Renting a flat in Spanish: the listing words, the viewing questions, the deposit and the guarantor in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
A rental listing in Spanish is mostly words you were never taught, and half of them change country to country. The same flat is a piso in Madrid, a departamento in Buenos Aires and an apartamento in Bogotá, and the monthly charge on top of the rent is called something different in each. Below: reading the listing, booking and running the viewing, the deposit and guarantor problem, the contract words, moving in, and what to say when something breaks.
What the place is called
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat, apartment | el departamento, el depa | el piso | el apartamento, el apto | el departamento, el depto |
| One bedroom | una recámara | un dormitorio | una habitación | dos ambientes |
| Room in a shared flat | un cuarto | una habitación in a piso compartido | una habitación | una habitación |
| Flatmate | el roomie, el compañero de depa | el compañero de piso | el compañero de apartamento | el compañero de depto |
| Rent, the money | la renta | el alquiler | el arriendo | el alquiler |
| To rent | rentar | alquilar | arrendar | alquilar |
| For rent | se renta | se alquila | se arrienda | se alquila |
In Argentina, ambientes are rooms, the living room included, so dos ambientes is a living room and one bedroom. And piso in Latin America means a storey or the floor under your feet, so if you ask for un piso in Mexico City, you get a puzzled look.
The money words
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit | el depósito | la fianza | el depósito (often not allowed, see below) | el depósito |
| Guarantor | el aval, el fiador | el aval | el codeudor, el fiador | la garantía, el garante |
| Monthly building charge | el mantenimiento | la comunidad | la administración | las expensas |
| Bills included | servicios incluidos | gastos incluidos | servicios incluidos | expensas incluidas |
| Agency fee | la comisión | los honorarios | la comisión | la comisión |
| Agency | la inmobiliaria | la inmobiliaria, la agencia | la inmobiliaria | la inmobiliaria |
| Landlord | el casero, el arrendador | el casero, el propietario | el arrendador, el dueño | el propietario, el locador |
| Tenant | el inquilino | el inquilino | el arrendatario | el inquilino, el locatario |
People get caught out by the monthly charge. Las expensas in Buenos Aires and la administración in Bogotá can add a serious amount to a cheap-looking rent, and they cover the building staff, the lift, the security and the common areas. Always ask for the figure before you like the flat: ¿De cuánto son las expensas?
Reading the listing
| On the listing | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| amueblado | furnished | Spain and Mexico. Colombia and Argentina say amoblado |
| sin amueblar, vacío | unfurnished | |
| exterior / interior | facing the street / facing the inner courtyard | Spain. An interior flat is darker and quieter |
| a estrenar | brand new, never lived in | Argentina, Spain |
| con cochera | with a parking space | Argentina. Mexico con estacionamiento, Spain con plaza de garaje, Colombia con parqueadero |
| calefacción | heating | Rare in Mexican and Colombian listings |
| aire acondicionado, clima | air conditioning | Clima is Mexican |
| estrato 4 | the utility price band | Colombia only. The higher the number, the higher the utility rates |
| apto crédito | mortgageable | Argentina. It is a sale listing, not a rental |
Getting a viewing
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hi, I’m writing about the flat on… | Hola, escribo por el departamento de la calle Corrientes. | Name the street, the listing number or the price |
| Is it still available? | ¿Sigue disponible? | The first message everywhere |
| Could I see it? | ¿Puedo verlo? / ¿Podría visitarlo? | |
| When can I visit? | ¿Cuándo se puede visitar? | |
| I’d like to take it | Me lo quedo. (Spain) / Me interesa, ¿cómo seguimos? |
The questions to ask at the viewing
| You want to ask | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How much is the rent? | ¿Cuánto es la renta / el alquiler / el arriendo? | Use the country’s word |
| Are bills included? | ¿Los servicios están incluidos? / ¿Los gastos están incluidos? (Spain) | |
| What isn’t included? | ¿Qué no está incluido? | The useful version |
| How much is the building charge? | ¿De cuánto son las expensas / la administración / la comunidad? | |
| How much deposit? | ¿Cuánto es de depósito? / ¿De cuánto es la fianza? (Spain) | |
| How long is the contract? | ¿De cuánto tiempo es el contrato? | |
| Can I leave early? | ¿Qué pasa si me quiero ir antes? | Ask about the penalty |
| Do you allow pets? | ¿Aceptan mascotas? | |
| Is it noisy? | ¿Es ruidoso? ¿Se escucha la calle? | |
| Is there heating? | ¿Tiene calefacción? | |
| How is the hot water heated? | ¿Cómo se calienta el agua? | Gas, electric or a shared boiler |
| Is there internet? | ¿Tiene internet? ¿Está incluido? | |
| Is the fridge included? | ¿El refrigerador se queda? (Mexico) / ¿La nevera se queda? (Spain, Colombia) / ¿La heladera queda? (Argentina) | |
| When can I move in? | ¿Desde cuándo está disponible? |
Ask to see the last utility bills before you sign: ¿Me puede mostrar los últimos recibos de luz? A cold flat with electric heating in Madrid costs more in winter than the rent difference you were arguing about.
The deposit and the guarantor
A foreigner gets stuck here, and the rules are different in each country.
Spain. The deposit is la fianza, normally one month, and it is meant to be lodged with the regional housing body. Landlords often also ask for un mes de garantía adicional or un aval bancario, a bank guarantee, which means blocking several months of rent in a bank account. Without a Spanish payslip, the usual substitutes are several months paid up front, varios meses por adelantado, or a guarantor with property. Expect to be asked for la nómina (payslip), el contrato de trabajo, and el NIE.
Mexico. One month de depósito is standard. The hard part is el aval, a guarantor who owns property in the same city and will hand over the deeds, las escrituras. Foreigners without one are usually offered una póliza jurídica, a legal insurance policy you pay for instead, which the landlord accepts as cover. Ask early: No tengo aval. ¿Aceptan póliza jurídica?
Colombia. Landlords usually want un codeudor con finca raíz, a co-signer who owns property, or un seguro de arrendamiento through an agency that vets you and guarantees the rent. Deposits are not the normal instrument there. Ask ¿trabajan con aseguradora?
Argentina. La garantía propietaria is the classic requirement: a guarantor who owns property in the same city. Newcomers almost always use un seguro de caución instead, an insurance policy sold for exactly this, which most agencies now accept. Contract lengths and indexation rules have changed repeatedly in recent years, so ask what applies today rather than trusting an older article: ¿De cuánto es el contrato y cada cuánto se actualiza?
The contract
| Word | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| el contrato de arrendamiento | rental contract | The formal name everywhere |
| el contrato de alquiler | rental contract | Spain, Argentina, everyday |
| firmar | to sign | ¿Cuándo firmamos? |
| el aumento, la actualización | the rent rise | Argentina says actualización |
| el preaviso | notice period | Usually one or two months. Avisar con un mes |
| la cláusula | clause | ¿Qué dice esta cláusula? |
| el garante, el aval | guarantor | |
| la transferencia | bank transfer | How rent is normally paid |
Say this before you sign anything: ¿Me lo puede mandar por correo para leerlo con calma?, can you email it so I can read it properly. Nobody is offended, and you get an evening with a dictionary.
Agencies and their fees
In Spain, agency fees on a rental are the landlord’s to pay, so an agency asking a tenant for honorarios is worth questioning before you hand anything over. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina the tenant commonly pays a commission, and the amount varies by agency and city, so ask for the figure in writing: ¿Cuánto cobran de comisión y qué incluye?
If you rent direct from the owner, you avoid the fee. The listing word for it is directo del dueño or sin intermediarios in Latin America, particular in Spain.
The neighbourhood
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| neighbourhood | el barrio | Mexico also la colonia for the administrative district |
| block | la cuadra | Latin America. Mexico also la manzana. Spain says la manzana |
| It’s two blocks from the metro | Está a dos cuadras del metro. | Argentina: del subte |
| Is it safe at night? | ¿Es seguro de noche? | |
| noisy | ruidoso | |
| bus | el camión (Mexico), el autobús (Spain), el bus or la buseta (Colombia), el colectivo (Argentina) |
Moving in and the bills
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| electricity | la luz | The bill is el recibo de la luz |
| gas | el gas | Mexico often means a tank, el gas estacionario or el tanque |
| I want to put the bills in my name | Quiero poner los servicios a mi nombre. | Spain: dar de alta la luz |
| to move house | mudarse | Spain also hacer la mudanza |
| the meter | el medidor | Spain el contador |
| the caretaker | el conserje, el portero | Argentina el encargado, Colombia el portero or el celador |
The caretaker is worth a proper greeting on day one. In Argentina el encargado runs the building, holds the spare key and knows which plumber actually turns up.
When something breaks
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Something’s broken | Se rompió algo. / Se ha roto algo. (Spain) | |
| The tap is leaking | Gotea la llave. (Mexico, Colombia) / Gotea el grifo. (Spain) / Pierde la canilla. (Argentina) | |
| There’s no hot water | No hay agua caliente. | |
| The boiler isn’t working | El calentador no prende. (Mexico, Colombia) / La caldera no funciona. (Spain) / El termotanque no anda. (Argentina) | |
| The toilet is blocked | Se tapó el baño. / Se ha atascado el váter. (Spain) | |
| The heating doesn’t work | La calefacción no funciona. | |
| Could you send someone? | ¿Puede mandar a alguien? | |
| Who pays for this? | ¿Esto corre por cuenta de quién? |
The trades: el plomero in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, el fontanero in Spain. El electricista and el cerrajero everywhere. El gasista in Argentina for anything involving gas, and it is a licensed job there.
What you will hear
| They say | It means |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuántas personas van a vivir? | How many people will live there? |
| ¿Tiene garantía? (Argentina) | Do you have a guarantor? |
| Le pido comprobante de ingresos. | I need proof of income |
| Hay que dejar un mes de depósito y uno de adelanto. | One month deposit and one month up front |
| Las expensas van aparte. | The building charge is on top |
| Ya tengo otra persona interesada. | Someone else is interested |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Hola, escribo por el departamento. ¿Sigue disponible? Hi, I’m writing about the flat. Is it still available? (Mexico, Argentina)
- ¿Cuándo se puede visitar? When can I come and see it?
- ¿Cuánto es el arriendo y de cuánto es la administración? How much is the rent, and how much is the building charge? (Colombia)
- ¿Los gastos están incluidos? Are the bills included? (Spain)
- ¿De cuánto son las expensas? How much are the building charges? (Argentina)
- No tengo aval. ¿Aceptan póliza jurídica? I don’t have a guarantor. Do you accept a legal policy? (Mexico)
- ¿De cuánto tiempo es el contrato y cuánto preaviso hay que dar? How long is the contract and how much notice do I give?
- ¿Aceptan mascotas? Do you allow pets?
- ¿Me lo puede mandar por correo para leerlo con calma? Can you email it to me so I can read it properly?
- Gotea la llave del baño. ¿Puede mandar a un plomero? The bathroom tap is dripping. Can you send a plumber? (Mexico, Colombia)
Questions people ask
Piso, departamento or apartamento? Piso in Spain, departamento in Mexico and Argentina, apartamento in Colombia. All four understand apartamento. In Latin America piso means the storey of a building or the floor under your feet.
What are expensas and administración? The monthly charge for the building: staff, lift, security, common areas. In Argentina it is expensas, in Colombia administración, in Mexico mantenimiento, in Spain la comunidad. It is usually paid on top of the rent and it can be large.
What is an aval or a garantía? A guarantor, normally someone who owns property in the same city and signs for your rent. It is the standard requirement in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina and it is the main obstacle for a foreigner. The usual way around it is an insurance product: póliza jurídica in Mexico, seguro de arrendamiento in Colombia, seguro de caución in Argentina.
Do I pay the agency? In Spain the agency fee is the landlord’s. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina tenants commonly pay a commission, so ask for the amount and what it covers before you commit.
How do I say “bills included”? Servicios incluidos in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, gastos incluidos in Spain, expensas incluidas in Argentina when it means the building charge specifically. Ask what is left out.
Can I negotiate the rent? You can ask, politely and once: ¿Hay algo de margen en el precio? You usually get further by offering a longer contract or paying several months up front.
Practise these words
alquilar, arriendo, inquilino, dueño, contrato, depósito, fianza, garantía, expensas, amoblado, firmar, mudarse, romperse. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.