Renting in Buenos Aires as a foreigner: the lease
Foreigners can sign written Buenos Aires leases. Under the post-DNU 70/2023 rules, the parties negotiate the term and currency as well as the deposit and rent adjustments. In CABA residential rentals, an individual tenant cannot be charged an agency commission.
Updated · 7 min read
The short version
- Lease form
- Written agreement required; Argentine Ministry of Justice guidance checked September 2026
- Unspecified permanent-home term
- 2 years by default; parties can agree another term under current law
- Early exit
- Tenant may end at any time by paying 10% of remaining rent under current national rules
- CABA residential agency commission
- ARS 0 / AUD 0 charged to an individual tenant; owner-side ceiling is 4.15% of total contract
- Guarantee subsidy
- CABA Garantía + Fácil covers 70% of eligible insurance premium; Argentine DNI required
Foreigners can rent in Buenos Aires with a written lease; since DNU 70/2023, the parties may agree the term, rent currency and adjustment method. Without a local property-backed guarantor, ask the owner whether they accept seguro de caución (rental-guarantee insurance) before paying anything to reserve the flat.
What a Buenos Aires lease must say in 2026
The national Ministry of Justice rental guide requires a written contract. The post-DNU rules no longer impose the old blanket three-year residential term or peso-only rent. You and the owner may choose the term, subject to a residential maximum of 20 years. If a permanent-home contract leaves the term blank, the default is two years; that default is not a mandatory term for every new lease. A lease signed before the legal changes needs to be read under the rules that applied to that agreement.
| Term to settle before signing | What the current national rules allow | What to put in writing |
|---|---|---|
| Rent currency | Pesos or a foreign currency; the tenant cannot insist on paying in a different currency | Currency, amount, payment method and who bears transfer or conversion charges |
| Payment frequency | Parties agree frequency; payment cannot be required for a period shorter than one month | Due date and how the payment is recorded |
| Adjustments | Parties may choose a public or private index corresponding to the payment currency | Named index, calculation date and frequency of increases |
| Deposit | Amount, currency and return method are negotiable | Amount received, inventory deductions and how and when it will be returned |
| Leaving early | Tenant may end at any time without cause by paying 10% of rent for the remaining contracted period, calculated from notice to the end | Notice route and the agreed term, so the calculation can be checked |
A USD-denominated lease exposes an AUD earner to two moving exchange rates, even if the flat is in Argentina. Compare the amount in the currency you actually receive, and get the permitted payment route into the contract. For peso transfers from Australia, compare the net ARS received rather than converting a USD asking price at a headline rate. Buenos Aires statistics report an average advertised citywide rent of ARS 764,485 a month for a used two-room flat in Q2 2026. At the 29 September 2026 mid-market rate, that is about AUD 717. It is an asking average, not a furnished or neighbourhood-specific quote; building expenses are separate.
How to rent without a local property guarantor
A garantía propietaria (real-property-backed guarantor) and seguro de caución are separate ways to secure the tenant’s obligations to the landlord. A cash deposit is different again. Establish which option a particular owner will accept before arranging a viewing or buying insurance.
| Option | What it does | Foreigner's question before paying |
|---|---|---|
| Garantía propietaria | A person offers property as backing for the lease | Does the owner accept the proposed property and guarantor, and which documents are required? |
| Seguro de caución | An insurer issues a policy securing the tenant's obligations; the premium is separate from rent | Will this owner accept the insurer, and will that insurer assess an applicant using your documents? |
| Security deposit | Funds held under the negotiated deposit and return clause | In which currency is it paid and returned, and what deductions are written into the contract? |
The City housing institute describes seguro de caución as an alternative to a property guarantor, subject to the insurer's assessment. Its Garantía + Fácil programme may subsidise 70% of the premium for approved applicants, but it requires an Argentine DNI (national identity card) and has income, rent and CABA-location conditions. An Australian passport alone does not establish access to that subsidy or approval for a policy. If you are applying for residency, understand when a DNI becomes available; do not make the lease contingent on an ID you do not yet hold.
Which upfront charges belong to the tenant
For a residential rental in the City of Buenos Aires with an individual tenant, City Law 2,340 prohibits the intermediary from charging the tenant a real-estate commission, title-report management fee or administration fee. The agency may charge the owner up to 4.15% of the total contract. This CABA protection is not a nationwide fee schedule. The City housing institute accepts agency-fee complaints; the published online complaint process asks for a miBA account, DNI, agency details and evidence. A passport-only newcomer should ask the institute about access rather than assume the online form will accept a passport.
The deposit has no automatic national one-month cap under the current guidance. Ask for a written breakdown separating first rent, deposit, accepted guarantee policy, ordinary building charges and any utility arrangements. The tenant bears charges arising from use and ordinary regular expensas (common building expenses); extraordinary common expenses and taxes on the property itself are not the tenant's responsibility under the national guide. An unusually large charge labelled simply “expenses” is a reason to request the building's ordinary-versus-extraordinary breakdown.
Inspect the flat and contract before transferring money
- Search Buenos Aires rentals on PlataPlace and shortlist addresses with terms you can pay in the quoted currency. PlataPlace carries listings from owners and brokerages; read the individual offer rather than treating a search result as a contract.
- Visit the building and test the water, locks, windows and internet connection at the flat. Request the most recent ordinary expensas amount and the list of what the rent includes; neither follows from the advertised rent alone.
- Ask who will sign as owner or authorised representative, and obtain the written proposed lease. Match its address, start date, currency, escalation and guarantee to what was advertised. Ask for the inventory and condition record if furniture is included.
- Agree the deposit-return mechanism, repair notice contact, end date and early-exit calculation before paying. The Ministry of Justice distinguishes urgent repairs, for which the landlord has 24 hours after notice, from non-urgent repairs, for which the period is 10 calendar days after notice.
- Keep the signed contract, evidence of each payment and the condition record. If the agent asks an individual CABA residential tenant for a commission, take the written charge to the City housing institute's tenant service instead of assuming the owner's fee is yours.
Do not transfer a deposit before identifying the contracting party and reading the lease. Ask for corrections if the contract mislabels ordinary building charges, omits the index calculation or contradicts the agreed rent currency. For a disputed deposit or unusual currency or guarantee clause, we recommend Lucero Legal.
Where a first-month furnished stay fits
If you cannot inspect from Australia, book an arrival-period furnished rental first and view permanent-home flats in person. A furnished tourist-style agreement may have different term rules from a permanent-home lease. Establish the purpose and duration before making a non-refundable payment.
Common questions
Can a foreigner rent in Buenos Aires without an Argentine DNI?
A written lease is the national requirement; an Argentine DNI is required for the City’s Garantía + Fácil subsidy, not stated as a universal prerequisite for every lease. Ask the owner which identity and guarantee documents they will accept.
Do I need a garantía propietaria to rent long-term?
No national rule in the cited rental guide makes one type of guarantor compulsory. An owner may accept seguro de caución instead, subject to the insurer’s assessment and the owner’s agreement.
Can the landlord set rent in USD?
Yes. Under the current national rules, parties may agree rent in pesos or a foreign currency, and a tenant cannot require a different currency from the one contracted.
Can an agency charge me commission in Buenos Aires?
Not for a CABA residential lease with an individual tenant. City Law 2,340 bars tenant intermediary commission, title-report management and administration fees; the owner-side cap is 4.15% of the total contract.
Is the rental deposit capped at one month?
No automatic one-month national cap applies under the current Ministry of Justice guidance. The parties negotiate its amount, currency and return method in the written contract.
Sources
- Argentina Ministry of Justice: Alquileres · Written contracts, term, currency, deposit, expenses, repairs and early termination.
- City of Buenos Aires Official Gazette: Law 5,859 amending Law 2,340 · CABA residential intermediary fee allocation and 4.15% owner ceiling.
- Instituto de Vivienda de la Ciudad: Garantía + Fácil · Insurance option and subsidy eligibility.
- Instituto de Vivienda de la Ciudad: Tenant services
- Instituto de Vivienda de la Ciudad: Agency-fee complaints
- Buenos Aires statistics office: Apartment rental market, Q2 2026 · Citywide used two-room advertised rent, not signed or furnished rent.
- Wise: AUD to ARS exchange-rate converter · 29 September 2026 mid-market rate used only for illustrative AUD conversion.
