Apartment Living in Buenos Aires
Are you planning to move to Buenos Aires? Then you’re in the right place because this article will provide you with some insight into apartment living in Buenos Aires.
I lived in two different apartments over 3 years in Buenos Aires as an American expat and today I’m sharing with you some things you might want to be aware of before renting an apartment in Buenos Aires.
Service Elevators
Most apartments will have two elevators - a main elevator and a service elevator towards the back or side of the building. And the service elevators in Buenos Aires aren’t just for moving day and building contractors!
You should also plan to use the service elevator if you have dogs. When you take your dog out for their restroom breaks, many buildings don’t want to risk getting the main elevator dirty with dog hair and anything else! So you’ll be required to use the service elevator with your dog.
Along with pets, the service elevator will be used by any contractors that come to your apartment, such as plumbers, painters, water delivery or grocery delivery.
Building Notices
Even if you don’t use your building's service elevators on a daily basis, you still need to go in there occasionally to check them out!
Most buildings will post important information all the apartment owners need to know about in their service elevators. For example, our building in Recoleta posted pest control notices each month. They would show the date we could expect pest control to come by our apartment to spray.
They would also post notifications having to do with building maintenance. Such as fixing a water tank or when electricity may be out for a few hours.
So be sure to check your service elevators for important information you may need to know about!
Building Security Guards
Security in Buenos Aires apartments can be very strict. With many apartment robberies, it’s a good thing security is tight but it’s something to be aware of.
When we were moving to Buenos Aires, we signed a contract to lease an apartment and we wanted to go upstairs real quick to measure a doorway to ensure a refrigerator we were purchasing would fit in our apartment. Well, the security guard would not let us in to measure our soon-to-be door! That’s how strict things can be!
And if you’re visiting a friend in Buenos Aires, make sure they’ve told their building security to expect you! If not, plan to wait a few minutes while they call your friend before letting you into the lobby.
If you want to learn more about security and safety in Buenos Aires, check out this YouTube video I created.
Building Expenses
The apartment building you choose to live in will have building expenses or “expensas”. These expenses will be a separate line item on the apartment listing and in your monthly rent costs. Your building expenses may include neighborhood taxes (different neighborhoods charge different rates), garden maintenance, lobby maintenance and cleaning, shared air conditioning/heating costs, etc.
It is possible to get these monthly expenses included in your monthly rent as a package price or “pacquette”. If you are interested in paying one monthly amount to your landlord then ask about a pacquette. Most likely, they will be accommodating.
However, if you are trying to take advantage of the weak Argentine Peso vs. other currencies then paying the building expenses separately could be more financially beneficial.
Check out this video I created that shares steps to renting an apartment in Buenos Aires.
Neighbors in Buenos Aires
Neighbors can be noisy. I’m sure this is in all parts of the world, not just Buenos Aires! But in Buenos Aires, the population and apartments are very dense so expect to hear your neighbors. This may be the people living next door, underneath you, the restaurant next to your building or the concert at the park down the street!
Two times really stuck out to me from my time living in Buenos Aires. The first was when a futbol match was going on. Things could get very loud with cheering whenever a goal was made. And at the end of a game, if the right team won, expect to hear car horns expressing their excitement.
Another time you’ll hear from your neighbors is during protests. There were many times throughout my 3 years in Buenos Aires where everyone would take to their balconies with pots and pans to protest their governments latest actions.
Even though these things were noisy, looking back they make me happy because I know I really experienced the Buenos Aires culture in those moments.
These are just a few things to know about apartment living in Buenos Aires.
For more tips on being an expat in Buenos Aires, check out some articles and videos below.
Ready to move to Buenos Aires? Download this activity list with 50+ things you should do while living in or visiting Buenos Aires.
