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Colombia · Vivienda y mudanza

Alquilar en Colombia

Verified data Última verificación June 15, 2026 Reviewed by Henry van de Vorming

Colombia's residential rental market is governed by Ley 820 de 2003, which sets a default one-year lease and bans cash security deposits, so landlords instead require a guarantee — typically a Colombian co-signer (fiador/codeudor) who owns property, a rental-guarantee policy (poliza de arrendamiento), a frozen bank CDT, or several months' rent paid in advance. Newcomers without a local guarantor usually start with a furnished mid-term rental (Airbnb, local agencies, expat Facebook groups) in hubs like Medellin and Bogota before signing a long-term unfurnished lease.

Lo básico del alquiler

Contrato habitual
1 año
Fianza
—
Amueblado
Amueblado + sin amueblar
Mercado de media estancia
Mercado de media estancia fuerte
Registro de domicilio
Obligatorio

Comisión de agencia: Real-estate agency (inmobiliaria) commission is customarily built into the owner's side of the contract rather than charged to the tenant as a separate move-in fee; agencies typically earn roughly 7-10% or more on the rent. Foreigners renting directly from owners avoid the agency intermediary entirely.

Registro de domicilio

Foreigners granted a visa valid for more than 3 months must register with Migracion Colombia and obtain a Cedula de Extranjeria (foreign ID card) within 15 days of visa issuance or of entering Colombia; tourism, business and visitor visas are exempt. It is an immigration/identity registration (needed to open a bank account, sign contracts, access services) rather than a purely address-based municipal registry.

Tus derechos como inquilino

Ley 820 de 2003 protects tenants: it prohibits cash deposits and real guarantees (cauciones reales) to secure the tenant's obligations (Art. 16), caps annual rent increases at 100% of the prior calendar year's CPI/IPC inflation (Art. 20), defaults leases to a one-year term where not stipulated (Art. 5), and provides automatic renewal on the same terms and for the same period when both parties have met their obligations (Art. 6).

Conviene saber

  • No legal cash deposit: Ley 820 bans deposits, and in practice landlords often accept rent paid a few months in advance instead of a frozen sum
  • Strong furnished mid-term market in Medellin and Bogota makes a soft landing easy for nomads while they hunt for a long-term lease
  • Annual rent increases are legally capped at the prior year's CPI/IPC inflation, giving long-term tenants predictability
  • Renting directly from owners lets foreigners skip both the agency commission and the local-guarantor requirement

A tener en cuenta

  • Long-term unfurnished leases usually demand a Colombian fiador/codeudor who owns property; without one, expect to pay several months' rent in advance, post a CDT (often roughly 5-9 months' rent), or buy a poliza de arrendamiento
  • Furnished (amoblado) units and expat-targeted listings/Facebook groups generally cost more than comparable local-market unfurnished rentals
  • Despite the deposit ban, money paid to agencies has been hard to recover in disputes — prefer reputable intermediaries and keep written proof
  • Register for the Cedula de Extranjeria within the 15-day Migracion Colombia deadline; missing it can bring fines and complicate later procedures

Dónde buscar

Finca Raiz (fincaraiz.com.co)Metrocuadrado (metrocuadrado.com)ProperatiAirbnb and city-specific expat Facebook groups (furnished/short-term)

Las plataformas se enumeran solo a título orientativo — no las respaldamos ni las clasificamos.

Alquilar en Colombia: preguntas frecuentes

Alquilar en Colombia: preguntas frecuentes

¿Cuánta fianza necesito para alquilar en Colombia?

No hay una norma única publicada — las fianzas varían según el propietario. Cuenta con al menos un mes de renta retenido como garantía, más el primer mes por adelantado, más cualquier comisión de agencia (real-estate agency (inmobiliaria) commission is customarily built into the owner's side of the contract rather than charged to the tenant as a separate move-in fee; agencies typically earn roughly 7-10% or more on the rent. foreigners renting directly from owners avoid the agency intermediary entirely.).

¿Tengo que registrar mi domicilio en Colombia?

Sí — Foreigners granted a visa valid for more than 3 months must register with Migracion Colombia and obtain a Cedula de Extranjeria (foreign ID card) within 15 days of visa issuance or of entering Colombia; tourism, business and visitor visas are exempt. It is an immigration/identity registration (needed to open a bank account, sign contracts, access services) rather than a purely address-based municipal registry.

¿Puedo encontrar alquileres amueblados o de corta estancia en Colombia?

Amueblado + sin amueblar y el mercado de media estancia en el que se apoyan los nómadas es mercado de media estancia fuerte. Empieza tu búsqueda en Finca Raiz (fincaraiz.com.co), Metrocuadrado (metrocuadrado.com), Properati.

Fuentes