Renting a Flat in Buenos Aires as a Brit: Contract, Deposit, Guarantor and Rent Rises

Since the December 2023 decree known as DNU 70/2023, almost everything in a residential lease in Argentina is whatever landlord and tenant put in the contract: how long it runs, whether the rent is in pesos or dollars, how big the deposit is and how the rent rises. There is no standard tenancy to fall back on, so the contract is your protection and it is worth reading line by line. The simplest place to start the search is PlataPlace's rental search, which puts rentals from brokerages and owners into one search, shows each listing's source and when it was last seen, and lets you save a search and get alerts.

What the rules say now

The decree was published in the Boletín Oficial on 21 December 2023. Article 249 repealed the 2020 rental law (Law 27,551), and later articles rewrote the rental sections of the Civil and Commercial Code (Código Civil y Comercial). These are the points that matter to a tenant.

Because leaving early costs 10% of the remaining rent, a longer term is less risky than it looks. On a 24-month lease, leaving with 12 months still to run costs roughly 1.2 months of rent, which is far less than most people fear when a landlord asks for two years.

The clauses to negotiate

Currency. Many landlords ask for dollars. A dollar rent has to be paid in dollars, so it stays fixed in dollars and what you pay in sterling follows the pound-dollar rate; a peso rent follows whatever adjustment clause you sign. Either way, ask how the payment is made and get a receipt (recibo) for every payment.

Rent rises. A peso rent needs an index. As an illustration, a rent of ARS 900,000 (about US$580 at ARS 1,545 per dollar, September 2026) that rises by an agreed 8% at each review becomes ARS 972,000. The figures are arithmetic, not a forecast. The point is that the contract has to say which index, how often and from what date; a clause that says only "adjusted according to inflation" leaves all three open.

Deposit. The amount, the currency and the return terms are all free, so they are all negotiable. Ask for the return deadline in days after you hand back the keys, the currency it comes back in, and an itemised list of anything deducted. Sign an inventory (inventario) at move-in and photograph every room with the date visible.

Guarantor. The code does not require a particular guarantee, so it is the landlord's decision, and a British newcomer rarely has an Argentine property-owning guarantor. Options to raise with the agent: a larger deposit or rent paid in advance, which the free deposit rules allow; an insurance-backed guarantee (seguro de caución) if the agent accepts one; a letter from an Argentine employer if you have one; or a furnished let, where the landlord sets their own security terms.

Expensas and bills. Expensas are the monthly building charges, listed separately from the rent. Ask for the last three statements before you commit, and write in the contract which ones you pay (the ordinary monthly charges) and that extraordinary works decided by the owners' meeting stay with the owner. Ask who holds the electricity, gas, water and internet accounts; the utilities guide covers the transfers.

Agent fee. Before any viewing, ask whether an agent fee applies, who pays it and what it is calculated on, and get the answer by message or email.

Furnished and temporary rentals for your first months

A furnished, temporary let is the easiest way to start: there is no long lease to unwind, you can walk the neighbourhoods before you choose one, and the landlord sets the terms. Where a contract sets no term, a temporary let follows local custom, so put the exact dates and the price for the whole stay into the contract. Browse furnished apartments to rent in Buenos Aires and shortlist three or four in different barrios.

Use the first two to four weeks the way the first-week checklist suggests, and sign a longer lease only once you have tested a real commute. If you work from home, test the connection at the viewing: the internet guide has the checks.

How to read an Argentine listing

Argentine adverts count the living room as a room, which is the first thing that trips up British renters.

To see the difference on a real page, search one-bedroom apartments in Palermo on PlataPlace; its English filter says 1-bedroom where an Argentine advert says 2 ambientes. You can also type a request in plain words into the natural-language search, for example a two-bedroom flat in Belgrano with a balcony. Dated asking rents by area are in the guides to Palermo, Belgrano and Villa Crespo, and the monthly budget as a whole is in what it really costs to live in Buenos Aires.

Before you pay anything

1. See the flat in person, or send someone you trust. Do not pay a reservation for a flat you have not seen, however good the photos are.
2. Check who you are dealing with. Ask the agent to show that the landlord owns the flat or is authorised to let it, and match the name on the contract to that document.
3. Read the whole contract in Spanish, with a translation beside it. If a clause on currency, rent rises or exit is unclear, have an escribano or lawyer read it before you sign.
4. Pay by a traceable method and keep every receipt. Photograph the meter readings and the condition of the flat on the day you get the keys.
5. Keep your messages. A repair request sent by message or email is the record you need if the landlord stops keeping the home fit for use.