Temporary rental for your property: fighting against uncertainty

Many people in Buenos Aires, who live on rent or have an apartment and put it on rent, know how complicated this can be. Especially on these days, where prices raise too quickly and yet the rent they receive, doesn't.

Since long-let contracts in Argentina must be of a minimum of 2 years, and rent prices don't go together with the general prices’ rise, a good solution for all this uncertainty might be to short-let your property.

If you rent your property temporarily, you will have the chance of adjusting the prices in an easy manner. If general prices go up in a short period, you can adjusted monthly, weekly,...according to your needs.

Plus, if you have your property on temporary rental, you may check between tenants, and so you can repair things, paint, etc., without having to arrange with a tenant or anybody. This is also good, since it avoids the property to ruin too fast, for lack of maintenance.

Moreover, if you have short-let contract, you can avoid having to deal with tenants who don’t pay their rent for months. If this happens, that persone won’t be back, and you wouldn’t have lost too much money.

Another reason for putting your property into temporary rental is the dollar situation. Argentina is going through a very unstable time, and it is hard to get dollars or change them. If you cash your rent in dollars, it is convenient for you, and for your tenant (if he is from another country), since you won't have to be doing currency exchanges.

So, due to the great uncertainty Argentina is going through, you shouldn‘t doubt in putting your property into the short-let business; it is far more advantageous than renting it in the usual way. You should definitely consider it. Do the math and see which is better for you.

Construction of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments; an upward trend

Nowadays, the construction business in Buenos Aires is on the rise; more specifically, the construction of apartments buildings. With the idea of seeking higher profitability, the construction companies are building mainly 1 and 2 room apartments. This may be profitable to businesses, but it makes big families stay out of the market.

These days, there are less and less big houses or apartments. Those houses which are on sale, once they are sold, they are destroyed and turned into buildings of 1 or 2 room apartments.

One of the reasons why this trend of building of 1 or 2 rooms exists is due to the rise on prices; the bigger the apartment, the more expensive is to buy it or rent it.

Moreover, another reason might be that, many people buy apartments as an investment. Should this be the case, they are more likely to buy a small apartment, in order to rent it more easily, and buy it at a cheaper price (than the big ones).

Notwithstanding these reasons, which are pretty logical, it should be noticed that big families, still look for bigger apartments.

In relation to this, even though the statistics show that, when renting, more people tend to look for a 1 or 2 room apartment, it is also the case that, when choosing to buy, the amount of people who look for a 3-room apartments higher than those of 1 or 2 rooms. For this reason, a good alternative of investment, with a previous market research, it could be to build bigger (yet not giant) apartments, in order to fulfill the big families' needs.

Even though the construction business still on the rise, and with that, the tendency to build 1 or 2 room apartments, you should consider checking if building bigger apartments could be profitable. On the other hand, if you wish to make an investment and buy a small apartment, you will have the chance of finding them all over the city; just do some research; you won't have any trouble in finding them.

Tips to save money on energy consumption

Besides being good to your wallet, saving money on energy consumption is good for the environment. If you consume less energy, this will prevent the global warming from getting worse; thus, avoiding all the consequences this has.

For this reason, we will now provide some tips for you to save energy, and money.

Heating:

-Don’t keep the windows open if the heating is on (ventilating the house only takes around 15-15 minutes)

-Install a thermostat, and keep it in about 20°C during winter (for every additional grade, you will spend 5% more of energy).

-Do not cover the heating sources with curtains, or the like.

- Close the radiators you don’t use, and turn off the heat if there is no one at home.

- Check the boiler periodically, in order to raise its efficiency and duration.

- The best heating systems go in the following order: solar, biogas, or bio-mass, wood, natural gas, propane gas, and butane.

Light:

- Use sun light as much as you can

- Don’t let the light on, if there is nobody in the room

- Use fluorescent or low-consumption lights (they may be a bit more expensive, but they consume 5 times less than the regular ones)

- Clean the lights periodically, in order to have better light.

- Use white or light-colored painting on your ceilings, walls and furniture (they reflect and distribute the light better)

Electrical appliances:

- Check the instructions manual of the appliance, and it will tell you how much it consumes. This is important when buying a new one.

- Is the appliances are old, check them, since they can generate energy loses that will be registered (and charged).

- TVs and radios consume energy even when they are off. If they have a light on, they are on stand-by mode. For that reason, it is better to unplug them.

- Fridges must be located on a low-temperature environmet, and 15 cm from the wall. If they loose the cold, the excluder should be changed, and you must avoid accumulation of too much ice (more than 2mm, will consume 10% more of electricity). Moreover, the average temperature of the food should be 3-5°C; lees than that will raise the (unnecessary) consumption. And, avoid opening it all the time.

- If you have an electric hot water tank, it will consume a lot. Choose the right capacity according to the amount of people that live in the house, and keep it to a temperature of 55°C.

- Air conditioners consume a lot, as well. On the other hand, vents (ceiling vents, on a low-medium speed, specially) don’t.

- Irons consume a lot of energy.

- If you have a dishwasher, wait until it is completely full. A full load of the dishwasher spends lees water than doing it manually. Moreover, lower the water temperature.

These are some of the things you can do to save money and energy. They are small things, that can do a lot.

At what time and how to get the garbage out

The waste pickup benefits all of us; this way, the city stays cleaner, and we also avoid having rodent friends or funny smells near our home. For this reasons, it is necessary that all of us fulfills with our duties so that everything works as it should.

Waste pickup is done from Sunday to Fridays in Buenos Aires, i.e. on Saturdays there is no picking up, so you should not take the garbage out.

The time to take the garbage out is from 8 pm to 9 pm. Should you forget to do so, do not take it out, unless you see the waste truck has not gone through your block yet. So, if there is no waste in your block, keep the garbage bag inside your house.

According to Law, if you are found taking out the trash out of the corresponding time schedule, you can receive a fine that goes from $50 to $500 argentine pesos.

On the other hand, in many places of the city, you may find big containers where you can deposit your garbage at any time of the day. You should check carefully, since there are two types of containers: recyclable and non recyclable, this way you can separate your waste. Of course, you shouldn’t through garbage on the streets; there are many bins around the city where you can through it.

Moreover, besides having to stick to the corresponding time schedule, there are some things you should know about taking the garbage out: Use plastic bags, or any waterproof material that prevents the liquids from licking, and; if you have any glasses or sharp items, rap them in newspaper, or similar, in order no one gets hurt.

Another tip, remember that if there is a weather alert, you shouldn’t take the garbage out either, since the drainages can block.

As you can see, there are simple steps to follow, in order to make the city cleaner and better organized.

Garages on the rise

Currently, Buenos Aires is going through a boom in the construction business. Each day, there are more and more new buildings (big, medium, and small) built in the city. Some years ago, many old houses tended to be recycled and they maintained their style; today, these houses are being sold and destroyed, and they become an apartment building or small houses (duplexes, and the like).

Now, you must be wondering, what does this have to do with garages? Truth is, garage buildings are also being demolished and becoming buildings. This means that nowadays there are less and less garages to park cars around the city of Buenos Aires.

This brings two major consequences: 1) the price on the garage rentals has increased everywhere, since there is more demand and less supply; 2) This has also made it harder to park on the streets.

Another true fact of Buenos Aires is that every day, there are more and more cars on the streets. During the last years, car sales have been going up, and they intend to continue growing. This can be seen in the daily traffic jams there take place around the city.

All these information can only bring one conclusion: the idea of renting or selling garages or parking spots would be really interesting. Since there are many cars out there that need to be parked somewhere, you can find them a solution, and gain a few bucks.

So, if you are planning to invest in something, do consider garage rentals or sales, since this can provide you a good income, if you do it when the time is right.

Government’s subsidy when renting an apartment

Government’s subsidy when renting an apartment

As from January, 1^st, the government’s subsidies will begin to be cut from the light, gas, and water utility bills. This makes that if you are looking for an apartment to rent, you should analyze which neighborhood will be more convenient, since, although all subsidies will be taken in all Buenos Aires, the prices will vary in every neighborhood.

As from January, 1^st, the neighborhood of Puerto Madero, Barrio Parque and the main country houses and club houses of the country will have their subsidies taken automatically.

Afterwards, the subsidies on the utility bills will be removed in the neighborhoods of Belgrano R, Corredor Libertador, Retiro - Plaza San Martín – Kavanagh Area, Alto Recoleta y Torres Catalinas, of the city of Buenos Aires, and the areas of La Horqueta, Barrancas de San Isidro and Punta Chica-Victoria, in the Northern region of Gran Buenos Aires.

Those buildings who have a reunion area or multiple purposes areas, swimming pool, gym, and a sports area (like tennis court or similar), will also have the subsidy removed.

It has been estimated that the charges on the utility bills, without the subsidies, may triplicate. Moreover, according to recent news, there will also be a raise in the charges (despite from the subsidy removal), which means the price could go a little higher. Even though it is not certain, according to some entities, the raise in the utility bills could raise between 150% and 400%, according to each person’s consumption.

So, there are many important things to have in mind when deciding which apartment to rent. Prices will vary between neighborhoods, and the different areas of Gran Buenos Aires, and you should now have in mind you will pay extra in utility bills.

Everything (including a more accurate percentage) will be clearer in the months to come, since they are still organizing the subsidy removal.

Sharing an apartment with friends

In these times, where rent is getting higher, there is a new tendency and people are starting to move in with their friends. When choosing to become independent, one always though about moving alone. Today, since life is more expensive, many are more interested in the idea of living with friends and sharing expenses.

The truth is, an apartment with more rooms, is more expensive, but when dividing costs, it is much profitable. If you have to pay a one-room apartment, it will be much more different and cheaper than having to pay half of a two-room apartment. Plus, you will also share bills, maintenance fees, and general monthly costs.

One the other hand, the bigger the apartment and the more rooms, more people can live there, and the expenses will be divided in more people. When choosing an apartment to share, it is always recommended to set certain rules, such as, who will take care of the different things: who will be in charge of paying the rent, or cleaning; when can visitors come; etc. This way, if these things are planned from the beginning, future problems can be avoided.

On the other hand, those who cannot find a friend to move in with, and really need to share an apartment, because you cannot afford the expenses, nowadays, it is becoming popular to share rooms with unknown people who are in the same situation. There are some Websites that specialize in contacting people who are looking for an apartment, and people that is offering apartments to share.

Another issue to have in mind is that if you are friends, you may sometimes think it is not necessary to have any contract or paper, although it is always recommended that you do. If, on the other hand, you are sharing an apartment with a stranger, do not forget to do it; avoid problems and sign a contract which stipulates all those thing related to the apartment.

How maintenance fees influence when buying an apartment

Maintenance fees may occupy a great percentage in people expenses. When buying an apartment, this is something you should bear in mind.

Maintenance fees of an apartment can, in some cases, equal the rental fee of a small apartment. For this reason, when we are about to buy an apartment, this must be something to consider. One can get really excited about having a swimming pool, a gym, or an area for multiple purposes, in one’s building, but this will imply paying a lot more in maintenance fees. This may, in the end, raise your cost of living a lot.

On the other hand, if you are planning to buy an apartment, so as to rent it to others, you must also have in mind that many people will reject your offer, though the rent is low, since the total cost will raise too much if maintenance fees are high. In the end, this will make it harder for you to rent your apartment.

For this reason, when you are about to buy an apartment, you should look for those moderate options. If you really want to have some of the aforementioned amenities inside your building, choose one or two of those that does not raise the total expenses so much. On the other hand, if you are looking forward to renting that apartment, it may be more important that it is well located and has low maintenance fees, rather than too many amenities.

To conclude, if you are in the search to buy an apartment, whether to live or to rent it, remember these tips especially that of not letting yourself get too excited about the amenities that the building include. Otherwise, look for a building that has a gym nearby, and so you can enjoy it without having to pay too much within your home expenses.