Renting and finding property

Apartments for rent in Buenos Aires: what foreigners need to know before searching listings

By Nico F. · Updated October 14, 2026

General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules, exchange rates and prices change and every case has its own details. Before you pay, sign or apply for residency, check the current rules with an Argentine notary (escribano), lawyer or accountant.

Quick answer Apartments for rent in Buenos Aires are advertised on Zonaprop, Argenprop and Mercado Libre Inmuebles; this site's property feed lists properties for sale, not rentals. Housing leases signed since December 29, 2023 follow the decree of necessity and urgency DNU 70/2023: the parties choose the term, currency, deposit and index, and a two-year term applies to permanent housing if none is set. In the City, Ley 5.859 bars agencies from charging an individual tenant a commission. According to Argentina Visa Law and Roomix, a guarantor who owns property in Argentina is hard for a newcomer to supply, and several guarantee providers ask for an Argentine DNI. A Deputies session on the decree was requested for October 15, 2026; its outcome was not known on October 14.

Terms used: DNU is a decree of necessity and urgency, an ambiente is the room count in a listing, expensas are building fees, a seña is money paid to reserve a property, ABL is the City's property charge, DNI is the Argentine national ID, CUIL is an ID number issued by ANSES, the social-security agency, and the City means the City of Buenos Aires. Figures are as of October 14, 2026. This page is not legal advice.

Where are apartments for rent in Buenos Aires listed?

Zonaprop, Argenprop and Mercado Libre Inmuebles are the marketplaces behind mob.ar's September 2026 rent medians, and the City statistics office (IDECBA) builds its rent series from Argenprop. The listings are in Spanish. The site's property feed lists properties for sale from Argentine marketplaces, not rentals.

For a dated rent anchor, IDECBA's second-quarter 2026 report gives an average asking rent of ARS 764,485 a month for a two-room apartment on Argenprop, in pesos only, and 25.4% of Argenprop listings of one to five rooms were priced in dollars. mob.ar's September 2026 median asking rent for two rooms in pesos was ARS 780,000. These are asking prices, not signed contracts.

Two features of an ad matter before a visit:

Rent by barrio is on cost of living in Buenos Aires. For neighborhoods, see best places to live in Argentina, is Argentina safe to live in and daily life in Argentina.

What do the terms in a listing mean?

The meanings below are trade usage as described by Roomix, a commercial rental portal.

Term Usual meaning
Ambientes Main rooms, not bedrooms. A 2 ambientes is typically a living-dining room plus one bedroom; bathroom and kitchen are not counted. A monoambiente is a single open room
Cubierta, semicubierta, descubierta, total Roofed area; balcony or gallery; patio or terrace; the sum
Apto profesional Usable for professional activity as well as housing; ask whether residential use is allowed

Which law governs a lease signed now?

DNU 70/2023, published in the Boletín Oficial on December 21, 2023, repealed Ley 27.551, the rental law of 2020 (art. 249). The City housing institute (IVC) applies the new regime to contracts signed from December 29, 2023. Earlier contracts keep the law in force when they were signed (IVC; Primera Edición, July 6, 2026).

Topic Rule under DNU 70/2023 Article
Term Set by the parties. If none is set, a lease for permanent housing, furnished or not, runs two years 256
Currency Pesos or a foreign currency, by agreement. The tenant cannot demand to pay in another currency 257, 250
Adjustment Any public or private index in the rent's currency; if it stops, an equivalent INDEC index replaces it. No mandated frequency 257
Deposit and payment interval Deposit amount, currency and return of the deposit set freely; no cap is set in the text. Rent paid at free intervals, not less often than monthly 255
Early exit by the tenant Unless the contract sets otherwise, the tenant may end the lease at any time by paying 10% of the rent remaining from the notice date to the agreed end date 262

The rental articles (249 to 263) do not say who pays broker fees, expensas or property taxes. The IVC's guide adds that the landlord may end a lease for any cause set in the contract (art. 260) and that the property may be sold during the lease.

What happens to the rental rules if Deputies reject DNU 70/2023?

The Senate rejected the decree in 2024 and the Chamber of Deputies has not voted on it (Perfil, October 1, 2026). Under Ley 26.122 (art. 24, as quoted in Decreto 628/2025), a decree is repealed only when both chambers reject it. The decree remains in force as of October 14, 2026.

Eight opposition blocs requested a special session of Deputies for Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 14:00, with the decree on the agenda (Perfil, October 1). It needs a quorum of 129. Perfil counted the requesting blocs at 122, seven short, and later press counts of likely attendance ranged from about 112 to 120 (La Nación, October 5; El Cronista, October 13; Examedia, October 12 and 13). A quorum is not the vote: Deputies would still have to reject the decree. The ruling party called its own session for October 21 (Noticias NQN, October 10). Whether the October 15 session takes place, and its outcome, were not known on October 14.

What would return if the decree fell is contested:

How contracts signed under the decree would be treated is open. A lawyer can confirm which rules apply on the day of signing.

Who pays the agent in the City?

Ley 5.859 of the City (published September 8, 2017) amended the brokers' law. For housing leases where the tenant is an individual, the maximum commission is 4.15% of the total contract value, charged to the landlord (art. 1). Agencies may not ask for or collect commissions or fees for intermediation from tenants, and the ban extends to administration fees (art. 2). The cost of the gestoría (paperwork service) cannot be passed to the tenant (art. 3), and web ads and agency offices must display the cap and the ban (arts. 4 and 5).

The IVC's 2026 pages treat the City law as in force for housing leases. As arithmetic, 4.15% of a 24-month contract is about one month's rent and of a 36-month contract about 1.5 months.

Limits and open points:

What does a tenant pay at signing?

The IVC lists a deposit agreed by the parties (no cap), one month in advance and, for a personal guarantor, only the official fee of the Property Registry for the report. A sample move-in budget is on cost of living in Buenos Aires.

According to Roomix (April 2026) and Argentina Visa Law (September 2026), some private owners accept several months paid in advance instead of a guarantee. Roomix mentions two to six months, and Argentina Visa Law says this leaves the tenant with less leverage if repairs are delayed.

Expensas and ABL follow the contract. The IVC's guide says ordinary expensas are commonly paid by the tenant and extraordinary expensas and property taxes by the owner, but two IVC pages differ on ABL, so the clause decides.

What guarantee will a landlord ask, and what can a foreigner offer?

A guarantee is not mandatory in law; the owner may ask for one (IVC guide).

Type What it is For a foreigner
Garantía propietaria A friend or relative who owns property in Argentina co-signs Hard for a newcomer (Roomix, Argentina Visa Law)
Seguro de caución An insurance policy that answers to the owner for unpaid rent and sometimes other costs; the insurance regulator supervises it (IVC) Insurers screen credit and income and several ask for a DNI; Roomix and Argenprop pages name DNI as a document
Company fianza A guarantee issued by a specialist company (a guarantee provider, not an insurer) In 2019 the insurance regulator said one provider's rental guarantee was a fianza granted by a company, not an insurance policy, and fined it and barred it for two years for offering insurance without authorization (100% Seguro, December 4, 2019). The provider still appeared in 2026 listings (iProfesional, May 12, 2026). Ask which product is sold
Advance rent or a larger deposit; furnished or temporary rental Cash instead of a guarantor Reported as practical with private owners and in temporary rentals (Argentina Visa Law)

Premiums vary. iProfesional (May 12, 2026) put them at 4% to 7% of the total contract value, about one to two months of rent. Other guides give different ranges (for example Roomix, April 2026, 4% to 6%), and Argentina Visa Law cited one provider at 7.6% of the full contract paid once, with 25% off for cash, so a written quote is needed. As arithmetic, 4% to 7% of 24 months is 0.96 to 1.68 months of rent.

City programs are for selected applicants. Garantía+Fácil (IVC) offers up to 70% off the insurance premium and requires, among other conditions, family income up to 7 minimum wages and an Argentine DNI. Alquilar+Fácil (IVC) gives an interest-free loan of up to three months' rent and requires a DNI or permanent residence. The IVC pages show no application dates; ask the IVC whether enrollment is open.

Is a passport enough, or does a tenant need a DNI or CUIL?

The rental articles of the decree set no identity document for signing a lease. In practice the owner, the agency and the guarantee provider set one. Argentina Visa Law reports that furnished monthly rentals ask for a passport, while traditional leases usually ask for a DNI plus Argentine income proof such as pay slips. It says one guarantee provider asks for a DNI in every applicant profile, and Argenprop's guarantee page asks for a DNI, so a passport alone may not be enough for those products. A passport can work with a private owner who accepts a cash deposit or advance rent, or with a temporary rental.

No law requires a CUIL to sign a lease; providers and banks may ask for one. On the CUIL, ANSES's page says a foreigner over 18 without a DNI can obtain one with a migrations file showing the current residence type and entry, a passport stating a residence type that is not tourist or permanent, or an entry permit issued by a consulate. A passport stamped as tourist alone does not qualify on that page. The tax ID (CUIT) is explained in CUIT for foreigners, and residency routes in the Argentina expat guide.

How is rent adjusted, and what is the ICL?

The decree lets the parties pick any index in the rent's currency. The ICL (Índice para Contratos de Locación) is published by the Central Bank (BCRA), was created by Ley 27.551 and is still used by agreement. For October 2026, El Cronista (September 25, citing BCRA Comunicación B 13228/2026) reported quarterly +6.72%, four-monthly +9.83%, six-monthly +17.04% and annual +31.67%. The BCRA's ICL series (daily) shows 36.54 on October 1, 2026 against 27.75 a year earlier, a rise of 31.68% (arithmetic).

La Nación (October 5) describes typical 2026 contracts as two years, in pesos, adjusted every three or four months by consumer prices or the ICL. The clause to read names the index, the frequency and any cap. Converting pesos and dollars is covered on the blue dollar page.

How do furnished and temporary rentals work?

Furnished dollar rents are on cost of living in Buenos Aires. In the City, Ley 6.255 defines a "temporary tourist rental" as lodging in a housing unit, whole or in part, for a minimum of one night and up to three months.

Does the lease need to be registered?

No registration with the tax agency (ARCA) is required. ARCA General Resolution 5545/2024 (August 2024) removed the general duty to register rental contracts; registration on RELI, the ARCA registry of leases, remains only for taxpayers who want the tax benefits of Ley 27.737, within 15 days of signing.

How do rental scams work, and what are the checks?

Argentina Visa Law (updated October 4, 2026) summarizes a December 2025 warning from the Colegio de Martilleros of Buenos Aires Province: listings for properties that do not exist or are misrepresented, with copied photos, low prices, pressure to reserve at once and a request for a seña. Its rental guide (September 2026) describes an "owner" abroad who asks for a deposit by wire, crypto or Western Union.

The precautions on its scams page include checking the broker in CUCICBA's registry of licensed brokers (Guía de Matriculados), seeing the unit in person or on live video with someone inside before paying, and keeping chats and transfer receipts. The rental guide adds confirming the address, the terms and the payee in writing, and asking for a recent ABL receipt.

Reports can go to denuncias.fiscalias.gob.ar or 0800 33 347225 (City prosecutors) and to the platform.

See also: cost of living in Buenos Aires, cost of living in Argentina, Argentina expat guide, buying an apartment in Buenos Aires as a foreigner.

Sources

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