richmx2
Mar 21, 2011, 10:27 PM
Post #6 of 9
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You don't specify where in Mexico you are expecting to live (Mexico's land mass is about 2 million square Km, and housing and social conditions are variable within even the same community), but IN GENERAL, apartments advertised on the internet are either advertised by foreigners renting to foreigners or intended for foreigners... and priced as short term vacation rentals.
Secondly, single adults living alone are a sociologically new phenomenon, and even what would pass for a small apartment in Mexico is generally priced assuming there are at least two adults living there.
Landlords often want to meet a prospective tenant in person. You have no credit history in Mexico, nor do most private landlords have any way of assessing your creditworthiness. Many apartment owners, especially in Mexico City, will require a "fiador" (co-signer) before signing a lease. There is nothing "scammy" about professional fiadores... who advertise in the Mexico City papers (where I'm most familiar with them). They are simply writing a bond, and taking a risk that you'll pay your lease... basically a private insurance policy.
You can sometimes get around the fiador by writing a month to month lease, and paying two or three months in advance, but as a foreigner with no ties to the community, expect to put up two months rent as a deposit.
AND... most inexpensive apartments DO NOT come with appliances. This is not universally true, but make sure your lease lists whatever appliances ARE included. In Mexico City, the LOCKS are owned by the tenants as well. Ask the landlord if there were problems with the previous tenant and you need to change them. Normally, the electricity will be in some previous tenant's (or the landlord's... or the landlord's grandmother's first cousin's) name, which isn't a big deal if the bills are paid up. Otherwise, there might be some back charges you didn't expect. Depending on your local gas company, you'll probably have to put a deposit on your first tank, and pay something for any connections to the water heater (which usually IS the only appliance in the place, but not always!) and stove. Telephone and DSL connections through the telephone company, pretty much working the same as any other place in the world. You make a deposit, they come out and run a line. You buy your own telephone, though the phone company can sell you one.
In places like Mexico City, you often pay for parking and rent a space separate from the apartment. Prices... donno.
Since you don't know where in Mexico you're living, it's a safe bet you don't know the neighborhood, and may want to look around before you rent anything. There's nothing wrong with living in a rooming house or a hotel for a couple of months... and, frankly, I think it's wiser for since if the job works out, you'll need some time to discover what your real needs are, as opposed to what you assume you will need, based on a lifestyle elsewhere. And, being at a job, it's easier to meet people who know people who know people, who know someone renting something suitable for you.
http://mexfiles.net
http://voiceofmexico.com
http://editorialmazatlan.com
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