have to go to the Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay in Centro on 18 de Julio and Rivera. The owner will also have to go with you and co-sign a special rental deposit account. Neither of you can withdraw the funds from that account without the other present.
To avoid frustration when you move out, keep track of the ID you use to open the deposit account. I got a new U.S. Passport in the interim (new U.S. Passport = new passport number). When I went to retrive my deposit, I took both passports and the bank was most interested in the "canceled" passport with the matching number. If that has been lost or stolen, I'm not sure what frustrations the bank's bureacrarcy would have had in store for me. Once you move in you may very well have no contact with the property owner again until you are ready to move out. Make sure to let the owner know 30 days before the end of your lease if you plan to renew it or move. A few good places to start your apartment search are: - Look out for "Aquilar" signs in the areas that you like and contact the phone number advertised for information. This is one way to get a good deal because many people don't bother listing their properties and just leave the sign up. - Contact a few inmobiliarias and set up appointments to view apartments. It can be an advantage to go through an inmobiliaria as they are familiar with the customs and laws regarding renting and they will help protect you from an owner that may try to take advantage of a foreigner.
- Buscandocasa.com this website seems to have the most comprehensive listing of properties and is a very good place to get a general idea of prices in the different areas ("barrios") of Montevideo. Most listings lack much descriptive detail, but there are plenty of photos and prices.
-Gallito.com This is the online version of the classifieds ads from El Pais newspaper. If buying the print version Sunday is the best day but the updates don't go online until Monday. - Total Uruguay Rental Ads Here you will find a number of properties for rent. The advantage to this page is that the information is in English and you may directly contact the realtors. - Total Uruguay Real Estate Classifieds There are a number of properties listed for sale throughout Uruguay. View pictures of the local area and get an idea of property prices. If you have aproperty for rent or for sale you can list it on either of these Total Uruguay sites for free.
Guidelines For Renting an Apartment in Montevideo
Total Uruguay Expat eBook
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