Just returned from Puerto Rico, need rental help. Also observations -

Check Zillow. You can often find rentals there.

Finding a long-term rental can be a bit of a challenge. Short-term rentals are easier to find, so would you consider renting on a month-to-month basis?

gardener1 wrote:

We just spent 2 weeks in PR on a retirement scouting expedition to see if we would and could want to live there. The answer is yes, we would. But housing looks like a serious difficulty. Help?

There seems to be a shortage of affordable reliable housing; i.e. rentals less than $1,000 mo. in San Juan.

I've been through all the usual sites - Craigslist, Zillow, Classificados, etc.

Classificados has the largest number of rental listings but many of them have no photos, it's not clear what the terms of the rental[s] are, and the listings are undated. I can't tell if they were posted last week or last year. Maybe someone else here knows how to better decipher the rental listings on Classificado, some key element I'm overlooking? For example, here is one I found today that interests me but lacks a lot of useful information and only includes an email address for a 'Mr. Martinez'. http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … ID=1443396
Anybody have experience dealing with apartments on Classificados? (yo no hablo espanol  )

We liked PR for the most part. We traveled by bus, foot, rail, and unexpected rides. Public transportation is actually worse than I had read, we never did manage to find one of the bus terminals in San Juan we were looking for. Very well kept secret those distance bus terminals, nobody seems to know where they are and if you do find one there is no schedule, no office, no information, no map, no nothing. Very challenging.

I know it is unfashionable and wildly inconvenient, but we are fairly committed to not owning a car so that limits our housing search to San Juan where there is a semblance of public transportation.

I have a lot more if anyone wants to chat, but finding an affordable place to live is a first priority. Get there, and then figure the rest of it out after that.

- Thanks to anyone who can shed light on the rental quandary!

That link for the apartment has a lot of info: "Super Amplio, todo Amueb.Balcón grande, area histórica tranquila, 2 Pkng, incluye agua, no luz, muy seguro con rejas y portones, estufa/nevera/calentador, Walk-in-closet amplio, arboles y plantas ornamentales alrededor. ubicado a 20 pasos de autobuses, rest Subway, Santurce Medical Mall y otros restaurantes, a 2 cuadras de Univ. Sgdo Corazon, 4 cuadras de Tren Urbano, farmacia CVS 24hrs y autopista, 6 cuadras de Colmado Pueblo 24hrs. NO PLAN 8,no mascotas C/Pedro de Castro/casi Ave Ponce de Leon, "

What do you want to know?

It looks furnished in the photo, does the apartment come furnished? What are the terms of renting; deposits, lease terms? There are no photos of the exterior or of the other rooms or the sq. footage.

The ad talks a lot about nearby attractions and very little about the actual apartment, with even fewer illustrations. It is also not clear whether it is an owner or agent or property management company, the type of building it is, nor a date when the ad was posted.

Anyway.....I'm finding Classificados not so helpful and wondered if someone here had any better ideas, or knew somebody who knew somebody who was well connected in the rental market and could steer me in a more productive direction.

The above apartment is furnished, 2 bedroom, 1 bath, looks like an apartment. In a tranquil historical area. Water is included in the price. You will need the rent and a deposit, probably equivalent to a month of rent (does not say), it also says that a contract is required. Stove, refrigerator, and water heater. Says it is spacecy, with a nice size balcony. Seems to be central located with several business and bus stops close by. looks like 2 parking spaces are assigned.

Use google translate, to get the whole thing and to examine other ones.

By the way..... Most apartments in PR have ZERO furniture, and no refrigerator and no stove. You have to rent furniture or buy it and then move it to your next apartment when you grow tired of the place. Most rentals are 6 months to a year. All documents / contracts are in Spanish, and they are made to protect the landlord. If you have an issue with the rental unit and decide to go to court you will be going to a civil court to see the case, make sure you have a lawyer that speaks English, the civil courts are in Spanish.

Landlord may or may not understand or speak English.
Rey

You may want to check the classificados Facebook page for west PR.  Lots there that doesn't appear in clasificados.  Also a good place to post inquiries.

EDIT:  Ooops!  Rey is right and I have conflated two threads.  My apologies.

WarnerW wrote:

You may want to check the classificados Facebook page for west PR.  Lots there that doesn't appear in clasificados.  Also a good place to post inquiries.

Posted in the wrong thread, this member wants San Juan and a rental unit.

Honestly, the realtors, are very "different" than in the mainland U.S., in that they almost NEVER return calls. I believe this is due to getting the run-around, by tire kicker-types... a similar thing happens in the medical field, where they'll schedule EVERYBODY, for 9am, but once you sign the list, it's first come, first served. I learned that in the medical field, they began this, due to the number of ppl simply not showing for appointments... but if you've got state insurance, then they cannot charge a fee to the no-shows, so this is what has come of it.

Renting a place here is going to take some legwork, actual, on the ground, legwork. I would not expect to be able to get a place here, by going online. I mean, I looked for 7 months, for a house that my wife and I would be happy at, and there was no shortage of homes, and I was flexible in location, but I wasn't flexible on what I wanted, so I drove around, and around... and around, until I finally found a place where we'd be happier, than where we previously lived, was quiet, safe for our pets, and convenient to everything we needed. Our patience was worth it.

I'd recommend getting a condo, or some other short term rental, (6 months), while you look for a more "permanent" solution. Here, in PR, word of mouth is still the best.

mac00677 wrote:

I'd recommend getting a condo, or some other short term rental, (6 months), while you look for a more "permanent" solution. Here, in PR, word of mouth is still the best.

Completely agree.

But even a 6 month rental is a problem - there certainly seems to be an exacerbated housing shortage after the hurricane and most of the short term rentals I've seen have been aimed at vacationers and run $100 a night and up. Not having much luck finding what you and I both think is the best starting strategy.

All of the rooms we stayed in during our expedition to Puerto Rico were very modest by any standard, yet they cost three times what I have paid for downscale digs in other places like the Greek islands, Turkey, Ecuador, and even Prague.

I'm ready to go. The only thing standing in the way is finding a place to stay while I look for a place to stay.

P.S. Thanks for the heads up on the medical appointment line-up. Will remember to show up early.

$1000/mo is not unreasonable for a long-term rental in a decent area. Those rentals are very hard to find, so if you find one, just take it. Otherwise you'll spend a lot of time and aggravation waiting for the perfect place to come waltzing by -- which, unless you know somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody soon vacating, you won't find.

Hi gardener1,
I send you a private message, you are really looking for long term rental (6 months to a year), what you been viewing are short term rentals (1 day to a month) which are very expensive.