View Full Version : Rental Apartment Reports
I have been trying to book an apt for one week Mar 22-29 but it feels impossible! It is with BA apts (or something like that) who have hundreds on their site. Been trying since last Wednesday and not one reply.
Now I leave Monday Mar 21.
Does anyone have any suggestions now that time has run out here?
My max is $170 for one week.
I also realize that Easter week is now in play.
Any help would be more than appreciated.
Grandpa
Try Mayra for apartments. Her contact info is in my Guide to BA. It as accessible on the home page of Argentina Private.
Moondog
I had a Mayra Brill apartment on the corner of Cordoba and Suipacha. The apartment was ok. The only problem I had was there was only 2 sets of sheets for the double bed and 2 for the futon/day bed. Going 6 days and fucking chicas all week really needs more sheet sets. I called Mayra but nothing was done about it.
Thanks Moondog.
I did my best.
Hope Myra can help.
Regards Michael
It's been a while since I browsed the BA forum. I remember reading about apartments offered by Saint. Can anyone please point me to the website.
Thanks!
Daddy Rulz
06-19-05, 15:36
Even though he doesn't post anymore He still answers my PMs. I don't know the website but PM him He will probably answer.
It's been a while since I browsed the BA forum. I remember reading about apartments offered by Saint. Can anyone please point me to the website.
Thanks!Here are two posts from Saint with his websites and contact info.
http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showpost.php?p=279239&postcount=5
http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showpost.php?p=312582&postcount=17
The websites are:
http://www.apartmentsba.com/system/contenido.php?id_cat=0
http://www.argentinago.com/system/idioma.php
I saw him on my last trip to BA. He is alive and well. He is a very bright guy who is as generous with his time as his agenda allows. His business has grown. He was constantly being put down, so he stopped posting. His apartment rentals.
Are high end only. He is not looking for the under us$100. Per night market. I would hope that this website has enough different people with enough different points of view that there should be room for everyone here.
Jackson basically gives us this site as a gift. I would hope that everyone.
Would want to have a broad range of different people who have different points of view and experiences to share.
Saint's apartments are for people who want an alternative to.
A four / five star hotel---the same quality at a cheaper price.
And other extras like a vonage phone.
My first post here was about a us$32 per night hotel. I'm not one of Saint's customers. I enjoyed his postings over the years.
And followed his journey around the world that lead to him moving to ba. SAINT, if you read this, start posting again.
I, for one, truly appreciate all the info available on this site.
THANKS JACKSON, Capt Dave, Otto and Dickhead [who I've never met but he has given me some great time and money saving advise].
Bob
ChicagoBoy23
06-25-05, 20:12
I spent an hour looking at different apartments (on the web) in Recolleta area.
I decided to rent Jackson's place for my July visit because it had the best location and was priced at ~25% discount to equivalent places.
I have been to BA 4X, doing both the apartment and hotel thing. JMHO.
SmokingDane
08-17-05, 05:31
Hi!
Have anybody heard anything good or bad about this website?
http://www.alojargentina.com.ar/indexEN.php
Thank you in advanced.
SmokingDane
It is '' bait and switch''. The good apts. Are not available.When are they unavailable? Forever? Or just in the near term?
As you might expect, the better apartments are more likely to be scooped up first by renters, wouldn't you agree?
Wally Foot
08-17-05, 15:56
I have used Alojargentina on the two occasions when I visited BA, last year for a small apartment in Recoleta, and this July for a rather larger, if older, apartment near Plaza San Martin. I made the bookings eight or ten weeks in advance, and in both cases the arrangements were handled very smoothly. The company dealt efficiently with my emails, using perfect English, and when I arrived to take up the keys, the company's representatives, young and female, were there to handle the arrangements. They made out very thorough inventories of every item in the flats (which I could not read) and checked everything thoroughly on my departure. The only extra charge was AS$7 because I forgot to launder a couple of towels. My deposit was returned without a problem.
I intend to return to BA and I shall certainly consider using Alojargentina again.
Jaimito Cartero
08-17-05, 16:54
The only extra charge was AS$7 because I forgot to launder a couple of towels. My deposit was returned without a problem.I've never had to launder towels, sheets or anything at any apartment that I've ever rented.
Well this is my second week in Roxana's apartment, and I am really having a great time. This place is of good size and when she renovated it, she certainly made it "monger friendly". Although I am not sure that I am really ready to continually see myself on a wall sized mirror, it is quite stunning when you walk in the room. The apppliances and electronics are new and very functional as well. The place is one block from Madahos and Solid Gold, so is in a great location. I can tell you that it is fun entertaining in this place as well. I have prepared a couple of "American / southern style" dished for my guest which at this point have been well received. Next up "panqueques" with fresh strawberries and cream!
Jaimito Cartero
08-17-05, 21:24
Well this is my second week in Roxana's apartment, and I am really having a great time. This place is of good size and when she renovated it, she certainly made it "monger friendly". Although I am not sure that I am really ready to continually see myself on a wall sized mirror, it is quite stunning when you walk in the room. The apppliances and electronics are new and very functional as well. The place is one block from Madahos and Solid Gold, so is in a great location. I can tell you that it is fun entertaining in this place as well. I have prepared a couple of "American / southern style" dished for my guest which at this point have been well received. Next up "panqueques" with freas strawberries and cream!No construction noises?
Yeah there are, but I get up early to go to class so it is not an issue for me and they aren't working on the weekends or holidays. I was talking to the doorman and if I understood him, the construction is going to be a supermercado.
I suspect it could be tough if you strolled in at 5:00 am and the trabajadors started pounding away (in a different manner) at 7:45. LOL
Jaimito Cartero
08-18-05, 14:46
I suspect it could be tough if you strolled in at 5:00 am and the trabajadors started pounding away (in a different manner) at 7:45. LOLI've heard that has been a problem. I know I'd be pretty upset if I was trying to sleep at 7am and only had a ton of noise.:)
Mayra arranged for me to rent the penthouse here last week, very nice, great location similar to Jackson's apt. However, yes, hitting the sack at 4 AM and construction noise commencing at 7 AM is pretty much impossible. I moved to Loi Suites, where I was very happy the rest of the trip.
Suerte,
Veterano
Any experiences with this agency?
http://www.letsgoargentina.com
Thanks
NewOrleans
10-23-05, 03:59
Can anyone tell me about the neighbor of Bonpland & Guatemala. Is this a good location or not to stay in for 2 weeks.
Thanks
Any experiences with this agency?
http://www.letsgoargentina.com
ThanksThey talk a good game but are real bad for follow- up.
I asked many times for a contrafrente unit and saw only two, 4 others were in the front. This was back in July when things were slow.
Sorry this is a late post. Got my unit via e-mail from bytargentina.
Good service but the agents work in specific areas and will try to steer you.
To their locale.
Happy hunting.
Can anyone tell me about the neighbor of Bonpland & Guatemala. Is this a good location or not to stay in for 2 weeks.
ThanksThat's Palermo Hollywood. The "Hollywood" name due that part of Palermo since it's isolated by the train railways, and a couple of TV studios and radios are in that area. TV and radio stars (just like you and I) need to take a coffee or have some dinner, so several restaurants became famous since you may see a TV star dinning right next to you.
By night the area turns dark and empty it's better to ride in a car / taxi if you are walking a non commercial street, the central point of Palermo Hollywood is located 5 blocks from there in Honduras and Bonpland, America TV studios and Radio Metro shares the corners. The area anyway offers a lot of nice restaurants and bars. Here are some pictures on the streets of Palermo Hollywood http://www.barts.com.ar/barts/citypics.php?location=hollywood
There is anyway a nice chicas house in paraguay and fitz roy (I don't remember the address now but I remember the girl, hehe)
May be I shoot more pictures on Palermo Hollywood this week.
NewOrleans
10-24-05, 16:14
Thanks MCSE.
Brandon
Having some difficulty in selecting an apartment for when I come to BA - not so much as in finding one - between this board and others, got tons of apartment provider's websites I'm looking through - but more in the selection of one.
Mainly I'm getting stuck right now on trying to pick a final choice site unseen of the location area.
Does anyone know what the location of Junin and Las Heras is like? I'm debating between an apartment there which is a little nicer in terms of size and ammenities and one near the Four Seasons at Posadas and Cerrito - still nice but smaller, which seems to be closer to the chic avenue of Avear.
Perhaps any nice area of Recoleta is just as good for close restaurants, cafes, etc?
Count Chocula
12-06-05, 13:16
Just returned from BA renting from Reynolds - www.argentinahomes.com. Excellent results all around - apartment just as represented, no frivolous damage claims, helpful and attractive staff, no communications difficulties.
I would recommend making sure all rooms have AC, and that due to noise and fumes, try to get a unit on a high floor, bedroom in back, on a street without a bus route if possible. Recoleta to me is much more pleasant than the centro.
Having some difficulty in selecting an apartment for when I come to BA - not so much as in finding one - between this board and others, got tons of apartment provider's websites I'm looking through - but more in the selection of one.
Mainly I'm getting stuck right now on trying to pick a final choice site unseen of the location area.
Does anyone know what the location of Junin and Las Heras is like? I'm debating between an apartment there which is a little nicer in terms of size and ammenities and one near the Four Seasons at Posadas and Cerrito - still nice but smaller, which seems to be closer to the chic avenue of Avear.
Perhaps any nice area of Recoleta is just as good for close restaurants, cafes, etc?Junin and Las Heras is a nice area and an easy walk to the Recoleta clubs. Las Heras is a busy street and a major bus route so I'm not sure I'd want an apartment facing it even if it was high. The area around the Four Seasons is tonier (but less street life) and an easy walk from the the Microcentral clubs. I'd say Junin and Las Heras is a better location if you want a lively night life right outside your door since it is in the heart of Recoleta.
Thanks for the replies. I figure I can take cabs to the clubs but I might as well get the apartment at Junin / Las Heras if it isnt directly facing the main street.
PB,
Tell your friend to drop the cheesy music from the site. Also, it is not viewable by my browser (Mozilla) which is not Internet Explorer.
I used myplacerealestate to book my apartment and I've found their service to be excellent. And Giselle has been my agent as well.
Using any Netscape or Mozilla based browser using nglayout or gecko has zero problems with the myplacerealestate. Com website - it's just that since Mozilla went open source, certain plugins are not packaged automatically.
So you can't view this website unless you already got or click a simply link to obtain the macromedia shockwave plugin.
Ditto on the cheesy music though - either cut it or just only on the intro. The constant re-run had me putting speakers on mute when I was first searching for apartments before arriving in BA.
Dodger Bulldog
04-20-06, 03:19
I spent Semana Santa in Bs. As. And will be reporting on various threads over the next week or so.
After 20 hours on airplanes and in airports, I knew I would need to crash upon arrival. I rented an apartment in Microcentro. The unit is referred to as Av. Cordoba and San Martin II on the Bytargentina website:
http://www.bytargentina.com/re/propview.php?&ano_ing=&dia_ing=&mes_ing=&ano_sal=&dia_sal=&mes_sal=&apartmentclose=&view=1194
I had an email stating that the rental agent would meet me there for check in at 9:05 AM, which is exactly when I arrived from the airport by taxi.
No one was there.
I snoozed in the lobby of the building while the doorman made calls for me. The owners were kind enough to come let me in and arrived in about 30 minutes. They were really super people!
The rental agent arrived about 11 AM. He blamed the "mix up" on the change to daylight savings time in the States the week before.
Huh?
Other than that, I was extremely pleased. The unit was on the 19th floor with beautiful views of the city and the river, at a cost of only $270 for the week, plus a 90 peso administrative fee.
The apartment was very clean, beautifully decorated, and quite well appointed. There were mirrors in the bedroom, candles everywhere, and lots of extra touches. It was even stocked with plenty of little things like extra tp, paper towels, soap, coffee filters, etc. So that I did not have to rush out to a store.
Two friends were also renting in the area from Bytargentina (for only a few dollars less) and were much more impressed by my unit.
So were the chicas. It set a very nice mood for the sessions.
It had door men around the clock, who were always helpful and happy to snap photos of me with my new amigas.
I was one block from Florida Avenue and across the street from my favorite place, Cafe Orleans, and within easy walking distance to Cutty Sark, Jazz Pub, the triangle clubs, Excedra, and numerous restaurants and shops.
I highly recommend an apartment for quality and value, and this one in particular. Just make sure that the rental agent shows up on time!
Or better yet, PM me for the owners email and you can bypass the middle man.
DB
Hi Guys,
When you rent my apartment, my doorman has instructions to give you the key when you arrive in the event that I'm not there at that exact moment.
BTW, here's another owner's email for you: argentinaprivate@gmail.com
Thanks,
Jackson
I had the same thing happen to me when I rented from Bytargentina in November of last year. I think the sales agent was Fernando. He was late getting there and spent 20 minutes on the phone before we headed up to the apartment. Quite inconvenient when you've spent nearly a day circling the globe on a plane. I think the next time I come to BA, I will call them as soon as I get off the plane, and reconfirm the meeting. Outside of that, they were easy to deal with.
Judd
Hi Guys,
When you rent my apartment, my doorman has instructions to give you the key when you arrive in the event that I'm not there at that exact moment.
Thanks,
Jackson
Jackson's place is a great choice as far as amenities are concerned. Apartment is updated and close to everything in the Recoleta/Barrio Norte area. It's a real no brainer. I wish I could afford to stay at his palacial Apt. All the time. However, budget restraints force me seek other rental avenues. Hopefully, things will be different for me next year.
BTW, MCSE or Paolo also have great apt's to rent as well.
Judd
Hey Guys:
I'm coming to BsAs in late May for a 6-week study abroad program. I've identified a few decent-looking apt. Options but wanted to get your opinions on them:
http://www.buenosaireshabitat.com/apartments_details.php?id=128
http://www.buenosaireshabitat.com/apartments_details.php?id=96
Any pros / cons to the neighborhood? My school's at the corner of Callao & Peron. Looks like a hike, so I'm guessing 30-45 minutes to walk it?
Final question - is it a hassle at customs to bring in a laptop?
Thanks
I always bring in a laptop. There is no problem.
Santa Fe and Libertad to Callao and Peron is nowhere near that long of a walk. It would be more like fifteen or twenty minutes. Maybe 18 blocks. Also you could take the #39 bus to Peron and then it would be a seven block walk. Or walk six blocks to are. Pena and take the #37 to Peron. Or take two different buses and don't walk shit. Or walk to Libertad and Cordoba and take the Subte but you'd have to change lines to get two blocks from Peron and Callao. Or take that same Subte to Callao. Or or or
Anyway you have a plethora of cheap transportation options in BA, especially in that neighborhood.
Hi Guys,
When you rent my apartment, my doorman has instructions to give you the key when you arrive in the event that I'm not there at that exact moment.
Thanks,
JacksonThere's not a better-located nor a better value apartment available in Buenos Aires than Jackson's place. You're literally within walking distance to everything. In addition, the apartment is set up with a US Vonage phone and internet hookups for a visitor to utilize while in town. He's got maid service, neighborhood tips available, and also checkin and checkout is convenient - even down to a science.
Santa Fe and Libertad to Callao and Peron is nowhere near that long of a walk. It would be more like fifteen or twenty minutes. Maybe 18 blocks. Also you could take the #39 bus to Peron and then it would be a seven block walk. Or walk six blocks to are. Pena and take the #37 to Peron. Or take two different buses and don't walk shit. Or walk to Libertad and Cordoba and take the Subte but you'd have to change lines to get two blocks from Peron and Callao. Or take that same Subte to Callao. Or or or.
Anyway you have a plethora of cheap transportation options in BA, especially in that neighborhood.Thanks for the info, DH. The walk will do me some good. So that's a decent area? I hope to catch up w / some of you guys when I arrive.
Sure, it's an excellent area.
Any experience w / this agency:
www.buenosaireshousing.com.ar
They want me to wire them a 20% deposit to reserve the place (Santa Fe & Callao) Standard procedure?
Thanks
Rock Harders
04-25-06, 22:13
Slugfest,
I rented from Beatriz (the lady who runs BuenosAiresHousing) from August 2005 until December 2005 and I can testify that she is an honest and straightforward businessperson. I wired what was probably 20% of the first month's rent before I left the USA and upon arrival in Argentina everything was in order. She had a remise waiting for me outside customs (a guy holding a sign with my name on it) and was waiting outside the apartment with the apartment owner. Anytime I had a complaint, I just called and she or the apartment owner would show up in a timely fashion and fix whatever had went wrong. Also, when it was time to fork over the apartment, there was no funny business regarding the security deposit; they returned the entire amount, in USD, without blinking an eye.
Suerte,
Dirk Diggler
Mayra has done an outstanding job for me. When I have screwed up my reservations she has always bailed me out. Woth her weight in gold, even in a pregnant state.
Starfe
Barney Lobo
05-04-06, 04:19
Anyone on this forum can boast, but the reality of pricing is Mayra will clock you per day, of at least $30 per hotel and $45 per apartment rent. Look at the posts. I have and will continue to call Dickhead to his face an asshole, but the fact remains, he is relatively accurate with his rants, even if it's at the expense of posters. There is a three tier pricing mentality of those who think they are the masters of the their universe. Get away with trying to charge the highest price to a gringo, even if it means no more rent money for months thereafter. The logic is f'ed up, but that is the way it is. Prey upon the ignorant, and hope to get very lucky in a country where expropriation and devaluation are commonly understood words in the government's vocabulary. Sounds like a safe bet, even if it only means $20,000. Let's put it in perspective. I have saved enough money to pay full retail for Pimsluer III tapes by not going with Mayra. Consider it. If I could pay the highest amount for allegedly the best CD's to learn more spanish, what would you do? There are so many other apartments for some much less money with two or three bedrooms wanting to be rented in Centro (within two or three blocks of 9th of July Ave) Barrio Norte, and the Palermos for less, especially to locals.
By the way, Mayra dicked me for $50 bucks. I bitched to J and he told me the obvious: post. Dickhead gave me shit because I never post. Well, I don't live there. About four months later realized that I got ripped off when she withdrew the money and I got a Western Union notification. I have to agree with Saint, even though his 'business model aligns with Mayras' the same f'in MO with those Port people.:-)
Enjoy the city. If you want convience (sp) do it. If you want to frequently travel or are budget mindful, get wise. The flat or apartment I had was maybe, granted it was during Holy Week, 50% occupied in Centro. What's up with that? Say alot of people go to their home cities in the provinces who work in the city, does it reduce the occupancy of the building that greatly? Say it does, what is the apart. Generating monthly during the year? At best 300USD. The guy (owner) kept going around and turning off the lights so after thirty years he could have saved 30 pesos. Do the math. It ain't that complex. Where would you want to invest? Where do you think parity is in a market like that? Did we mention the government could possibly be f'ed up? Gee whiz!
And BARent is the greatest. Actuially it looks well appointed, but the target market is for those who are willing to pay $50 more per day to feel rich.
Chau chau chau.
Sounds like he had a bad experience with her but I've been using her for hotels, apartments, and flights for over three years and have never had an issue. That includes sending her cash via paypal multiple times so that I could get the best rates by paying cash. Never a single problem. I compare the prices that she's gotten me with prices on the web and I've never been unhappy. In fact, on the last trip, I had to leave for the airport before I could get my apartment deposit back and Mayra sent it to me via Paypal the next day.
This is the first time I've ever read a complaint about her and there are lots of positive postings.
Punter 127
07-30-06, 21:43
I have used bytargentina and was happy with them, I have also stayed in Roxys place. But YMMV.
www.bytargentina.com
Like Mr. P127 I have also used ByTArgentina and have been happy with their communication, service and convenience. Would recommend.
Their website is fairly well designed, easy to use and relatively fast.
Suerte.
Stowe
I have used Bytargentina 4 times and have been very satified with their services. Sometimes things don't last here, but for now I would certainly recommend them.
Keep in mind that BYTArgentina is a broker, they don't own the apartments. There is nothing the agency can do if an urgent repairment is needed, or if the owner wants to discount you money from your damages deposit.
Hey,
I used Alojargentina my first time there, great service, and the BYT the next 3 times, all without any problems. I've always gotten all of my deposit back, the last time the owner didn't even check the apartment out, she just met me at the door and gave me the deposit back the night prior to me leaving. I usually arrive in the wee hours of the morning and the owner and BYT rep will meet me at the apartment (I usually bring a bottle of wine or something) get the lease signed and I'm done in about 15 minutes.
I've never stayed in a hotel in BA, I'm sure they have them but the apartments are so much nicer. I've stayed anywhere from 6 days to 3 weeks several times. You can really enjoy yourself in an apartment, I feel like the girls like them better, and you get to enjoy the neighborhood differently. It seems like hotels in most cities are only in certain parts of town. I always stay in San Telmo, have stayed in some beautiful lofts there, a nice enhancement to a wonderful trip.
I have used BytArgentina a number of times and results have been just fine.
Everything depends on the owner of the apartment and I tend to repeat where service has been good.
RustyJones
12-06-06, 02:42
Boy I know what I am getting into with all of the "I love BYT" hoopla. But for what it is worth with my experience they especially Mariano and Gaston really SUCK!
Now with that statement you would say that I am being VERY unreasonable, but you need to know the truth of the matter and how BYT washed its hands of a very bad situation and tried to place blame and responsibility on all other parties except for themselves.
This is in two parts. The first involves Gaston that handles the Barrio Nolte area. I started to look late for an apartment, but I found a place that may be somewhat nice and reasonaly priced but not as near as what I would like to be to Recoletta. Before I confirmed the apartment I decided to ask questions of BYT through the person that replied to my inquiry about the apartment, Gaston. Ok so here is the first negative after a few emails re-asking the questions and only getting a response from Gaston to confirm the reservation I copied the main info address too. Gee I finally got a response although not to my liking from Gaston. Now four to five days had gone by waiting for this real response. More or less I had to talk to another agent there. He could not help at all. So I called the agency. The agent for Recoletta was mad at me for not trying to rent five or more places! I only needed one! The web site showed it to be available. Gee guess what! The web site is not updated! So many of the apartments are really NOT available. So Byt wants you to ask for up to six apartments. I finally did this. Realize this is now four days before my flight. Well all of the apartments that I tried were gone! But she referred me to Mariano. Finally Mariano said he could help and sent some possibilities. Finally some one who would answer questions and help. I choose a place for 625 per week located on Suipacha and Arroyo. THis is not a bad location if you wish to go to Recoletta and or Micro Center. The good news with Mariano ends here! Yes I know everyone raves about how good he is. Sorry I do not beleive it. This is why.
Part Two - Ok everything is OK until Monday nite at three AM when I return back to the building of my apartment. Walking into the lobby of the building I see a scuzzy guy in his late 20's to early 30's talking to the nite doorman. He was almost homeless looking or a throw back to the 60's hippe junk look only dirtier. As I walked past them toward the elevator he turns and follows me. He follows me into the same elevator and presses the button for the same floor as me. I commented about staying on the same floor and asked what apartment he was staying in. He asked me to tell him first what apartment I was staying in. I figured he was a person that lived there so there was not a problem for him to know so I told him. He rudely commented back that he lived there, he owns it and I do not stay there. Of course I was JUST A LITTLE BIT PISSED. He said he could prove it and proceeded to go to the apartment in question and openned the door to my place WITH HIS KEYES. Do you think I was even more pissed now! His bike and back pack were already inside the apartment from his initial visit to it earlier. OK more pissed! I tried to keep calm and looked around to see if anything of my stuff was taken from the apartment.
OK, so the long and short of it after much heated discussions and getting even more pissed if that was even possible at that time, I heard these things: he was the owner but the responibility was awarded to his mother to manage the apartment property which he knows is rented out to people; he also has his own place in BA (he had written down a phone number to reach him which he confirmed was his home number); his opinion was that HE IS ABLE TO STAY THERE AT ANY TIME (HE DID NOT CARE ABOUT THE RENTAL AGREEMENT); the mother hired a management company to manage the rental of the property. This "sons" attitude was of a spoiled rich kid that could not get his way with me and was being an asshole. Again many things were said by him that gave me that opinion. Finally I got him to leave (with bike and back pack) It did take some trying. Both he and I commented we were going to solve it in the morning. His attitude was of course an asshole. Ok, so in the morning I finally got hold of Claudio (Mariano's assistant) Of course he assured me that BYT would take care of everything. Boy did I beleive him! After two hours of waiting Mariano called and said that the son was miss-informed and was sorry. I did not buy it. The son was a creep and an asshole. He would say any thing to defray the responsibility or to get me to stay so of course he could have access. The interesting thing is that Mariano put the responsibility on me! He repeated during my conversation with him: "Then it is your choice to move out?". I will now say again (Mariano) It is my choice to protect my belongings and my deposit at the apartment. It should have been yours also being my representative renting the apartment. Mariano shifted the responsibility to me and therefore the cost. No he did not say it at that point in time. But I knew what was coming. I had to make him refocus on taking the responsibilty. I was at that time almost screaming at him over the phone. I found out later that Mariano screamed at the apartment manager of the property. She finally came up with the idea of changing the lock. Being that I would need to travel to the BYT office to look at other posibilities with my luggage and not knowing what would become of the balance of the rent and my deposit, I decided to accept the lock changing with the manager and I to have the only copies of keyes until I leave. On the day I checked out I contacted Claudio to change to time and to talk about things that were not provided and the "son" situation. He said he would handle it and would return my call to verify. No phone call back. What a surprise! I had to call the apartment manager and verify the change of time. She also said when she arrive that Claudio was going to be there also. Guess what he did not show and his cell was turned off! Surprise, surprise, surprise!
Summation; BYT will not be helpfull in any case of problems with an apartment. They will shift responsibility to all others including the renter. They will wash thier hands of any and all situations. They only care about making thier commision that is all! If I had agreed to take on the responsibility when I asked about getting me out of there, I would have lost the rest of my rent for the week and my deposit along with having to put down the same again on another place (you don't see scam here do you? Remember everything is in CASH! Gee I wonder why!
Opposing other peoples views on BYT, I WILL NOT USE BYT AGAIN.
I realize my view will get criticism from members that want to promote BYT. I can only comment on what I experienced myself.
This is a buyer beware!
RustyJones.
And others, heres how to rent an apartment with out any bull shit.
But first I'll state that I give all the business I can to Roxana, we're friends and I'd rather her have my money than some stranger. But there times her place is rented such as this trip and I'll rent a temporary place until I can move into Roxana's.
Go to, http://www.homes.com.ar/servicios/serv_reubicacion.php and pick out a place you like.
Then contact Victoria at, victoria@realestate.Com.Ar , she's the short term leasing agent. Victoria will do a job for you with no muss and no fuss.
I've done this 5 or 6 times with Victoria and never a problem, plus she speaks better English than most of us.
Exon
BundaLover
12-06-06, 23:36
RustyJones,
Great information. Thank you for taking the time to write the details. I rented once from AlojaArgentina this year. They were responsive and have about 5-6 full time agents in their office near the university medical center. They were unable to provide maid service due to bullshit and a strange event (robbery of cash within a suitcase) occured that leads me to believe somebody else had the key and enterred the apartment. This thing of not knowing who has keys to the place is a big gap in renting security that is NOT adaquatley addressed with the agencies.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. While I have used ByT a number of times and have dealt with Mariano, I have had nothing but good experiences.
As I posted some time back. These ByT is only the middleman in these situations and it all depends on the person who owns the apartment. While ByT and Mariano could have done a hell of a lot more for you, they, like you, are not in control of the situation, the owner is.
It is easy to be good, friendly and helpful when things are going well. The real measure of service is how a person or company responds when something goes wrong, as it did in your situation. This indicates that Mariano (and possibly ByT) are great to work with when there are no issues and the owner is great.
Otherwise, we can be screwed.
Suerte.
Stowe
AllIWantIsLove
12-07-06, 02:30
I wanted to rent an apartment for Feb. but didn't like the way that the deck is stacked against the renter and in favor of the owner.
If the owner is what really matters, as seems to be the case, could we ask guys who post their renting experiences to include the owner's name? Then when ever one of us wants to rent a place we can ask the agency for the owner's name. If someone else has had a bad experience with that owner we don't do business with him.
These owners who screw their renters shouldn't be able to hide behind the agencies.
Just a thought,
Bob
===========================================
Hi Bob,
The problem with implementing your strategy is that there are a handful of agencies but hundred's of owners.
Thanks,
Jackson
One idea would be to stick with apartments that are fully managed by the renting agency rather than having a local owner that rents through multiple agencies. My guess is that improves the chance of a good experience.
King of Sluts
12-09-06, 15:46
Mongers,
Who has the best and cheapest apartments in Buenos Aires? I do not like to get ripped off my the latins, I prefer to pay more whooores with the money that I am cheap on my apartment. Can I get an apartment for 400 dollars a month that is nice.
KOS
Canadian / Argentine owned. These folks are very professional.
And easy to deal with. I had a beautiful apartment 65 sqmtrs.
By Alto Palermo Mall for US$58. Per nite. This was a high end apartment at a reasonable price. When Jackson runs a special is the only way to find better value with good reliable service.
This location requires a little spanish as this is not a tourist area. They have upper end Recoleta apartments also. Saint.
Originally introduced me to these people - I still think that Saint is a good guy. His agency just is not geared to what I want or need. I would never pay double the price to sleep on the same bed linens used by Donald Trump. Saint has a nice one bedroom around the corner for US$ 150 per night.
He does have nicer linens and a mattress fit for the Queen of England and a vonage box.
Jimena or Victoria 011 5411 4801 9291
Jaimito Cartero
03-08-07, 08:02
Ah, I love it when the Wall Street Journal uses me for one of it's reports.
This is one link, on an Argentina board:
http://www.apartmentsba.com/argentina-real-estate-consulting-&-property-management-69/argentina-real-estate-in-the-news-97/
"By Alto Palermo Mall for US$58. Per nite. This was a high end apartment at a reasonable price. This location requires a little spanish as this is not a tourist area. They have upper end Recoleta apartments also."
This statement is funny to me because the first time I ever went to Santa Fe 3373 I was living in Recoleta and I thought that this area was so far out and "local". I was wondering if it was safe or not. It seemed to me to be seedy and a little bit shady when the cab driver was driving up Charcas at night. Now I have this memory of my first impression and I live here even further down Santa Fe and pass the same scenery everyday but in my mind's eye I can find no correlation between the 2 impressions that I had (Then and now) It is like the 2 memories happened in different countries. Can you image someone saying, "Be careful out there by that Alto Palermo shopping mall. You never know when one of the locals around there might pop a cap in somebody's ass." I'm not cracking on this guy because I was thinking the same thing but I just wanted to go on the record and say that this is a VERY safe and quiet area and visitors need not worry about their safety if staying here.
Just had a bad experience with this company. Got me for $120.
Punter 127
06-22-07, 20:07
Just had a bad experience with this company. Got me for $120.Sorry to hear about your bad luck, I've used this company several times with good results, but if things are changing I want to know about it, it would help if you would share some details.
OK, no problem. Partially my fault. But I still think that they are being unreasonable. Since Jackson's apartment where I usually stay is booked solid, I had to search for an alternative. Decided to stay downtown for a change and B & T seemed to have the greatest variety of places available. Found a place which had never had a reservation and had no future reservations either. Talked to them on the phone on Tuesday and gave my credit card details. Decided to take a better place from another company so gave B & T a call today and to be a nice guy said that they could keep their $35 fee anyway. Ha! They told me that I had to read the rules and pay 60% of the rental for cancelation. I mentioned that the apartment had never had any reservations so no one was losing anything from my cancelation after two days, but the response was basically F*** you, we have your credit card number. Anyway, its not the money so much as their attitude. I will post about my experience with the new company I'm dealing with next week after I arrive.
Found a place which had never had a reservation and had no future reservations either. You are probably VERY lucky you didn't take that place.
You're probably right. Seems weird that no one ever stayed in the place. Anyway, I'll be here, looks nice and is in the center of the action: http://www.buenosaireshabitat.com/apartments_details.php?id=179
Just because the apartment's occupancy calendar on BYT's website shows it is available does not necessary means the apartment was not occupied. This landlord might have multiple rental agents and BYT does not always know when other agents have rented out the place therefore the calendar might show it is unoccupied.
You might be right, but the calendar was completely green, and I only had the reservation for a couple of days. I doubt that anyone was inconvenienced. And 60% of a weeks rental? Seems kind of abusive to me.
http://www.barts.com.ar/barts/lodgin/apartments_det.php?recordID=47
I just spent a week in the Loft Apt. On Baez in Las Canitas, number #47
I cut the deep deal and turned down the free Remis ride in from the Airport and the services of Lucina Love, and promised not to fuck on the leather couch, so the number was $389 US for eight days.
Its a nice clean place, a little on the small side for me but I was comfortable there. High speed internet and so forth. The T. V. as in all Porteno apts has no CNN, BBC or INT, seems the cable companies are charging more for those chanels, so why pay it, only the Americans speak English anyway, no need.
The place is not for "Rookie Mongers", the reason its a $15 peso cab ride into town, which of course makes it another $15 peso's back to the house. Its not the $10 USD round trip cab ride, its the time it takes and if its rush hour its gona take awhile.
The up side is Las Canitas is a "Kick Ass Neighborhood", lots of great restruants, quite, no buses or heavy trucks, lot of beautiful young girl watching.
Since I have my own pussy too Fuck its not nessary for me to go crusing the triangle for strange women so I had "In Call" which worked out well.
Would I repeat, Yes I would, the place is much better than most rentals you'd find threw an agency and the quite beautiful Las Canitas neighborhood makes up for the extra time to commute to the city.
Exon
Just because the apartment's occupancy calendar on BYT's website shows it is available does not necessary means the apartment was not occupied. This landlord might have multiple rental agents and BYT does not always know when other agents have rented out the place therefore the calendar might show it is unoccupied.If you book at Byt you will often get the message that the appartment you want to rent is not available because the owner has to confirm it and often won't (living there himself, renting it out himself, gave it away to friends / family / lovers) confirm it.
I think that many owners have somebody occupy the place if it's not rented out and kick him out if somebody is willing to rent for like a month. If it's one week only they might even not bother
www.4rentargentina.com I think has an exclusive deal and the owner must have the appartment available for the time he indicates. The risk for the owner is that there is no interest and if somebody calls he / she can't give it away.
In my opinion 60-70% ocupation rate is about right, 2010 must be a good year
Hola Mundo
10-05-11, 00:36
Recently, I rented this apartment from.
www.apartmentsinba.com
And everything worked out great. The owner was waiting when I got there, all paperwork was in English and easy to follow. This apartment is very close to 'Subte' and other transportation which I liked, and Av. Santa Fe has 24 hour places to eat, ATM's, and it is safe to walk around the clock. Given that the Av. Santa Fe is a busy street, there always going to be some level of street noisy, but the bedroom is on the back and I didn't have any problems sleeping at night.
I had Mara, and other chicas visit me, and they did not have any problem.
Depending on the market conditions, you always could negotiate the rate you pay.
Renting from these folks is renting from reliable ethical folks. Mike's argentine wife handles the details of local operations These are good people. Sometimes it is worth a small premium for quality. There is somthing about just never wondering if the a/c, internet, heat are going to work well or be quickly fixed is there are problems beyond the management's control. This company only rents apartments that it manages--or at least that was the business plan when i met this nice friendly couple a few years ago.
Every year the Argentines dream up a new way to piss me off with the apartment I rent.
For years I rented from Olga Rico. After the first year no deposit was required.
She had two great apartments at what would now be an unbelievable price.
On arrival there would about two days supply of food included in the rent.
Unfortunately Olga suffers from the common disease of old age and no longer has the apartments.
I had a problem with the apartment I rented last year and the manager of the agency gave me his word there would not be any problems this year, BS.
The description of the apartment had aire acondicionado Frio Calor, this implies a heat pump but the calor was a typo. Heat is a piddly little electric heater that is slightly better than nothing. The telephone is for incoming calls only, for all outgoing you need a card, not just any card but one that nobody seems to be able to locate. Maid service is weekly, in 20 days she has been here once. The agent requested compensation for the problems but the owner declined. I probably should get an extra set of keys in case they try to screw me out of my deposit so I can come back and trash the place.
Next year, if there is one I will rent on my terms or not at all, I'll provide the lease in English, no deposit and I'll withhold 10% of the rent to insure the renter's performance of the lease. Since the attitude seems to be that the gringos can't be trusted but the Argentines can be I probably won't find an apartment.
Chau Argentina.
Don B.
Thomaso276
05-21-13, 20:08
"Next year, if there is one I will rent on my terms or not at all, I'll provide the lease in English, no deposit and I'll withhold 10% of the rent to insure the renter's performance of the lease. Since the attitude seems to be that the gringos can't be trusted but the Argentines can be I probably won't find an apartment.
Sorry but you won't find one with those agreement conditions is correct. Best to ask one of your friends down here to inspect apt. For you before you rent. But that would not confirm reliable maid service. PS what agency did you use so others can avoid.
Member #3320
05-21-13, 20:30
Its not a joke to find a reliable / good apartment here with everything working well to perfection. I found one in 2009 and have been staying there since then.
Maid service is again not a joke. I fired 3-4 different maids before I found a good one. Need lot of trial and error and patience.
This has so many inhabitants and so many apartments. You got to look and search. And if you want a good apartment and a efficient maid, be prepared to spend good money as well.
"Next year, if there is one I will rent on my terms or not at all, I'll provide the lease in English, no deposit and l'll withhold 10% of the rent to insure the renter's performance of the lease. Since the attitude seems to be that the gringos can't be trusted but the Argentines can be I probably won't find an apartment.
Sorry but you won't find one with those agreement conditions is correct. Best to ask one of your friends down here to inspect apt. For you before you rent. But that would not confirm reliable maid service. PS what agency did you use so others can avoid.I no longer put up with BS, my way or the highway.
About 20 years ago I had a new agent in Bs As he had worked in the US, spoke English and the second thing he said to me when we met was "Everybody here is on the take". He was right and he was part of the everybody. The customer is always right is a lost concept but the old saying that "nobody ever won an argument with a customer still holds. There are beautiful women in both Lima and Santiago and I haven't had ay rental problems there.
Don B.
Sorry to hear about your frustration. In general I would dare saying that it is not " the gringo can't be trusted " but more like " tenants can't be trusted " I once ran a small apartment rental agency with an American girl, we had a small base of owners and we would get long term contracts with no garantias for foreigners, in general Americans and Europeans. It was not easy, this is an atypical market. As much as an apartment can look nice, the building itself is important. Not an issue if you are spending a couple of weeks, but if it's a few months you would appreciate central heating and central hot water, security guard, etc.
Every year the Argentines dream up a new way to piss me off with the apartment I rent.
For years I rented from Olga Rico. After the first year no deposit was required.
She had two great apartments at what would now be an unbelievable price.
On arrival there would about two days supply of food included in the rent.
Unfortunately Olga suffers from the common disease of old age and no longer has the apartments.
I had a problem with the apartment I rented last year and the manager of the agency gave me his word there would not be any problems this year, BS.
The description of the apartment had aire acondicionado Frio Calor, this implies a heat pump but the calor was a typo. Heat is a piddly little electric heater that is slightly better than nothing. The telephone is for incoming calls only, for all outgoing you need a card, not just any card but one that nobody seems to be able to locate. Maid service is weekly, in 20 days she has been here once. The agent requested compensation for the problems but the owner declined. I probably should get an extra set of keys in case they try to screw me out of my deposit so I can come back and trash the place.
Next year, if there is one I will rent on my terms or not at all, I'll provide the lease in English, no deposit and I'll withhold 10% of the rent to insure the renter's performance of the lease. Since the attitude seems to be that the gringos can't be trusted but the Argentines can be I probably won't find an apartment.
Chau Argentina.
Don B.
Sorry to hear about your frustration. In general I would dare saying that it is not " the gringo can't be trusted " but more like " tenants can't be trusted " I once ran a small apartment rental agency with an American girl, we had a small base of owners and we would get long term contracts with no garantias for foreigners, in general Americans and Europeans. It was not easy, this is an atypical market. As much as an apartment can look nice, the building itself is important. Not an issue if you are spending a couple of weeks, but if it's a few months you would appreciate central heating and central hot water, security guard, etc.Every year I have a different agency, well except this year when I bit twice, and always a problem with the renter.
I always make it a point to leave the apartment better than the way I found it.
Actually it is the renter that can't be trusted, Argentine racism?
Don be.
I'm going to leave it as be. Screw the auto correct feature.
Every year I have a different agency, well except this year when I bit twice, and always a problem with the renter.
I always make it a point to leave the apartment better than the way I found it.
Actually it is the renter that can't be trusted, Argentine racism?
Don be.
I'm going to leave it as be. Screw the auto correct feature.The renters are not great either. I rented a few apartments from ByT for relatives and they delivered. This was a couple of years ago. They usually have ok and really good ones. But you have to know the area. If you are blindly renting, unless you are very specific, chances are you are going to be disappointed. If you come to Ba often, you are better off staying at some hotel and seeing the apts before checkin in. Those are my 2 cents. I times when the dollar is king again, at least here, you should be able to find some great places. In understand the guys in this forum want to be close to the fun places for chicas, however any apartment in Puerto Madero will be good for sure as it is all new. All the other neighborhoods have surprises.
Member #4112
05-21-13, 22:55
I have used Reynolds for several years without any problems, but I know the areas I prefer to rent in. Never had a problem Ask for Marcela, she is a jewel. Always look at the map they provide and really look closely at the phots they provide.
My 2 centavos.
long term contracts with no garantias for foreignersDon't get me started!
I rented from Reynolds several times, three different apartments, one several times. They are above average by Argentinian standards, due to not being owned by Argentinians, and translating into about a C- by US standards. They are trustworthy but there are a couple of issues. They are very good at sending someone to fix things, but that someone is always a jackoff of all trades and masturbator of none. That is mildly annoying when it is a faucet but very annoying when it is a rat and they have no availability on the weekends (even the answering machine was full!) And then send, in order: the building portero to put down glue traps, which never work; two jackoffs to hunt for and whistle at the rat; one of the same jackoffs to come back with mouse traps, which are way too small and feeble for rats; and then finally a professional *paraguayan* exterminator who was actually willing to get his hands dirty. Note the correlation between 'paraguayan' and 'willing to get his hands dirty,' as well as its implied corollary that argies aren't willing to get their hands dirty. This last only occurred when I camped out at their office and threatened to (and would have) camped out in front of their office handing out leaflets saying 'Reynolds alquila con ratas.' From my first attempt to contact them to the final removal of the rat was six days and they didn't fix any of the damage the rat did, such as gnawing through ceiling tiles or replacing the insulation in the air conditioner, which turned out to be where they were nesting. So once they got rid of the rat nest in the AC unit, since they didn't replace the insulation, the AC did not work right and was noisy as hell.
[Forum Complaint deleted by Admin]
EDITOR'S NOTE: The general posting sections of the Forum are not the place to voice your personal complaints about the Forum's rules or operating procedures. In the future, please send any complaints about the Forum to me personally by email or PM, or post them in the Comment on Forum Rules section. Thanks!
I have used Buenos Aires Habitat on several occasions and found each apartment well maintained. My longest stay was a month and since it was a short term rental it was more expensive... They have monthly rates as well as weekly... BA Luxury apartments is a good source as well and not as expensive as BA Habitat... Silvia was my contact at BA Habitat and Luciano my contact at BA Luxury Apts. If there is any interest I can post their email addresses.
I have rented from these folks three years running and do not have a complaint. I rent for about a month at a time, depending on the airline frequent flyer offering. Although I speak and read Spanish, everything is in English. You might pay a slight premium because you pay in dollars, but it is still cheaper than a comparable hotel. I like being able to have coffee, breakfast, and read my email, without getting dressed or calling room service. If you need maid service more than once a week, you must be a slob, but they will provide for you-for a price. They do a good job, and are run by Americans who know what Americans want.
Tres3.
I felt like making a small contribution here, since I have spent a few exhausting days dealing with different agencies.
When I go to booking websites in general, I expect that I will be able to filter the total range of products by availability. This feature is a part of many of the agencies mentioned in this forum. The feature usually seems to be bogus though. So far I have verified it (the hard way) with the "http://www.bytargentina.com/" agency and "http://www.4rentargentina.com" agency. The method operandi seems to be that you are able to book just about anything. You will then receive an unfortunate rejection with suggestions to similar rentals. In my case the similar rentals were significantly worse both regarding the way they presented themselves and the amenities / equipment. Wether this procedure is a basic bait / switch operation or it is simply caused by the lack of information that the agencies seem to have about the real availability I don't know. Bytargentina did manage to update the availability of my booking after I received the rejection, which seems to indicate that availability is updated by hand, when it is convenient.
So I guess my advice is to actually not use their booking systems, at least if you are in a hurry. But actually contact them and ask them directly. At the least you should be informed that the booking systems may not work as one would expect.
Wether this procedure is a basic bait / switch operation or it is simply caused by the lack of information that the agencies seem to have about the real availability I don't know.Welcome to Argentina!
The method operandi seems to be that you are able to book just about anything. You will then receive an unfortunate rejection with suggestions to similar rentals. In my case the similar rentals were significantly worse both regarding the way they presented themselves and the amenities / equipment. Wether this procedure is a basic bait / switch operation or it is simply caused by the lack of information that the agencies seem to have about the real availability I don't know.I wrote this synopsys of apartment rental scams several years ago when I was in the rental apartment business.
http://apartmentsinba.com/rentalscams.html
The "Bait and Switch" you experienced is 1st on the list.
Thanks,
Jax.
I have always rented from an American. I may pay a little more, and pay in dollars, but that is the cost of peace of mind. I have come to Argentina many times over the last twenty years and never been scammed. I think scamming Americans is in the Argentine DNA.
Tres3.
I have always rented from an American. I may pay a little more, and pay in dollars, but that is the cost of peace of mind. I have come to Argentina many times over the last twenty years and never been scammed. I think scamming Americans is in the Argentine DNA.
Tres3.I think scamming EVERYBODY is in the Argentina DNA.
http://apartmentsinba.com/rentalscams.html
Thanks,
Jax.
Valuable insights to be had at least. I did use this wonderful forum to get aquanted with the ups and downs. Unfortunately, the trip was a last minute decision, so the regular shooters like apartmentsinba.com (where the calender is actually updated) were all booked. As far as I can gleam, it won't even teach them a lesson, if their antics causes me to bail as a customer. As you gentlemen stated: Scamming is indeed in their DNA.
I've used the link below to book 8 or 9 reservations over a 6 year period (2003 -2009) and I'm booking with them again.
I never had a problem, the person running the site is Cecilia Rodrguez.
She will provide a discount if you stay beyond 7 days, I'm staying 11 days and pay for 9 days. I've done this multiple times.
All 7 of the apartments are fully furnished, clean, safe, quiet in the St Martin Plaza area.
http://www.ba-accommodation.com.ar
Hope this helps.
I've used the link below to book 8 or 9 reservations over a 6 year period (2003 -2009) and I'm booking with them again.
I never had a problem, the person running the site is Cecilia Rodrguez.
She will provide a discount if you stay beyond 7 days, I'm staying 11 days and pay for 9 days. I've done this multiple times.
All 7 of the apartments are fully furnished, clean, safe, quiet in the St Martin Plaza area.
http://www.ba-accommodation.com.ar
Hope this helps.I am still getting the runaround by the agencies I have been talking to. I will look at the above. Thank you.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.1.4 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.