How to Find Long-Term Apartment Rentals in Medellin as a Foreigner

The short-term Airbnb market is easy. The long-term rental market in Medellin — if you’re a foreigner looking for a 3-month, 6-month, or year-long lease — is a different animal. Not difficult, but it has specific rules, expectations, and processes that aren’t intuitive to most international renters.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about finding long-term apartment rentals in Medellin as a foreigner — where to look, what documents you need, what to expect in negotiations, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Define “Long-Term” in Medellin Context

Medellin’s rental market uses informal terminology that’s worth understanding:

• Corto plazo (short-term): 1 day to 1 month. The Airbnb/furnished rental market. No lease, flexible, highest price per night.
• Mediano plazo (medium-term): 1–6 months. Increasingly available, often furnished, month-to-month or 3-month commitment. Growing market driven by digital nomads.
• Largo plazo (long-term): 6–12+ months. The traditional Colombian rental market. Typically unfurnished, requires local references, deposits, and a proper lease contract (contrato de arrendamiento).

Most foreigners start in the short/medium-term market (furnished, flexible) and transition to long-term (unfurnished, cheaper) once they’re committed to the city.

Finding Available Apartments — Where to Look

Facebook Groups (The Best Starting Point)

The Medellin expat Facebook groups are the most active and practical source for foreigner-friendly long-term rentals:

• “Medellin Expats & Travelers” — post your search criteria (budget, neighborhood, bedrooms, furnished/unfurnished, move-in date). You’ll get responses within hours.
• “Medellin Housing, Apartments and Rooms” — dedicated housing group with active listings
• “Medellin Rentals for Foreigners” — more specific to the expat rental market

Sample post that works: “Looking for 1BR furnished apartment in El Poblado or Laureles, budget $600–$800/month, move-in [move-in date], 3–6 month rental. References available. DM me.”

You’ll receive offers from both other expats leaving their apartments and from local landlords who specifically market to foreigners.

Finca Raíz (Colombia’s Main Property Platform)

finca-raiz.com is the dominant Colombian real estate website — the equivalent of Zillow or Rightmove. It lists both sales and rentals from agents and direct owners.

How to search:
– Set the filter to “Arrendar” (rent)
– Select your neighborhood (El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado, etc.)
– Filter by price range, bedrooms, and furnished/unfurnished

The listings are in Spanish. Google Translate handles most of them adequately. Listings marked “amoblado” are furnished; “sin amueblar” or no mention means unfurnished.

Contact landlords directly via the platform’s messaging system, then move to WhatsApp for follow-up.

Metrocuadrado

metrocuadrado.com is Finca Raíz’s main competitor. Similar functionality, slightly different listing inventory. Worth checking both for comprehensive coverage.

Ciencuadras

Another Colombian rental platform with additional listing inventory. The interface is less polished but adds some coverage that the others miss.

Walking the Neighborhood

In El Poblado and Laureles, properties with “Se Arrienda” (for rent) signs are visible on buildings and doors. This is more reliable for longer-term unfurnished apartments than for furnished units marketed to expats. If you’re already in Medellin and have time to walk neighborhoods, this surfaces off-market options that never appear online.

What Documents You’ll Need

Landlords renting to foreigners require different documentation than they’d require from Colombian renters. Typically:

For a standard Colombian landlord:
– Passport copy
– Proof of income or financial capacity (bank statements showing funds, or freelance contracts)
– A Colombian reference or guarantor (codeudor) — this is the biggest challenge for foreigners (see below)
– Signed lease agreement
– Security deposit (usually 1–2 months’ rent)

The codeudor problem:
Colombian lease law typically requires a codeudor — a Colombian citizen who co-signs and is jointly liable for the lease. For most foreigners, finding a Colombian codeudor is the biggest obstacle to long-term rentals.

Solutions:
– Work with landlords who have expat experience: Many landlords in El Poblado and Envigado have rented to foreigners before and will waive the codeudor requirement if you provide sufficient financial documentation and an increased deposit
– Use a rental agency that specializes in expats: Several agencies in Medellin handle the codeudor issue by acting as intermediaries
– Start with medium-term furnished apartments: These don’t require a codeudor — they’re essentially hotel-like arrangements under a shorter-term contract

For furnished/medium-term rentals (most foreigners start here):
– Passport copy
– Proof of funds or income
– Contact information for emergency contact
– A deposit (typically 1 month’s rent)
– Simple month-to-month or fixed-term service contract (not a formal contrato de arrendamiento)

Typical Price Ranges (2025)

Furnished apartments:

Unfurnished apartments (long-term):
– 20–30% less than equivalent furnished
– Utilities usually separate (electric: $30–$70/mo; water: $15–$30/mo; gas: $10–$20/mo)
– Internet not included — arrange your own connection

Lease Terms and Negotiation

Month-to-month: Available in the medium-term furnished market. Slightly higher monthly rate, maximum flexibility.

3-month minimum: The most common starting point for landlords willing to rent furnished to expats. Often discounted 10–15% from month-to-month rates.

6-month commitment: More significant discount, more stable for both parties. If you’re confident in your timeline, 6 months is often the sweet spot.

Negotiating tips:
– Paying 3 months upfront (rather than monthly) often unlocks a 10% discount
– Offering to pay in USD can sometimes be advantageous when the peso is weakening
– Longer commitments are more valuable to landlords than price — being a reliable 6-month tenant is often more persuasive than haggling over price

Starting with Short-Term While You Search

The most practical approach for most foreigners: arrive on a short-term rental for the first 2–4 weeks, use that time to explore neighborhoods, attend viewings, and negotiate a longer-term agreement.

Trying to find and sign a long-term lease from abroad, sight-unseen, in a city you don’t know yet, is not optimal. The neighborhood that looked best on Google Maps might feel wrong on the ground. The apartment that seemed ideal might be on a noisy street you hadn’t noticed.

Using a furnished short-term apartment as a landing pad — while you do viewings and make the long-term decision from an informed position — is how most successful long-term expats made their Medellin transition.

Medellin Lodging offers exactly this kind of transitional accommodation in Provenza, El Poblado. Stay for a month while you get oriented, look at neighborhoods, attend viewings, and decide where you want to commit. Their hosts know the city well and can provide referrals to reputable long-term rental agencies and trustworthy landlords.

Book your stay at medellinlodging.com — monthly rates available, no commitment required.

Red Flags to Avoid

Scam listings: Fraudulent rental listings targeting foreigners exist on Facebook and some platforms. Red flags: unusually low prices, landlord claims to be abroad and can’t show the apartment, requests for payment before any contract or viewing.

No written contract: Any legitimate rental has a signed contract (contrato de arrendamiento or a service agreement for furnished rentals). Never pay rent without a contract.

Verbal-only agreements: Get everything in writing — price, lease term, what’s included, deposit conditions, notice period.

No inspection before paying deposit: Always view the apartment in person and photograph any existing damage before moving in. The deposit dispute process is painful in any country.

Landing in Medellin soon? Check availability at medellinlodging.com — a furnished Provenza apartment is the ideal base to find your permanent place.

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