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23 thoughts on “Apartment Rental Guide: Renting Unfurnished Apartments in Medellín”
I just had the experience of attempting to rent an apartment through a real estate agency that stated I must have a cedula and have a deposit with a CDT. I went through the process of signing up for Spanish classes at UPB, applying for a student visa, receiving my cedula only to have the real estate agency now tell me that now I need to have a Colombian cosigner with the CDT for me to be able to rent the apartment. I’m exhausted. I really want to commit to living in Medellin and have taken many steps to get to this point and now I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I even offered to pay the entire year’s rent up front to no avail. I really don’t want to pay the exorbitant costs associated with something like Airbnb to live here. Is really my only solution to wander around the city calling the numbers I see in windows and hope that I talk to the owner? Why has Colombia made this so difficult?
This is not just in Colombia. Many other countries in Latin America require a fiador (cosigner). The rental signs in apartment windows in Medellín are typically real estate agencies. If you want to talk to owners, best to talk to the porterias in buildings to try to get owner contact information.
Hi Jeff,
I know that most of the expats look for apartments in Medellin, however, El Oriente, is a very nice place to live too, and it has all amenities that Medellin has. These are some of the towns in El Oriente where you can find anything you need to live, and life is more peaceful (if that is what you are looking for). Rionegro, La Ceja, San Antonio de Pereira, Marinilla, La Union and more. Go visit them, and you will see.
Every time you moved, who did you use to move all your furniture? And do you recommend them?
Awesome website, btw. So informative!
I used a mover recommended by my real estate agent. But no longer deal with that real estate agent and no longer have contact info for the mover, as it was several years ago.
Thanks so much for the valuable information!
Hi jeff , I am living in the Poblado area and looking to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom unfinished apartment in the villages area of Poblado , do you know of rental agency’s you could recomend and the areas with in the villages that our better , thank you , conan
You can find many rental agencies listing unfurnished apartments in El Poblado on https://www.espaciourbano.com/. We really don’t have a recommended agency for El Poblado for unfurnished rentals.
Also, see our unfurnished rental prices article to ensure you don’t pay too much – https://medellinguru.com/2018-unfurnished-apartment-rental-costs/
Note that El Poblado has some downsides – https://medellinguru.com/downsides-of-el-poblado/
Some popular barrios (neighborhoods) for foreigners in El Poblado include – Manila, El Poblado, Las Lomas, El Tesoro, Alejandria and others – here is a map to barrios in El Poblado comuna – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Poblado#/media/File:Mapa_El_Poblado-Medellin.png
The color of those cabinets is perfect and I also love the layout of that kitchen.
I love that kitchen! It’s my dream kitchen.
I currently live in Miami and i will be renting a furnished apartment in Medellin for 6 months. Any suggestions on which agents i should speak with,?
Thank you
I recommend looking on Airbnb which will have the biggest selection. No need to use an agent to find furnished apartments in Medellín, as you can find well over 1,000 online. We will have an article about furnished apartments within the next few weeks, as it is taking time to research prices.
Thanks for this helpful guide with so much good information about renting apartments in Medellin.
Some time ago Jeff inserted a tidbit of advice on rentals that came in handy. Once I got into my apartment in a very nicely situated building problems developed with the particular unit I was in so, as per Jeff’s tidbit, I asked the doorman to keep an eye out for another apartment in the same building. I particularly mentioned one that could be arranged by “trato directo”, direct with the owner and not through an agency. Sure enough, it didn’t take long. Thanks Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the informative article. We own a new two bedroom apartment close to the park in Sabaneta and are thinking about renting it out. Do you have information on renting apartments from an expat owners perspective? I wonder if there is any interest in renting expat to expat or if it best just to do a AirBnB?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Mark, thanks. I have talked to a number of expats that own properties and rent them furnished. Some use AirBnb and others use local real estate agencies to manage their properties. Keep in mind that short term rentals (< 30 days) have specific laws that apply -- like the building needs to permit short-term rentals (not all do) and the unit itself needs to meet a checklist of requirements such as having fire extinguishers.I have added this topic to a list of possible future articles for the Medellin Guru site.
Thanks Jeff, Some great and personal advice. Sure a heads up for me!
Thanks this is a very helpful post. I am planning to move early next year and I did not know about all the rules for terminating a lease.
One of the biggest challenges in renting unfurnished apartments in Medellín and Colombia is that most real estate agents and apartment owners don’t speak Spanish.????
I think you meant they don’t speak English. Or they only speak Spanish.
Oops, thanks for catching that, it’s fixed.
Hi I live in San Miquel Del Allende and I have been to Medellin. SMA is 2300 a month can you do Medellin on 2100 a month and do okay
Yes, can live on $2,100 per month and do OK.
Thanks for the helpful info. I am living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I speak hardly any Spanish and I know 1 friend there who is bilingual with English and Spanish. I plan to buy a 1 way ticket in the near future and start a new life there in about 3-4 weeks. I feel I am jumping right into the unknown, but excited about it at the same time. Tired of USA/Canada/Europe culture and seeking some place less affected by all the negative things I see happening around me. Any additional tips you could provide me I would value and appreciate greatly.
Mike