Accommodation in Uruguay: Renting an apartment in Montevideo

One of the biggest challenges when moving country is first finding somewhere to call home. I arrived on Uruguay's fine shores with no job, no apartment, no specific plans, no contacts here - nada! Starting from scratch can be quite a challenge...especially in Uruguay!

From what I have experienced there really isn't a rental culture here like there is in the USA or Europe. You won't find a great deal of furnished apartments and it is considered very unusual to share apartments with people you don't know (as is done by students and young professionals elsewhere in the world). As the wages are so low and employment opportunities are harder to come by, many young people live with their families well in to their twenties and in a lot of cases until they are engaged or married. The only young Uruguayans I have met who rent apartments are those who are from the interior and have moved to Montevideo for university or work and do not have any family to live with.

As such, the apartments that are available are aimed at a different group of people (families and couples rather than students and young workers). I found that the number of furnished apartments in Montevideo is quite low because the laws here tend to favour the tenant which has made landlords incredibly wary and they are choosing not to kit out their apartments with breakable/steal-able furniture. This makes it difficult for us new-comers because furniture here is expensive and often of poor quality (with an import tax somewhere in the 50-60% mark you'll find that even shoddy chinese imports are overpriced!)

Also in Uruguay they will ask you for a garantía (a guarantee, ie. security deposit or collateral). In many cases landlords ask that this garantía be in the form of a property in Montevideo! At first this really confused me as I asked "why the hell would I want to rent your apartment if I already own one around the corner?!". I then realised that Uruguayan's deal with this request by having their parents or a family member act as a guarantor, but obviously as a foreigner I did not have such an option and so had to look only at apartments where the landlord accepts a cash deposit (which only further decreased potential places to live!)

I think the "legal" limit a landlord can request for a garantía is the equivalent of 4 months rent. However, like most rules in Uruguay this is bend-able and many asked me for up to 6 months rent that would be held in a joint account for the duration of my lease. With most furnished apartments in Montevideo renting at around US$500 a month I close to passed out at the request of a $3000 deposit in a country where $400 monthly wage is considered good! I think some landlords will hold a 1 or 2 month deposit for a short term lease (6 months or less) and a larger garantía for longer period.

Also be aware that in Uruguay you will have to pay something called Gastos Communes (communal building fees). These can vary from 400pesos anywhere up to 12,000pesos! As far as I am aware they always include your water bill. After that they can include heating, a 24hour doorman ("portero"), building cleaning and maintenance, built-in air-conditioning and more, or none of these things! ...it really depends on the building. Make sure when you are renting an apartment that you know the cost of the monthly rent, the garantía and the gastos communes (and what this covers) so as to avoid any surprises later. Oh and if you use an inmobiliaria (a real estate agent) then expect to pay them half a months rent for a 6 month lease and a month's rent commission for anything longer!

Like many things here in Uruguay you have to just keep searching until you find what you're looking for. BuscandoCasa (although completely in Spanish) is the best resource you'll find for renting an apartment in Montevideo. It has the most recent listings and most of them come complete with prices, pictures and a decent amount of description and information. It also clarifies if they are furnished or not and you can search specifically by this requirement which is handy.

Another resource is the classifieds section of El Pais Newspaper called Gallito which can be accessed online. I found these listings to be significantly less reliable. Many don't have pictures or prices and do not provide all the details about the properties but sometimes they have apartments that aren't listed on buscandocasa so when you're at the bottom of the barrel its nice to have somewhere else to go!

Here are my tips for finding an apartment to rent in Montevideo:

- Familiarise yourself with the Barrios (neighbourhoods) of Montevideo and the main routes of the city. The most central areas are Ciudad Vieja, Centro, Cordon, Barrio Sur, Palermo, Tres Cruces, Parque Battle, Parque Rodó, Punta Carretas, Pocitos and Buceo. The last 4 listed are the most upmarket areas often recommended to expats and tourists but these are also the most expensive and also the most snobby.


There are advantages and disadvantages at both ends. Ciudad Vieja, Centro, Sur and Palermo all have a great character. They are very central, steeped in history and culture and are to me the "real" Montevideo, however poverty is more visible here and the flashiness of expensive clothes or cameras is not recommended. Parque Rodó, Punta Carretas, Pocitos and Buceo are a little further from the thick of things but very well served by buses or a good pair of legs :) They are beautiful areas with lovely beaches and green areas but there is a distinct sense of American suburbs and snobbery that you won't find in the older parts of town.

- Do your research. I know information is hard to come by but do as much reading as you can before you come. Ask questions, get answers and make contacts on either of these discussion forums: Total Uruguay and Sociedad Southron. Look at what is available online at buscandocasa and elsewhere, contact the owners or inmobiliarias that have listed properties - although be aware that they may only speak Spanish so you should at least attempt to write in Spanish if you expect replies.

- Book yourself some short-term accommodation for at least the first few days so you don't have to worry about where you will sleep each night!

- If possible arrange in advance to view apartments when you arrive and look at as many as you can in order to get a good idea of what is available, where, and at what price.

- When you arrive take the time to walk around each neighbourhood to get a feel for where is best for you. Some find Centro too hectic, some find Buceo too far away etc. Stroll around the streets and keep a note of what you see, how you feel and then decide what area is best for you. Don't simply go on what other people tell you - remember that people often recommend the most expensive areas to foreigners, if you don't have the money to live in luxury then you need to be informed!