| Author | Message | ||
     Victor W. Junior Member Username: Wvictor Post Number: 28 Registered: 9-2008 |
I'm thinking into rent an apartment from BYT for a month in mid Nov to mid Dec. Does anyone have any experience with them? I found mixed reviews using google, some very happy, some very unhappy. My wife will be going alone for the first 3 weeks and I don't want her to have to deal with any kind of bad people. | ||
| Roberto Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 1800 Registered: 12-2004 |
PM Michael Calero (PM) as he has used them several times. | ||
| Victor W. Junior Member Username: Wvictor Post Number: 29 Registered: 9-2008 |
Thanks, I did already. It is hard... I remember a few years ago, you had no options... was just good or bad luck.. these days Internet makes take decisions a whole deal... so much info... so much people swearing X company is the worst and other saying the same is the best.... how to know .... | ||
| MIchael Calero Member Username: Michael795 Post Number: 84 Registered: 4-2007 |
Victor, I have rented twice from them and they are very professional. Both times after the reservation were made their representative met me at the apartments to collect, fill out the rent agreement. Afterwards, I dealt with the apartment owners. I had a friend have a lawyer from her office check out the agreement and it was fine. The second time I actually went to their office and it was a very well organized workplace filled with many employees so their operation is very professional. You won't have a problem with them. If you want a direct email of one of the apartment owners thereby saving on the agency fee which I believe is 10% and administrative fee I can send it to you just PM me. That apartment is in palermo on Charcas and Guise a great location. | ||
| Roberto Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 1801 Registered: 12-2004 |
Victor, there is no way to know because this forum is not a reviews site or a very active forum where users will post real experiences, at least not as many as you may need to form an opinion. I trust Michael as I believe he is a real user. My general opinion is that you have to use common sense when using any of the internet rentals services. I had a bad experience. Basically, photos looked good although the apartments offered were somewhat pricey. I figured a slight premium would secure a better place. Was I wrong! The place I *booked* was crappy, smelt bad, had its cable TV broken and the furniture sucked. Could I have known in advance? Impossible, unless I had someone down there that could have checked the apartment prior to closing the deal. Another problem is you can't generalize this experience to all apartments. Quite possibly the service I used had some very good ones. So in regards to renting is hit or miss, I think. Finally, one thing you can judge with much more accuracy is the quality of service: Are the offerings reasonable? Are the people behind the scene reliable and responsible? Are they going out of their way to get my business? Will they compromise if there is a conflict or just want my money? How do I feel about their customer service? In my case, the answer to ALL these questions was negative so I decided not to pursue business with that particular service again. If the answers to the above are closer to a YES this greatly increases your chances of finding a good rental, a place that will make you happy. You will have to use your own instincts and forget about most of the reviews here. You can tell when it is self promotion as opposed to someone's real experience. I have pruned a lot of spam, banned some users but still, this forum should only be used as one more weapon in your arsenal. Last comment. After weeks/months of search I was left with the impression that many of the *unavailable* apartments shown under the different services were nothing but a marketing trick, just like those pretty girls you see in the dating websites that for some reason will never talk back or be available. I worked for many years in a similar online industry and I can tell you who sell these pictures, what the name of the models are and why they do it. | ||
| MIchael Calero Member Username: Michael795 Post Number: 85 Registered: 4-2007 |
Thanks Roberto for your comment. I was just sharing my experiences and trying to help as we all do here. | ||
| Victor W. Junior Member Username: Wvictor Post Number: 30 Registered: 9-2008 |
I had a good experience with 2 other companies already, tucasaargentina.com and 4rentargentina.com , but on this trip, so close to the date I'm going, they do not have a great offer on what I'm looking for. Anyway, I was talking in general, how difficult is these days to chose a product or a service with so many to chose from, buying a ca, buying a camera, reserve a hotel... more I look into it, more info I get, more insecure I feel... hehehe... it is just me??? | ||
| MIchael Calero Member Username: Michael795 Post Number: 86 Registered: 4-2007 |
Victor there is nothing wrong with being a educated consumer. I do the same, research things for better results. But at one time or another one has to throw the dice and follow through.. I hope you agree. | ||
| Jan Lettinga New member Username: Heart_of_argentina Post Number: 11 Registered: 11-2008  |
Victor, we have heard good things about Casa34 (www.casa34.com), maybe worth a try for renting in BAires. | ||
| roberto galea New member Username: Sartre Post Number: 1 Registered: 5-2009 |
Apartment location: Gorriti 3633 and Mario Bravo, Palermo. I've used BYT Argentina for more than 4 years and I've always had a good experience, until now. I'm writing from the apartment I rented for a month. Problems with the apartment are: 1.The owner did not advice BYT or me there is a new construction project next door. The noise level is defeaning. 2. The owner did not advice BYT or me there is literally next to the bedroom an indoor futbol (soccer) club. They play up until One in the morning. They scream and yell all night long. The club is open to many soccer teams. 3. The next door neighbor has a a dog (I love dogs and I actually have one) that barks for an hour or longer everytime the owner goes out. The apartment is well appointed but the noise level is like the perfect storm of noises. Also, the description of the apartment states it's pocas cuadros de Avenida Santa Fe (just a few blocks from Avenue Santa Fe). Actually it's seven blocks away from Avenida Santa Fe and civilization. | ||
| Cristina Larson New member Username: Marypickford Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2008 |
I have no experience with BYT, but I do with BAURBAN (www.baurban.com)one of the owners is Veronica Fiorentino. They advertise properties from the very expensive to razonable priced units. One time I rented through Reynolds, the location was excellent, the apartment was everything that they said it was, but once they collected their fee....my in-laws (do not speak spanish) expended three days without a shower because they did not know how to turn on the water heater on demand and, although the Reynolds people promised to "take care" they never responded to their phone calls. On that occasion I had to go and purchase sheets and towels, the ones that the owners (?) left for us were in extremely poor condition. In Buenos Aires the ATMs work very well and they are every where, the only problem is that you can only extract 900 pesos per day. Argentine s ATM claim that that is the limit imposed by "my" bank, which I know is not true, also in most banks you have to extract the money in 300 pesos increments. If you try to extract 900 in one time, the ATM tell you that "you do not have enough funds in your account" which you also know is not true, but if you extract three times they can charge the fee three times. On the positive side, through the ATMS you get the best exchange rate that by any other means of exchange. American Express checks are subject to high fees and also to bank hours that in general close at 3.00PM and they do not operate on weekends. If you go to a "casa de cambio" the rates are worse. I would carry enough cash to cover the deposit and the fee and after that I would manage with credit cards and ATM's. Another item that you should find out BEFORE you travel is how much your bank will charge you per extraction. In my experience Wells Fargo charges U$S 5.00 per transaction even if you extracted only U$S 1.00 dollar!. I do my banking at a credit union which charges a few cents per transaction and the fee is tied to the amount of the extraction. I hope this helps, I travel to Buenos Aires at least twice a year so I am familiar with the "do and dont's". Good Luck } | ||
| MIchael Calero Intermediate Member Username: Michael795 Post Number: 107 Registered: 4-2007 |
I have rented twice from BYT without any problems. They have a great inventory of apartments in different price ranges in rent. That situation with Gorriti 3633 , might be a Isolated situation that the owner is keeping information from BYT and renters. I would speak to BYT and attempt to resolve this problem with the owner since BYT states they have quality apartments. | ||
| Justin Reimanes New member Username: Justofftheboat Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2009 |
I have used BYT twice, once successful, no problems and the last time I got a poor apartment in need of repair, and BYT were ghastly. I think BYT are great when things are going well and abysmal when things go wrong. That seems to be a common theme on the boards/forums. Since BYT I have used two companies with equal success, www.tangoapart.com.ar and www.buenosairesstay.com I am currently staying with Buenos Aires Stay and must say that they are particularly good. I am trying unsuccessfully to buy an apartment in Buenos Aires and just cannot seem to find what I want. 300SQM, outside space, not a house, Recoleta/barrio norte. No more than 2k PSQM - 500K is my budget. | ||
| David New member Username: Dap Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2009 |
With BYT what are the fees required up front? I am a bit confused with the website. Is it 20% of total stay cost plus 2 months up front? e.g. for a 6 month stay at $600 a month, 3600*0.2 + $1200? = $1920? Then after that you pay monthly? | ||
| Justin Reimanes New member Username: Justofftheboat Post Number: 14 Registered: 6-2009 |
I have used this company and they charge 20% of the first month in advance. So, charging fr the entire stay seems like an overcharge. Read their terms. I am not sure about the 2 months in advance though, I pay six weeks. The two months, I presume, prevents them being left without a security deposit at the end of the contract. I would opt for paying just for the month first, see if you like the apartment/area and seek an agreement from the property owner to extend within the first five days or so, and pay your rent monthly. My friend is stuck in an apartment that is great, but there has been road works outside for nearly 8 of his 12 weeks and it is making him crazy. Look for flexibility. I posted then checked, you should pay no more than 20% of the first month's rent. | ||
| Norma Graciela New member Username: Graciela Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2009 |
Hi David, if you are looking for apartments for rent in different areas of Buenos Aires, ex Recoleta, Palermo, Centro, Congreso, you can consult www.toliveargentina.com.ar. All the apartments shown there are in excellent conditions of maintenance and you will be atended by trusted profesionals. Without paying cost administratives. Have a good luck! Grace | ||
| Justin Reimanes New member Username: Justofftheboat Post Number: 15 Registered: 6-2009 |
David, the admin fee is a small price to pay, some companies load the rent, other charge fees, it is all the same in the end, stick to the big boys who have been around for a while and read the info above. Steer clear of those who are fresh in the market, byt, buenos aires stay, apartments ba and such like, they have all been around for a while and they have hundreds of apartments, stick to the larger recognised market leaders that is my advice. | ||
| RentingBA New member Username: Rentingba Post Number: 14 Registered: 1-2008 |
Hi David, I would clarify this over the phone with the BYT rep. I have worked with them in the past with some apartments that I own and they seemed to be on the level. They are somewhat disorganized, which is why I stopped using them but that has to do with them having so many apartments that they don't manage. There is little quality control. But their business practices are on the level. And no matter who the agency, you will always find mixed reviews. Why ? Because they all rent the exact same apartments. It's basically a pool of the same apartments shared by a couple hundred agencies. Regards, RBA. | ||
| Justin Reimanes New member Username: Justofftheboat Post Number: 16 Registered: 6-2009 |
Hey there renting BA! I think you hit the nail on the head, they are a bit disorganised and not so helpful when things go wrong. It is not wise though to pay a non-refundable deposit in advance though for the entire stay? Do you not agree? Their terms state 20% of the first month. Also, what if the apartment is not up to scratch? | ||
| RentingBA New member Username: Rentingba Post Number: 15 Registered: 1-2008 |
Hi Justin, I would agree that the 20% should be based on 1 months rent. But I understand that if the client wants to reserve an entire 6 month stretch in advance, the owner will have to turn down reservation requests 6 months in advance with no guarantee the client will even show up and or stay the full 6 months. What I would suggest, if byt is asking for this, is simple. Reserve one month, with an option to extend for 6 months once you arrive. If the owner gets another request for the apartment for that 5 month period, they can give the 6 month client priority in reserving that additional time first. If not, just use another agency that doesn't ask for so much up front. Most agencies don't charge 20% of the entire 6 month contract, we only charge 20% of the first month. But I do understand the reason why an owner or agency might want to. Regards, RBA. |
