This quick guide will help you find a place in South America with less risk and hassle. We discuss the the three main types of accommodation, apartments, hostels and home stays and mention some key points you should bear in mind when looking for a place to stay.

Apartments:

The market:

Renting furnished apartments has become increasingly popular in Argentina and Chile over the past five years. This is especially true in the big cities where apartment living offers the traveller independence and potentially a more authentic, less touristy stay.

Furnished apartments range in price from US$400 or US500 for a basic studio in a not so great area right up to $7000 per month for a high end large apartment in a top area. If renting an apartment by yourself you should be easily able to find somewhere good for less than $900 a month. If sharing and looking for a two bedroom, you will find great apartments for less than $1100 a month. These rates are based on Buenos Aires and apartments are cheaper outside the capital. Apartments in Santiago are slightly more expensive as those in Buenos Aires with some arguing that the specification of apartments is generally superior there.

Note: there are two distinctinctve markets for apartment rental in South America. The overpriced furnished apartment market is geared at tourists (and to a lesser extent travelling business executives) who generally stay for less than 6 months and need an apartment ready to go with check in\ check out service, bills paid and linen supplied. Some would say these apartments are almost akin to long term hotel room rental although in my opinion to say that would be quite a stretch. The other market is the general rental market which South Americans will use. The asking rent for a property in the furnished market is generally two to three times more expensive than the equivalent property in the general market.

Agents claim that the reason for this huge huge difference in prices is because a. all expenses and bills are generally included in the furnished apartment market. b. the cost of furnishing a furnished apartment and c. the cost of providing assistance in English, checking in checking out etc.. in reality while these explanations do account for some of the difference, the real reason comes down to purchasing power.

Those of you who speak reasonable Spanish and hate paying over the odds may believe you can squeeze yourself into the general market by offering a bigger deposit or by promising to rent for a long period of time. Sorry it's just not that easy folks..the general rental market in South America is much more a closed affair than back in Europe or the North America and you will not have a breeze of a chance..

To rent in the general market you would need another property in Argentina as a security, to be willing to wait a much longer amount of time to find a good apartment in a good area and finally the usual lease is a minimum of 24 months in this market. As such my advice is to basically forget the general market and instead focus your efforts on finding yourself a good deal in the furnished short term market. 

If a room will suffice and if you fortunate enough to have South American friends they should be able to find you a room in a shared apartment for maybe as a low as a tenth of the cost of renting your own apartment and of course living with locals will benefit your Spanish greatly and will probably be more fun.

 

 

 

 

Money, money and money..

Chilean apartments are generally priced in both Chilean Pesos (CLP) and US dollars while apartments in Argentina are usually only priced in USD and rent is fixed in USD. You will however generally be allowed to pay the rent in Argentinian pesos(converted at that days exchange rate). Bank transfers and credit card payments are rarely accepted and you will normally have to pay in cash. Deposit is usually one month's rent and it is critical that you check that everything on the inventory list( a list of everything in the apartment) before you sign the contract. Always ask for a contract in English so you understand fully what you are signing.

Placing deposits: Once you decide you want to rent a particular apartment, a letting agent or landlord will almost always require you to place a reservation deposit to secure the property for your stay. The reason for this is that the apartment owner needs to be protected in case you change your mind and he is left in the situation where he or she needs to find a new tenant. This is completely separate to your security deposit which is required to cover any possible damage to the apartment that you may cause. There have been many horror stories where people have placed reservation deposits and on arriving have found out that they are expected to stay in another apartment or that the reservation deposit isn't subtracted from the rent as previously indicated or worst of all that the agent isn't genuine and has simply run off with the deposit.

How to protect yourself when renting apartments:

1. Try, if possible to verify the estate agent\landlord before you pay them the reservation deposit. If you have a friend in the city you will be renting in, get him\her to check the property with the agent. If agent has a key for the property or if the porter greets the agent then that is a good sign. Check if the agent has a land line number and better if the agent has a fixed address. Simple things like if they agent can answer specific questions about the property and if the photos match the description of the property are a good sign. 

Of course run a google search on the agent or landlord's name and see what you find. 

2. Paying by Paypal and Western union can be risky. Try if possible to use a credit card to pay or even use an escrow service.

3. Limit your reservation deposit to as little as the agent will accept.

4. Ask your agent for a list of past customers that you can contact to verify the agent.

Note: all agents in our accommodation section are verified by CatchtheLingo.

Standard of accommodation in South American Apartments.

Generally you will find that apartments in the furnished market are in certain respects of a similar standard to what you would expect back home but in other respects the quality can vary. Many properties will be furnished will old style furniture and some will come, feeling rather bare with just a scattering of a few chairs and tables. You will generally find that kitchen appliances in apartments are of a high standard but features such as showers and televisions aren't. Normally you will have to wait a little longer for repair service but porters and security personnel will probably offer you a superior service in South America than they would back home. Like everything in travelling you have to be able to adapt and face issue with an open mind. Be positive and enjoy your time here.You didn't come to South America to enjoy an apartment after all.

Of course it goes without saying always check your apartment before paying a full security deposit.

Dealing with Landlords\estate agents:

Landlords and agents are generally busy business people who want a clean quick transaction. It is essential that you make sure you are on time to view a property and move in and of course you should always pay on time and in a form expected by both parties. Agents in Argentina are particularly hard working business people and will have little time for a tourist who is dithering and dathering. Always be clear with an agent and stay in control of the transaction. 

The 10% rule: Generally you should assume that you can negotiate 10% off any property asking rental price. The reason so is because the opportunity cost for an agent and landlord of not renting the apartment out is significantly more than 10% of a months rental. Be prepared to walk away and have to find another apartment though if you decide to try and bargain with an estate agent. This is South America and it is with reluctance that a tourist will receive a discount. 

Hostels:

Hostels in South America are a great way to save money while ensuring you meet lots of interesting characters. From my experience hostels in Argentina and Chile are excellent and much more down to earth and socially geared than their counterparts in Europe and the North America. Typically a dorm in a hostel will cost between US$7 and US$18 while a single private room will cost between US$10 and US$25 with hostels in the big cities and in pure tourist destinations costing at the top end of that range. Most hostels will offer you a sizeable discount if you stay for a few weeks or months and some will even provide you with a free dorm bed if you help around for a few hours every day cleaning, helping guests and managing.

Hostels generally won't be the best places for you to practice your Spanish but you will experience the fun of travel most in these establishments.

One of the things many people fear of hostels is a perceived lack of cleanliness. I have to say the vast majority of places I have stayed have been really clean and dorms were cleaned out every day.

Finding the right hostels is from experience best done through talking to travellers you meet while travelling. Failing that Hostelbookers.com and Hostelworld.com both offer excellent booking and comparison tools.

In terms of safety most hostels in Argentina and Chile will offer a safety deposit box and lockers for your baggage and you should try and use them. It is super important that you don't leave valuables hanging around. ipods and cameras are favourites. Money belts are enormously helpful as are small locks that fit to your baggage. Get to know as many people as possible and a keep an eye out for each others.

Home stay:

The riskiest but potentially most rewarding of accommodation options, planning will ensure a good home stay experience. From the people I have spoken to, families in Argentina and Chile are generally very embracing and super enthusiastic with their foreign guests. Of course the great benefit of staying with a family is the guaranteed opportunities you will have for improving your Spanish.

 

 

In terms of making sure everything goes smoothly, I would suggest submitting to the school that arranges the home stay, some notes on what you expect from your hosts and what kind of person you are, liberal, conservative etc. On day one in the house talk to your host and find out what are the ground rules. This will prevent tensions from arising later and will show your host that you are eager to get on with them.

Home stays by their very nature of usually very secure, however do not leave cash lying about.

It is key to get assurance from the school that the only language spoken in the house will be Spanish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with all our guides, we don't claim to be the absolute experts and we welcome input from the community - email us at info@catchthelingo.com