Finding an Apartment in Santiago, Chile

Finding an apartment (departamento) to rent (arrendar) in Santiago can be a daunting task. You will have to start by having the classified ads loaded from the daily paper emol.com on your computer (look for "propiedades" near the upper right corner). you should also have open some map programs to show exact location of the apartment, such as Google Earth and mapcity.com (which indicates metro lines and major shopping) to help you visualize where the apartment is situated. Plan to drive around for 3 or 4 days through every part of Northeastern Santiago so that you can become familiar with the city and what streets have what sorts of buildings. Places like Los Dominicos, Martin de Zamora, Manquhue, La Hualtatas, El Bosque, Pedro de Valdivia Norte, El Golf and La Dehesa are probably good places to start.

One thing for certain is that you only want to rent an apartment in Northeastern Santiago, and you want to avoid any slums being nearby (población cayampa) in order to be secure in your persons and possessions. Thieves are known to scale the walls of apartment buildings to the 5th floor. They are nicknamed "little spiders" (arañitas). So lower floors often have transparent nets or electric fences.

The sectors of Santiago (comunas) that you should consider are Providencia ("Providence"), Las Condes ("The Countesses", but it should be “Las Condesas”), Vitacura (an Indian chief), La Dehesa (which is actually a subsection of the mixed comuna Lo Barnechea), and perhaps the northern parts of La Reina ("the Queen") and Ñuñoa near Las Condes or Providencia. There might be a few exceptions to this rule, such as the houses situated up against the mountains in El Arrayan, La Reina and Peñalolen, but these places are fairly remote from everything and, although beautiful and often less expensive, they are likely not the best choice for most Americans just coming to Chile.

Below are some photos from the apartment district in Western Las Condes (the side closest to Providencia) which is pricey but elegant. There are hundreds of high-rise apartments (usually 10 to 20 stories high) surrounded by amenities and an easy walk to the metro and one of the best and most important business districts in Santiago. Notice the greenery and trees.

Ever heard anyone tell you that Chile is a poor, Third World country? Obviously they have never been to Northeastern Santiago. There are miles of buildings like these.

A different area below (about 2 kms. away) but still a great part of town if you have a car and don't mind waiting in city traffic.

This major street, Américo Vespucio, has beautiful apartments along it but the street noise is horrendous and will keep most people awake at night.

Some basic questions to ask when hunting for an apartment (perhaps in order of importance) are:

1. How far is the apartment from my job? Walking to work can be a great benefit since commuting around Santiago can waste 1-2 hours per day. And you can probably use the exercise to walk 10-15 minutes each way!

2. How far is it from a big grocery store?

3. Does the building have an elevator? Some low-rises less than 5 or 6 stories do not have one.

4. How noisy is the apartment on account of road traffic on the street below? Or from "party" spots like discotheques? Remember, sound rises and in the summertime windows must be left open at night. Some apartments with young people will be noisy on account of their partying.

5. Is there a view of the mountains or the city lights, etc.?

6. Does it have a terrace (terraza) for evening enjoyment?

7. Does it have good security: gates, 24 hour guard, electric fence, etc.?

8. How far is it from other shopping or big malls? Some apartment areas are full of shops at the first level, ranging from convenience stores, to hair salons, to medical clinics. Others require a taxi ride or short drive.

9. Is there a main thoroughfare nearby for access in and out? Are there congestion problems on a bridge in and out (like in the case of La Dehesa)?

10. Is there a metro, "collectivo", or regular taxi service nearby (the latter is almost always available in apartment areas)?

11. How long will it take you to get to church and other activities like your gym or children's activities? Most of these activities can only be found in Northeastern Santiago, Las Condes in particular.

12. Is it located near things to do for single people?

13. Do the buses have regular service there so that your maid(s) (empleada) can get to work?

14. Does it come with a parking spot (estacionamiento) and storage unit (bodega)? Are they underground (likely) or on the first level outside?

15. Does the apartment have wood floors (better) or carpet?

16. Is there a central water heater for the building (better but more expensive) or does each unit have a heat-on-demand unit (calefont)?

17. How close is the apartment to a freeway entrance (especially important for airport trips or getting-out-of-town access)?

18. How bad is the smog in this area in the wintertime?

19. Is there a maid's quarters in case you prefer to have her stay with you (puertas adentro)?

20. Is the apartment bright or very light from the sun (often also warmer in winter, hot in the summer), especially in the winter, or is it darker due to the way the unit faces?

21. Are there any pretty women which hang around the pool area?

22. Are there parks nearby?

23. Are ants or (sometimes) flies a serious nuisance?

24. Do you have a problem with heights? With tremors or earthquakes?

25. Is there a pool and/or ping pong area?

You can assume that wherever you go in Northeastern Santiago there will be no problem getting internet service or any other utility hooked up.

Here are some photos of a few businesses located at ground level around the Apoquindo apartment district of Las Condes.

Private post office ChileExpress pictured below with efficient delivery vehicles.

And those folks who dwell in apartments near Avendia Apoquindo can walk to the main drag and metro in less than 5 minutes! This area is one of the most elegant and sometimes pricey parts of Santiago. It is also tremendously convenient. Consider below some of the business district's high-rise buildings. The photos happened to be snapped on a day when a long line of a couple hundred older autos (burras) were being paraded along Avenida Apoquindo (if you look closely at oncoming traffic in a couple of the photos you will see them).

An apartment's price is composed of several things: (a) base rent, (b) security deposit, (c) inflation adjustment, (d) gastos comunes (use fees to pay for upkeep and security), and (e) utilities. You need to ask about how much each of these items will be at the unit. The difference in price between units can be significant. In other words, the price might be listed in the paper as $300.000 (three hundred thousand pesos or $480) per month but after paying an additional $300.000 security deposit you might also have to pay $80.000 for gastos comunes and maybe $50.000 for utilities. So your true price can be significantly higher, and the price you pay will go up every 3 months according to the published inflation index.

In Northeastern Santiago one can expect to pay between $350 to $700 per month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with 700 sq. ft. to 1,100 sq. ft., and between $500 to $900 per month for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with 1,000 sq. ft. to 1,600 sq. ft. Four Bedroom models are less common and would cost a little more. Most of the apartments in the area would be considered luxury units (or close to it) in the USA. Rental agreements are generally one year leases but special terms can sometimes be negotiated. The variation in price (or range) is due to any number of factors, most of which are included in the numbered list above. Things that tend to raise the price are internal amenities like elevators, pools, recreation rooms or gyms, proximity to a metro station, view, distance from a poorer section (supposedly laden with criminals), proximity to shopping or schools, etc.

You as the renter will have to pay part or all of the realtor's commission, which is usually equal to one month's rent (for instance, you might have to pay one half of one month's rent), when you get your rental through a realtor. But, as with all information brokers, using a realtor has significant advantages at times over doing things on your own.

Those hunting for a house will find that many of the same questions and issues apply. But a house carries additional duties with it like groundskeeping, security, and maintenance that are not required in an apartment. Houses also rent for more money, in general, perhaps $800 to $8,000 per month. Some of the better houses are mansions. If you want one of them, have the company who sponsors you agree to provide you one in your contract.

Getting an apartment usually entails proving to the landlord that you have the ability to pay and an interest in staying in Chile. For employed people, this will require references from Chileans and three months worth of pay stubs under normal circumstances. A Chilean residency visa and national ID card are also going to be required. Moreover, one will have to have a Chilean checking account to show some financial stability, unless one is retired and can show significant assets. But getting a checking account is not "easy" since it usually requires a one have a job and permanent residency. After you make an offer on renting an apartment and leave some earnest money (first month's rent), the landlord has 5 days to accept or reject the offer. The lease will typically run for a year but there will also be quarterly inflation adjustments agreed to per the contract, at the published rate. A security deposit will also be required that is typically equal to one month's rent. This deposit is refundable with inflation adjustment applied if the unit is returned in equal or better condition.