Advice on renting house in PR

Mainly to check your contract well, if you do not like something in the contract ask them to change it. If they agree to your request but they are not keen on getting a lawyer to make the changes, then find a lawyer to change it and give it to the seller. A few dollars and additional protection for you can make life easier. Make sure you have an out, a way to terminate the contract earlier, like paying 1 additional month and break the contract instead of having to pay the remainder 6 months of the contract. Also you may want to insist to extend the contract month to month after the initial period, this way if you have not located the right property you can stay at the rental unit for a few more months. Also make sure that the contract states when you will get your deposit/security, many tend not to return it ever.

Hi Rey,

Thanks for the useful advice. I think that's a great idea to try to go month to month when our year lease expires. In NYC that is a common thing to do when renting directly from the owner. Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if the sites I mentioned in my original post are the best route to go for renting a house? In NYC it is huge out here for people to advertise apartments for rent that come to find out aren't theirs and scam people out of their money. We know quite a few people this has happened to here.

I sent you a PM.

I'm a landlord, though not in PR.  A written lease protects the interests of both landlord and tenant.  My strongest advice is to get everything in writing.

There is no specific Landlord-Tenant Law in Puerto Rico, so the relationship is governed under contract law.  Note that PR is a Civil Law system (Napoleonic Code) rather than a Common Law system (most of the US, precedents matter).  For the most part this distinction won't make a difference, so long as the lease is specific.

Here's a brief description of the state of the law regarding Landlord-Tenant relations. 

http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Cari … and-Tenant

Since PR has no Landlord-Tenant Law, there is no model lease written by the PR government.  Virginia, where I am, has such a law and a model lease, which I use with only slight modification.  Nevertheless, some sample lease agreements for PR can be found here.

http://legalforms.org/rental-lease/pr/

WarnerW wrote:

I'm a landlord, though not in PR.  A written lease protects the interests of both landlord and tenant.  My strongest advice is to get everything in writing.

There is no specific Landlord-Tenant Law in Puerto Rico, so the relationship is governed under contract law.  Note that PR is a Civil Law system (Napoleonic Code) rather than a Common Law system (most of the US, precedents matter).  For the most part this distinction won't make a difference, so long as the lease is specific.

Here's a brief description of the state of the law regarding Landlord-Tenant relations. 

http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Cari … and-Tenant

Since PR has no Landlord-Tenant Law, there is no model lease written by the PR government.  Virginia, where I am, has such a law and a model lease, which I use with only slight modification.  Nevertheless, some sample lease agreements for PR can be found here.

http://legalforms.org/rental-lease/pr/

Those lease forms are in English, a lot of landlords won't use them but they are a good starting point. Likely leases will be in Spanish.

Hey Rey any advice on how the Spanish Challenged get their lease translated / ensure that it contains your recommendations?

MnMExplorers wrote:

Hey Ray any advice on how the Spanish Challenged get their lease translated / ensure that it contains your recommendations?

Most will be in spanish a few will be in english. Get a local to translate it or even better get a lawyer. You can discuss your needs first with the owner and if he is willing to allow you to modify the contract then go to the lawyer to change it.
You can always try to use google translate service for a first pass.

Be aware that not all owners will be willing to accept changes to the contract. In that case you can walk or accept it as is. A six month contract that does not protect you properly is better than a year one.

Thanks Rey!  My Wife and I are planning a move to Puerto Rico in the next 6 to 10 months, so you may see more questiosn from me.

MnMExplorers wrote:

Thanks Rey!  My Wife and I are planning a move to Puerto Rico in the next 6 to 10 months, so you may see more questiosn from me.

Welcome to the site and to Puerto Rico. We are here to help, so ask away. Do searches on the site, a lot of general information has already been covered, this way we can answer those questions that are specific to your needs the soonest.
Rey

Thanks, I've been reading the threads on the site for about 6 months now, and just working on where we want to live next. (we've lived out of the mainland US on and off for the last 3 years).

Hello,

Month by month is a great option but in the long run is more expensive. Tenants normally charge more.

UPDATE: My husband and I are flip flopping on renting vs. buying. At the end of this month we find out if we'll be able to make the move to Puerto Rico. Keeping our fingers and toes crossed for good news!!! After much reading, I think we would be throwing money away if we rent and it seems to make more sense to buy if we have the money. Will update on whether or not we'll be able to make the move as soon as we find out in a few weeks. Until then, I'll continue being cautiously optimistic and learning as much as I can so if things go our way we'll already be prepared!

Buying is better than renting and more satisfying since you can make changes to the property to make you happy. The main thing is if you are set in living a particular area.

What is happening in a few weeks?
Where are you planning of setting roots?

If everything works out with my husband's job we can move to PR. Before we move we're going to stay in PR for a few weeks next month to explore Aguada, Aguadilla, Arecibo and Isabela. That is the section of PR I would like to live. He likes Fajardo (I do, too) and although he's Puerto Rican he hasn't been around much of the island besides Fajardo and San Juan.

isabela is nice, also check out Camuy and Hatillo.

Sitka wrote:

isabela is nice, also check out Camuy and Hatillo.

Thanks, I'll add them to our list! Appreciate all the advice.🤗

I live in Isabela and I lucked out with having great neighbors.

While some have had great buying experiences here, my suggestion is to rent and learn the area; even Isabela has different "boroughs" that can completely change your quality of life.

The first year should be usedd to explore the island and build your network (lawyer, doc, mechanic, etc.) while adjusting to the culture. And trust me, it takes some getting used to even as a Puerto Rican.

Islandman wrote:

I live in Isabela and I lucked out with having great neighbors.

While some have had great buying experiences here, my suggestion is to rent and learn the area; even Isabela has different "boroughs" that can completely change your quality of life.

The first year should be usedd to explore the island and build your network (lawyer, doc, mechanic, etc.) while adjusting to the culture. And trust me, it takes some getting used to even as a Puerto Rican.

Hi Islandman,

Adjusting to the culture isn't an issue for me because I grew up visiting my family there so it's familiar to me. My husband (also Boricua) used to visit when he was child but hadn't been back until a few years ago. Puerto Rico is similar to how it is here in NYC in terms of there being great, good, mediocre and "the hood" areas of the boroughs. Us New Yorkers kind of have that mentality that if we can make it here we can make it anywhere! lol

I agree that before buying we definetly need to learn the areas that we are interested in exploring to live. As far as renting, I think that is pretty much out the window now for us. If things work out for us moving to Puerto Rico we will have the fortunate opportunity not to rush into buying. I want to make sure we decide and agree on the town we want to lay down our roots. You're also right about networking with lawyers, doctors, mechanics, etc.  Worse case scenario we would use my family's in the Manati area until we find one closer.